Does Your School Have A Plan

Are you getting ready for the World Cup? Do you have a favourite country that you want to win? Here in Canada our country isnt' involved, but we're still recovering from the Winter Olympics and the end of another marathon NHL Hocky season.

I was just reading in my Google Alerts and noted that St. Margaret's School in Edinburgh is closing after 120 years. They stated that it was due to declining enrollment and the economy. I'm not sure what the full story is behind the situation, but I never like to see a school close. This is even closer to my heart since I was Head of Queen Margaret's School, which was part of their association, so I knew the school.

I'm always shocked to see school's close. It is not a sudden decision, but rather a slow death. Most schools don't take the time to lay out a road map to achieve their mission and  vision, and take into consideration issues that are arising. A good strategic plan will help a board to understand the difference between being "reactive" - solving the problem today - and "proactive" - eliminating the problem in the future. Ineffective boards just ride from ride from crisis to crisis. 

What sustainable schools have is a plan that provides a framework to enable them to focus and coordinate their resources, work towards common goals, and assess and adjust as they move forward.

A good example is a school HEG completed a strategic plan for in Tenneessee. At the time HEG was retained, their enrollment and resources were in a critical state. Through the development and implementation of a visionary plan, they've increased their enrollment four times over and are on solid financial ground. Why wait like SMS for the doors to close.

I think it was the Cheshire Cat in Alice In Wonderland who said, " "If you don't know where you're going, any road will do." I hope you choose the right road.

Today I want to share with you the essentials of an effective strategic plan. Please read on to find out more.

Essentials Of A Solid Strategic PLan

As Peter Drucker said "The best way to predict the future is to create it."

Now more than ever, private schools need a strategic plan to maximize their strenths, minimize their weaknesses, and take advantage of their opportunties and trends.

What makes up a strategic plan? Here are the key elements:

• Mission Statement: Why your school exists

• Vision Statement: What you want the school to be in the future

• Goals, Objectives and Actions: How you will, step-by-step, achieve the vision

• Values: How you will treat each other and your constituents...alignment

If you want to visualize a strategic plan, it would look like this:

HEG's Planning Approach:
Our approach is based on years of experience. If done right,, it does not have to be frustrating, unproductive, costly, or divert the energies of your schools leadership. If it's facilitated properly, the process will stimulate support in your community and add value to your school's continued growth. The ultimate product of planning is your board's determination of the strategies that will guide decisions for your organization's future and the annual operational plan to achieve it - the blueprint for your school's future. The strategic planning process is sequential and raises a progression of questions that HEG uses to examine assumptions, gather and incorporate information about the present, and anticipate the world in which the school will be working in, and determine how you'll get there. It asks:

1. Where is your school now?
2. Where do we want your school to be? 
3. How does your school get there? 
4. How does your school measure your progress and know you've gotten there?

Our Planning Process:

A school is most effective when diverse departments are aligned by a common vision, mission, strategies, and goals. Simply working hard will not do it anymore. You want your school to move from being reactive (solving today's problems) to being proactive (eliminating problems in the future). However, many organizations react to unexpected changes rather than anticipate and plan for them. This is called "crisis management." Schools caught off guard spend a great deal of time and resources "playing catch up." They use up energy and resources coping with immediate problems with little energy left to anticipate and prepare for the future.

HEG's planning process provides a practical option to knee-jerk management. Our step-by-step process provides concrete objectives and deliverables that can be implemented and measured. Very simply, it will be a process by which your board can look into the future, identify a picture of the future based on current data, and control forces that affect you. This will allow your school to:

• Identify areas of operation needing attention and use it as a springboard to strengthen performance;
• Identify and reach consensus on critical issues (e.g., finance, enrollment, marketing, fundraising, HR, academic programs, student performance, facilities) before they become a crisis;
• Articulate a uniform, shared mission and vision, and provide a clearer focus for the school, producing efficiency and effectiveness, participation, and ownership by stakeholders;
• Allocate resources to opportunities and improve finances and projections;
• Build trust, respect, team-work, and communication amongst board members and Administration;
• Create a framework that guides decision making and ensures that members of the school are working towards the same goals, even if the environment around your school changes;
• Gain credibility amongst current and prospective donors and identify critical projects for investment;
• Ensure that board members understand their roles, responsibilities, and board-wide priorities;
• Monitor performance and provide benchmarks from which progress can be measured.

