The mission of ACE Mentor Louisville is to engage, excite, and enlighten high school students to pursue careers in architecture, engineering, and construction through mentoring and continued support for their advancement into the industry. It was a privilege to facilitate their strategic planning retreat as these outstanding leaders envision ways to expand and enhance their impact on young people across our community.
Responding to those in crisis requires a community partnership of law enforcement, mental health and substance use professionals, individuals, and families. Last week I had the privilege of facilitating a multi-day Board retreat focused on strategic planning with the team from CIT International. I am inspired by their commitment to promoting collaboration and effective training to support communities as well as those experiencing a crisis.
A thoughtful strategic plan includes the ideas and perspectives of Board, staff, volunteers, and other stakeholders. It was a privilege to facilitate a strategic planning retreat with the fantastic team from CASA of the Lincoln Trail this past weekend. CASA of the Lincoln Trail provides trained community volunteers to speak for children in court who are victims of dependency, neglect, and/or abuse. If you want to make a difference in the life of a child, consider becoming a CASA volunteer!
When talented leaders with diverse skills, talents, and perspectives gather to discuss their vision for the future, the energy is infectious. Thank you to the incredible Board and CEO of Great Kids Inc for inviting me to facilitate their recent strategic visioning session. Great Kids makes our world a better place for kids by creating early childhood education curricula and training for home visiting programs who support families.
The cornerstone of an effective strategic plan is a vision that is graphic, inspiring, and attainable. CASA programs and volunteers help change the story for children who have experienced abuse and neglect. It was my privilege to facilitate a strategic planning retreat with the leaders of CASA of the Northern Bluegrass last week.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to live in a world where mental health is treated the same way we approach other health issues? The Pete Foundation rallies communities to champion youth mental health and wellness through normalizing the topic, promoting education, and providing tools for healthy emotional development. It was a privilege to facilitate the recent strategic planning retreat with the leaders of this incredible organization.
As a facilitator, one of the most rewarding experiences is spending time with a Board that asks “How can I best serve the mission and support the team?” I was honored to spend the day with the Board and leaders of CASA by the Lakes for their strategic planning retreat. CASA by the Lakes envisions a community where every abused and neglected child has the opportunity to thrive in a safe and loving home.
It is magical when talented, passionate, and engaged leaders who are committed to the mission gather to plan for the future. Had a wonderful time facilitating a strategic planning retreat with the team from CASA of the Ohio Valley. These amazing leaders and volunteers advocate for abused, neglected, or dependent children within the Family Court systems of Daviess, McLean, Hancock, and Ohio Counties.
You can go home again! I was born and raised in New York, which made this week extra special as I was able to be back in the NY/NJ area to facilitate a strategic planning retreat with the Board and staff leaders of 180 Turning Lives Around. 180 empowers survivors and families affected by domestic violence and sexual assault to find the courage and strength to turn their lives around.
Healthy nonprofits are built on strong foundations. Two critical components of a strong foundation are an informed, engaged Board of Directors and a compelling vision for the organization supported by actionable goals and strategies.
I am thrilled to announce an innovative partnership between NTC and Kentucky CASA Network (KCN) to develop dynamic Boards and actionable strategic plans with CASA programs across the State of Kentucky. With support from KCN, over the next 12-18 months NTC will have the opportunity to work with CASA programs across the State -- facilitating Board retreats and strategic plannings projects. Our vision is to amplify the great work being done in these programs by providing resources to elevate Board governance and develop actionable goals and strategies.
“The KCN recognizes that in order to deliver high quality advocacy services to abused and neglected children, we must build and sustain highly effective CASA programs across the Commonwealth. This all starts with strong board governance to provide this critical infrastructure and support. We are excited to work with NTC to further enhance our work as we move towards the vision of every child in Kentucky having access to a CASA volunteer.”
Andrea Bruns - CEO, Kentucky CASA Network
The Kentucky CASA Network provides ongoing development, training, technical assistance, and resources to local CASA programs across the Commonwealth. Currently, the Kentucky CASA Network is an association of 21 local programs, covering 92 Kentucky counties, which served 3,538 abused and neglected children in 2022. The KCN also advocates for the needs of CASA programs with industry stakeholders in the Capitol and throughout the state. The CASA programs in Kentucky are part of a larger national network.
Had a great time facilitating a strategic planning retreat this weekend with the Board and leaders of Tri-County CASA. Tri-County CASA trains volunteers to advocate for abused, neglected, or dependent children to help them find safe, permanent and loving homes.
Honored to spend time last week facilitating a strategic planning retreat with the talented and committed Board members of CASA of Lexington. Their vision is a community where every child lives and thrives in a safe, caring and permanent home. They are getting there one child at a time!
Join me on Thursday, August 31 at 11am ET as I will be leading a webinar sponsored by Leadership Strategies entitled “From Vision to Values - Translating Your Philosophy Into Identity.”
Learn how to:
☑️ Craft a compelling vision statement
☑️ Discover your company's core values
☑️ Implement values-based decision-making
☑️ Turn vision into action for tangible results
I am proud to serve as a member of the Core Team at Leadership Strategies, which is the #1 facilitation company in the U.S. Don't miss this chance to excel through strategic visioning. Reserve your spot now!
A thoughtful strategic plan informs the direction of the organization, generates heightened ownership of the mission, and inspires staff, board, and the community to envision bold possibilities. Honored to facilitate a strategic planning retreat with the incredible team from Kentucky CASA Network. Court Appointed Special Advocate® (CASA) volunteers are community members, just like you, who stand up and speak out to help abused and neglected children. The Kentucky CASA Network is committed to providing resources, technical assistance, and advocacy for the local CASA programs across Kentucky.
Leading in the present means understanding the ever evolving ecosystem around your organization. It was my pleasure to facilitate a long-range planning session with the Board of Walden School. Walden School provides an educational environment - both academic and social - that fosters a lifelong enthusiasm for learning and challenges individual students to reach their full potential so they may flourish in a diverse and changing world.
Drowning is the single leading cause of death of children ages 1-4. In the U.S. drowning takes an average of 3,500-4,000 lives per year. That is an average of 10 fatal drownings per day. I was honored to facilitate the strategic planning process for the National Drowning Prevention Alliance (NDPA). NDPA’s mission is elevating awareness to educate, advocate, innovate, and equip to prevent drownings. I invite you to learn more about NDPA and its alliance partners so you too can be part of the solution to prevent drownings.
Through my partnership with Leadership Strategies, I was honored to spend the past 2 days facilitating a strategic planning retreat with the leaders of the Eddy County Fair in New Mexico. The Eddy County Fair brings tremendous economic value and provides valuable lifelong lessons of leadership for the children and families of the community.
Back in 2008, I began my career in nonprofit leadership as a 29 year old Executive Director at Green Hill Therapy. Nearly fifteen years later, it was my great privilege to facilitate a strategic planning retreat on Friday with the outstanding Board and staff leaders of Green Hill. Green Hill Therapy is dedicated to helping children reach their full potential, using hippotherapy and aquatherapy to enhance outpatient occupational, physical and speech therapy services.
Please join me at the Idaho Nonprofit Center virtual conference August 30 - September 1. I will be presenting a breakout session entitled Finding Your North Star Through Strategic Planning on Tuesday, August 30th. I would love to see you online!
Thoroughly enjoyed speaking this week at the Summer Symposium of NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association. I enjoyed meeting and interacting with so many talented leaders while speaking on Principles in Board Governance as well as Strategic Planning for Boards. NTCA is building a better broadband future for rural America. NTCA’s members build and deliver broadband connectivity and operate essential services in rural and small-town communities across the U.S.
