Planning for the Future
Even with a 25-year history, Grand Prairie Friends is barely a teenager when it comes to maturity as an organization that can be effective at land conservation and management. Over the last few years, the current Board leadership has recognized that to be an effective land conservation organization, we need to step up our efforts. One way to start this process is to make sure we have firm foundation in our organizational structure and policies, hence, the need for a Strategic Plan. Through a process that in part has been facilitated by the Land Trust Alliance and its Guided Organizational Assessment, we have embarked down a road to put in writing what we value and how we will operate. It’s trudgingly slow, but vital if we are to be effective at what we do.
To that end, the current Board has determined general goals to strive for over the next five years (2010-2015):
- Achieve Land Trust Accreditation.
- Increase the number of participants in administrative aspects of Grand Prairie Friends.
- Increase the number of participants in the volunteer aspects of Grand Prairie Friends.
- Increase awareness of Grand Prairie Friends.
- Enhance natural area steward and volunteer training.
- Increase landholdings.
- Acquire a centralized and stable space for the needs of the organization.
This plan then details the action steps and personnel needed to achieve these goals.
I’ve always said that the conservation business is a slow process, and with an all- volunteer organization, it seems very slow. In the end, though, it’s well worth the time and effort.
Jamie Ellis
President, Board of Directors
November 2009