What Our Approach Looks Like:

Our planning approach results in the development of a practical tool to assist your board with leading your school over the next five years. Our approach as a rule encompasses three site visits over a six to eight month period to determine where you are now, where you want to be, how to get there, and how you know you've gotten there. This is achieved through the following process:

1. Online Stakeholder Surveys with staff, board, and parents to gather data on school performance;
2. Onsite Focus Group sessions with parents, students, staff, faculty, board members, alumni, and/or other members of your community to identify areas needing improvement;
3. Two Facilitated On-Site Retreats with your Strategic Planning Committee to re/define core values, mission and vision statements, educational philosophy, and development of your goals, rationale, and objectives;
4. Detailed Action Plans that operationalize the implementation of your goals and objectives;
5. Follow-Up Community Online Survey to gather feedback on drafts of your strategic plan;
6. Support to implement your plan within your governance model and to operationalize with your Administration;

Links:

• Click here to read comments by our clients on our services as well as our planning process.
• Click here to review our strategic planning options (customized to your organization).
• Click here to download HEG's Eight-Step Strategic Planning Process.

Our approach results in the "compass" and "roadmap" to guide your school in the development of a measurable plan to focus priorities and maximize school performance.

Remember the adage...

A goal is just a dream with a deadline...
A goal will remain a dream unless you create and execute a plan of action to accomplish it...
Every goal that does  get accomplished
has a plan behind it.

Make it happen at your school. To find out more about how we can help provide you solutions, please email HEG at  to discuss your needs in more detail. 

To your success,

Doug Halladay

President

Halladay Education Group

P.S. Don't forget to go to our secure Online Store to invest in our Strategic Planning or Start-A-School Toolkits.

Is Your School's Web Site Striking Gold?

Hello,

March has been a crazy month and I’ve been racking up the air miles travelling and working with clients in San Francisco, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Mongolia, Ontario, and Panama. I’ve only been home 5 days in total. On Wednesday I travel to Washington – DC to work with HEG’s Senior Associate, Carole Al Kahouaji, who is our firm’s specialist in developing international K-12 IB schools. Currently, we’ve two International Baccalaureate schools under development. We’re also working with a group to open US Accredited Offshore International Universities in India, so I’ll be travelling over there later in June.

If you’re based in the Washington – DC area and would like to connect with me in person while I’m there till April 5, please send me an email or call me directly.

Here in Vancouver we’re in what’s called the “Olympic Hang-Over.” We had one big party in February holding the Winter Olympics and hosting a huge party in downtown Vancouver. I’d the chance to take my family to a number of cultural and athletic events and it was a lot of fun…though we’ll be paying it off for about 25 more years.

NEW HEG PARTNER

From time to time, HEG is approached by strategic firms that support HEG’s focus on helping new and established private school improve their performance. Today, I want to introduce you to a firm that specializes in helping schools improve their admissions and marketing systems. The firm is called “Enrollment Resources.” Their team’s primary focus is helping you to attract and retain more students, for both the K-12 and Post Secondary markets.

I’m going to cut-and-past for you below their recent newsletter offering a FREE Website Opportunity Analysis, so that you can attract and sign up more students. Please tell them that HEG referred you.

====================================================

ARE YOU OVERLOOKING YOUR BIGGEST

LEAD GENERATION OPPORTUNITY?

CHANCES ARE YOUR GREATEST LEAD CONVERSION TOOL IS RIGHT

UNDER YOUR NOSE AND YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW IT

I want you to imagine for the moment that you are a gold prospector and you can choose between two rivers to pan for gold…

…the first river is big and full of gold – it’s also chock-a-block full of other prospectors all battling to find the gold. If you choose this river, there is a possibility that you will get lucky and strike a big haul. That’s possible. What’s inevitable is you’ll be elbow-to-elbow, day in and day out, constantly fighting for position with other prospectors. Many of whom are bigger, better equipped and more experienced.

…the second river is much smaller and contains less gold – but it runs through your backyard. You have complete, private access to this river 24 hours a day.

Which river do you choose to work?

I know this is an outdated metaphor (there’s not a lot of gold prospecting going on these days) but it is a good example of what’s going on in Education marketing.

A lot of schools today rely heavily on portals and lead aggregators to generate leads. Portals can be great; they are a relatively easy way to get in front of prospects and hopefully generate interest in your school. However, if you’re getting in front of prospects through a portal, chances are your competitors are as well. Using portals is like mining for gold in the first river.

The second river is your own website. And the question to ask is: Why spend all your effort with over-crowded portals when you have a perfectly good lead generation source right under your nose? Convert MORE of the traffic that comes to your website, cut out the middle man and develop leads directly at the source. Especially when stats show self-generated leads convert enrollment at a HIGHER rate.

You already have a website – why not make it work for you?

Get a FREE Website Opportunity Analysis

Call us today for a free “Opportunity Analysis” of your website and find out if you are leaving leads “on the table.” Call (250) 391-9494 or email.

Sincerely,

Gregg Meiklejohn & Shane Sparks, Co-Founders

Enrollment Resources Inc.

(250) 391-9494

===============================================================

To Your success

Doug Halladay

President

Halladay Education Group

P: 604.868.0002 / F: 868.472.8737 / Email

TWITTER - Receive updates by signing in

LINKEDIN - Link up with HEG 

P.S. Don’t forget to go to our secure Online Store to invest in our Strategic Planning or School Start-Up Toolkits 

Develop Your School's Strategic Plan Like The Winter Olympics

Hi,

We’re getting ready to host the Vancouver Olympics starting this Friday with the Opening Ceremonies. The big buzz around the town right now is who will light the ceremonial torch at the ceremonies and will we be able to keep enough snow on one of local ski hills that hosting snowboarding and mogul competitions. European press is jokingly calling our winter games the “green” games, but for the wrong reasons. However, our VANOC organizing committee had a strategic plan in place to in case this type of bizarre warm weather would happen. Whew!

Does your school have a plan in place? Many realize that as your community shifts and forces are impact your school, your students, and staff, you need a comprehensive plan that can maximize your school’s strengths, foresee your threats, reduce your weaknesses, and take advantage of future opportunities. Don’t let weather rain on your games! (sorry for the bad pun)

A well formulated strategic plan will steer your school through challenging times. Our planning approach results in the development of strategies and action plans that energize your community, create buy, and can be implemented right away with action steps to support school improvement.

BENEFITS OF A STRATEGIC PLAN

The time devoted to the planning process varies from organization to organization and depends on the resources you have available to devote to the process. Whether you decide to dedicate only a two-day retreat to the process or engage in a twelve-month process, your organization will realize the benefits from the start.

Some of the fundamental benefits to the planning process and development of final plan include:

1). Articulates a uniform, shared Mission and Purpose

2). Proactively deals with organizational uncertainties

3). Creates a Framework and Direction that Guides Decision Making

4). Creates a foundation for your major capital campaigns and fundraising

5). Allocate resources-to-opportunities and financial responsibility

6). Becomes a tool to monitor performance and achievement

7). Enhances organizational effectiveness and commitment

WHERE DO YOU GO FROM HERE?

Included below is information to help you determine what to do next with your current and future planning process. There are many decisions to make and I want to help you move through the process.

1). General overview of our planning process

2). Different types of strategic planning options

3). HEG’s 8-Step Strategic Planning Process

3). How to invest in our Strategic Planning Toolkit

NEXT STEP

If you’d like to find out more about our Strategic Planning services, or learn more about how we can help provide your organization support with the process, please email HEG at info@halladayeducationgroup.com or call directly at 604-868-002 to discuss your situation in more detail.

To Your success

Doug Halladay

President

Halladay Education Group

P: 604.868.0002 / F: 868.472.8737 / Email: 

TWITTER   Receive updates by signing

LINKEDIN

P.S. Don’t forget to go to our secure Online Store to invest in our Strategic Planning or School Start-Up Toolkits

Why Do Schools Close And What Can You Do To Prevent It?

Hello

We’re getting very close to opening the Winter Olympics here in Vancouver, but the weather is hardly wintry. We’re in the middle of unseasonably warm (and wet) weather and some of the events on the local mountains will need to have snow transported in; one ski hill has even been closed to preserve what snow is left for the events. However, this was part of their contingency plan, so all is well (though a little muddy for the spectators). Does your school have a contingency plan in place for a crisis?

Over the years I’ve watched with great sadness public and private schools close and their impact on the families. I’ve recently observed three private schools close this school year and rumours of another one closing before the end of the school year. In our local school public school district, the board is deliberating on closing another school or two.

But do these schools have to close? What’s led up to their unsustainable demise? And how do you avoid some of the elements that’s led to their downfall?
As a former Head of School I was once hired to come in and save a long-established private school. It had operated for years at just a break-even pace with no reserves or long-term plan for the future. I was their third head in three years and they’d just dropped 29 students and key leadership positions had been gutted. The school was on the precipice of an unsustainable financial and operational model. What to do?

Today I want to share proactive strategies for your school’s leadership based on my observations of private schools that have collapsed and my own experience resurrecting a school. This is good reading for public or private schools; new or established schools. Please read on to find out more.

To your success,

Doug Halladay
President
Halladay Education Group

TWITTER  Receive updates by signing in

LINKEDIN  Link up with HEG

P.S. Don’t forget to go to our secure Online Store to invest in our Strategic Planning or School Start-Up Toolkits

IN THIS ISSUE


1. In The News

2. Solutions For Your School

3. Why Do Schools Close And What Can You Do To Prevent It?

4. Products At Our Online Store

1. IN THE NEWS

INSIGHT INTO THE CURRENT STATE OF BOARDING AND PRIVATE SCHOOL FINANCES
AdmissionsQuest - It's interesting to see how different kinds of schools, wealthy vs. tuition driven, small vs. large, boarding schools vs. day schools, are working to...

EXPERTS URGE EARLIER START TO TEACHING SCIENCE
EDWeek Updates - Children tend to show relatively little growth in their understanding of science in preschool, but interest in changing that is growing...

2. SOLUTIONS FOR YOUR SCHOOL

(A) STARTING A SCHOOL
Starting a school can be challenging and you never have a 2nd chance to make a 1st impression. That’s why you need a team who has experience starting schools in the USA, Canada, and Internationally to help you step-by-step.

(B) STRATEGIC PLANNING
We can lead the development of your school’s Strategic Plan efficiently and effectively. We take the stress out of the process and deliver a plan for your school’s future, which builds consensus, motivates donors, and defines critical priorities for your Board and. No school should be without one.

(C) BOARD GOVERNANCE WORKSHOPS
Do you want your school to have the best board possible? Great schools have great boards (can you afford not to have one?). Our full-day governance workshop, in combination with our unique online self-assessment survey, fine-tunes your board’s performance and annual priorities immediately.

(D) SCHOOL EVALUATION
As a Trustee are you sure your school is doing the best it can? A school review is critical to knowing if you’re heading in the right direction. Get the whole picture today with our “In-Depth School Performance Review and Action Plan.”

(E) BUYING AND SELLING SCHOOLS
HEG and our certified Brokerage Associates assist buyers/sellers with the purchase and/or sale of for-profit Private K-12 Schools, Post Secondary Institutions, and Career Colleges in Canada, US, and Internationally. HEG and our Licensed Brokers are experienced in acquisitions, mergers, and advising established schools.

3. WHY DO SCHOOLS CLOSE AND WHAT CAN YOU DO TO PREVENT IT?

Watching a school close is distressing. Parents and students are upset; teachers find themselves unemployed in the middle of the school year; and local businesses are left with a void. In some cases it’s a slow death and other times it’s appears to be a sudden decision with little warning.

But what leads to this point of unsustainable operation? What elements of management and leadership are not working, and what can be done at your school to avoid this (and to maximize your performance)?

SUSTAINABLE MODEL

This sounds sacrilegious for non-profits but you need to ensure that your school is in a market that wants your programs. In other words, you need to provide an educational program and ancillary services that your parents and students want; and you need to do it well!

Many schools are either established in communities where a feasibility study is not performed and hope that parents and students will come. Sometimes this works sometimes it doesn’t, and then it’s a desperate slow death of declining enrollment.

Other times established schools either let the quality of their programs decline or they lose sight of what their market wants; which again results in declining enrollment and revenue.

How do you deal with this? If you’re thinking of starting a new school, spend the time and money now to find out what market demand is for the school you envision and whether it’s sustainable (and what you need to invest to do it). We’re completing this right now for three different projects in three different continents.

If you’re an establish school, you need to set up a serious of program benchmarks and measure your stakeholder’s viewpoint on the value and quality of the programs and services you provide. On top of this you need to use this data to develop a strategic plan to maximize your school’s strengths, foresee your threats, reduce your weaknesses, and take advantage of future opportunities and trends. We can do this through a strategic plan.

CAPABLE BOARD LEADERSHIP

In many cases, unsustainable schools have ineffective board leadership. Their hearts are in the right place, but they don’t follow an effective governance model. Many boards spend their time reacting to unexpected changes instead of anticipating and preparing for them. This is called crisis management. Trustees caught off guard and spend a great deal of time and energy "playing catch up" and reacting. They use up precious energy and resources coping with immediate problems with little energy left to anticipate and prepare for the future. This unproductive cycle locks schools into a reactive posture, and the unavoidable.

As the Chair, Trustee, or Senior Administrator of a Private School, does your board experience any of the following:

• Trustee behavior that is unproductive and not aligned with your mission;
• Board agenda that is controlled by crisis rather than a clear vision;
• Board committees that exist only because they have always been there, not because they’re needed;
• No link between budget, tuition setting, or a long-term plan;
• Blurring of boundaries and channels between the roles of the Board and Administration;
• Board commitment greater than you would like it to be and has become too taxing and stressful; - Inability to attract and keep good trustees.

Well, if one or more (maybe all) of these situations apply to you then you need to focus on improving the effectiveness of your board’s governance. You can’t always pick your team but you can improve how they play. Start reading books, attend conference, and retain consultants such as HEG to help you improve how your trustees lead your school.

A VISION AND PLAN FOR THE FUTURE

Many schools are led by the calendar. What do I mean by this? Boards and Administration make their decisions based on what needs to be dealt with now as part of the typical operation of a school during a school year. If it’s February it must be Open House time. If it’s August it must be time to prepare for the staff and students to return.

Schools that face the anguishing decision to close do not think outside their calendar. They deal with whatever crisis they are facing now, with no time or resources left to look outside their box to rectify their challenges, and focus on long-term improvement.

Now more than ever you need to step back, complete a SWOT analysis of what is and is not working at your school, and develop a short- and long-term plan to rise above your daily crisis and set a course for long-term stability.

It can be done and I’ve done it. Raising academic performance; having a contingency fund and cash reserves in place; increasing enrollment and a waiting list; high staff retention; and board members who want to serve at the school.

But you need to have a vision of where you want the school to be and a mission of “who” you serve, “how” you do it, “what” you provide to your community to do it. And yes, you need a strategic plan to keep you on course and use as a compass and roadmap to guide your board. Without a plan it’s “ready, shoot, aim.” Again, we can support you with developing a plan or a school evaluation to provide you with solutions now to use today.

To find out more about how we can help provide you solutions, please email HEG at info@halladayeducationgroup.com to discuss your needs in more detail.

4. ONLINE STORE

Here are two popular resources to help you either start your own school or develop your own strategic plan more effectively, step-by-step.

(1). STRATEGIC PLANNING TOOLKIT (#1 BEST SELLERS)
Learn how to develop your own Strategic Plan with step-by-step instructions contained in our detailed Workbook and Manual, along with $500 worth of bonus CD’s. It’s all here to help you develop your own plan.

(2). START-A-SCHOOL TOOLKIT (#2 BEST SELLER)
Are you still struggling with starting your school? Four experienced school leaders share how they started their own school from the ground up. You’ll also receive our bonus CD on developing your strategic plan. Click here for more details: http://bit.ly/2hjUAn


To your success,
Douglas Halladay
President

What are the Roles and Relationships of a Planning Team?

Hello:

Ahh, I'm just back from a quick walk on the local dikes of the Fraser River near our office. Some days I just need to get out from in front of the computer to get some fresh air to clear my head. Do you set aside time for yourself during the day? Sigh, did I mention our Vancouver Canucks have lost 2 in a row? Let’s move on to another topic.

I’m working on contracts for projects in Egypt and India, as well as locally, and I’m also making preparations to speak at the ECIS Administrator’s Conference in Malta later in April. I’ll provide further details as they emerge.

Today I want to share some tips on the roles and relationships of participats in your school’s strategic plan. There are essentially two types of approaches to engaging stakeholders in the strategic planning: (1) Staff only; or (2) Participant led. Both are acceptable in terms of output, but each has a different affect on the engagement of your stakeholders, with the process involving your community having more buy-in. Of course the latter approach takes more time, but the results speak for themselves. Please read on to find out more about utilizing participants in your strategic plan.

To your success,

Doug Halladay

President

Halladay Education Group

TWITTER ->> Receive updates

LINKEDIN ->> Link up with HEG

P.S. Don’t forget to go to our secure Online Store to invest in our Strategic Planning or School Start-Up Toolkits.

IN THIS ISSUE

1. In The News

2. Solutions For Your School

3. Roles and Relationships Of Planning Team Participants

4. Products At Our Online Store

1. IN THE NEWS

GIFTED SCHOOLS

Los Angeles Times: One example of private money shaping school reform was the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's emphasis over the last decade on smaller schools…

ECONOMY HAS PRIVATE SCHOOLS MAKING SOME TOUGH DECISIONS

WSAW - Private schools are under a constant struggle to keep their student's cost low, while maintaining a high level of education. This can mean cutting back on...

2. SOLUTIONS FOR YOUR SCHOOL

(A) STARTING A SCHOOL

Starting a school can be challenging and you never have a 2nd chance to make a 1st impression. That’s why you need a turn-key firm with experience starting schools in the USA, Canada, and Internationally. 

(B) STRATEGIC PLANNING

We can lead the development of your school’s Strategic Plan, which will build consensus, motivate donors, and define critical priorities for your Board and Administration for school improvement. No school should be without one. 

(C) BOARD GOVERNANCE WORKSHOP

Do you want your school to have the best board possible? Great schools have great boards (can you afford not to have one?). Our full-day governance workshop (in combination with our unique online self-assessment survey) fine-tunes your board’s performance and annual priorities. 

(D) SCHOOL EVALUATIONS

A school review is critical to knowing if you’re heading in the right direction. As a board member, are you sure your school is doing the best it can? Get the whole picture now with our “In-Depth School Performance Review and Action Plan.”

(E) BUYING AND SELLING SCHOOLS

HEG and our certified Brokerage Associates assist buyers/sellers with the purchase and sale of for-profit Private K-12 Schools, Post Secondary Institutions, and Career Colleges in Canada, US, and Internationally. HEG and our Licensed Brokers are experienced in acquisitions, mergers, and advising established schools.

3. Role + Relationship Of YOUR Planning Participants

Strategic planning for a new or established school or non-profit is a team effort. Without appropriate input and feedback from all of your stakeholders groups, it’s difficult to address all of your school’s options, combined wisdom, or buy-in. However, each stakeholder group will contribute to the development of your plan in different ways and at different stages. The key is to maintain a balanced group interaction to sustain momentum in the process and achieve success.

STAKEHOLDER ROLES

1). Head of School/CEO:

The Head is to ensure agreement on the school’s goals and process to achieve them. Thus, the Head will drive the planning process and takes the lead in recognizing the need for a plan and the timing to develop one. S/he will enlist the support of the board’s strategic planning committee to: 

• Define participants and their roles  
• Prepare board and staff for planning  
• Coordinate and integrate participants’ input and regular updates  
• Manage and contribute to the process  
• Determine whether to include a consultant in the process  
• Determine who will be on the Board Planning Committee and their responsibilities

2). Board Planning Committee:

• The Board Planning Committee typically includes the board chair, key board members, staff executives, and staff members who will be responsible for implementing the plan. Ensure appropriate stakeholders are involved  
• Conduct research on relevant issues  
• Ensure the planning process is not sidetracked and is completed  
• Produce/review the planning document drafts  
• Determine the budget and timelines

3). Board:

Board participation is critical to developing a strong strategic plan. They can help reconcile the ambitions of the Head with the constraints of the school’s realities. They need to offer different perspectives that will eventually find consensus in the plan’s goals. Additionally, the plan’s priorities will become the basis of the board’s agenda and decision making, so engagement is important. The board’s responsibilities for planning include:

• Set the school’s direction (mission)  
• Balance short- and long-term goals Assume responsibility for the development, completion, implementation, and monitoring of the plan  
• Work with the Head to guide the operationalizing of the plan 
• Represent the school’s constituents in the planning process 
• Add value to discussions by sharing expertise and counsel on the impact of the plan 
• Approve and adopt the plan

4). Staff:

Staff are responsible for the operational plan; the link between the top-level vision and it day-to-day activities. Having key staff involved in the development of the plan allows them to share unique perspectives and build trust (Note: this is important!!). Additionally, staff involved in developing the plan, and who will implement the plan, have a chance to shape it and buy into it. Staff responsibilities include:

• Provide background information, research, and institutional history  
• Bring their unique perspective and expertise to discussions  
• Ensure the plan is realistic in a day-to-day reality  
• Offer administrative support

5). Community (parents, alumni, students, businesses):

Your community stakeholders can provide valuable input to the plan’s development. Constituent perceptions of the school are sometimes different from leadership and can provide an opportunity to gauge the quality of the programs you provide.

6). Consultant/Facilitator:

You can develop your own plan using your own staff member. However, if is it your first time or you have issues at plan, it advisable to use an outside strategic planning consultant such as our firm. This approach provides neutrality since there is no vested interested on our part.

If you would like a quick snapshot of our Strategic Planning process and approach, please click on the following links:

• Click here to read comments by our clients on our services as well as our planning process.
• Click here to review our strategic planning options (customized to your organization).
• Clicke here to download HEG’s Eight-Step Strategic Planning Process.
• You can also go to our Online Store and invest in our Strategic Planning Toolkit.

To find out more about our firm’s strategic planning services, or learn more about how we can help provide you solutions, please email HEG to discuss your needs in more detail.

4. ONLINE STORE

Here are 2 popular Toolkits to help you to either start your own school or develop your own strategic plan, step-by-step.

(1). STRATEGIC PLANNING TOOLKIT (#1 BEST SELLER)

Learn how to develop your own Strategic Plan with step-by-step instructions contained in our detailed Workbook and Manual, along with $500 worth of bonus CD’s. It’s all here to help you develop your own plan.

(2). START-A-SCHOOL TOOLKIT (#2 BEST SELLER)

Are you still struggling with starting your school? Four experienced school leaders share how they started their own school from the ground up. You’ll also receive our bonus CD on developing your strategic plan.

To your success,

Douglas Halladay

President

Halladay Education Group Inc.

What Are The Benefits Of A Strategic Plan?

Happy New Year:

Even though our New Years started off with our Junior Hockey team losing out on the opportunity to win their seventh consecutive Gold Medal, it was an inspiring game to watch (and their second place finish to the USA). The good news of course is that our Vancouver Canucks Hockey Team is on a winning streak; and of course our Olympics are going to start in less than 40 days (with even more hockey!).

I wanted to thank many of you who’ve ordered our Toolkits (“Strategic Planning” and “Starting A School”) from our secure Online Store. Last year it was a 50/50 split between the two Toolkits. What pleases me is that over the three years that I’ve had them available online, I’ve only had one return. Those who’ve invested in the Toolkits have praised them for their practical use and application to their needs.

Many of you recognize the value that a strategic plan can have for your school or non-profit, and contact our firm about how to develop a plan for your organization. You realize that your community continues to shift and forces are impacting your school, your students, and staff, and you need a practical plan that can maximize your school’s strengths, foresee your threats, reduce your weaknesses, and take advantage of future opportunities.

A well developed strategic plan can steer your school through challenging times. Our planning approach results in the development of strategies that energize your community, which they will buy into, and can be implemented right away with action plans to support school improvement.

BENEFITS OF A STRATEGIC PLAN

The time devoted to the planning process varies from organization to organization and depends on the resources available to devote to the process. Whether you decide to devote only a two-day retreat to the process or engage in a twelve-month process, your organization will begin to realize the benefits from the start.

Some of the fundamental benefits to the planning process and the development of the final plan include:

1. Articulates a uniform, shared Mission and Purpose: When the underlying mission of the organization, its basic purpose, is brought into question. Any thought of changing the basic mission of an organization unquestionably calls for strategic planning.
2. Organizational Uncertainties and Crisis Management: Non-profit organizations often have to deal with changing circumstances around them and make adjustments less critical than a fundamental mission change. Although the purpose may stay the same, the environment is changing, calling for modifications in how the organization does things to achieve the mission.
3. Creates a Framework and Direction that Guides Decision Making: Boards, CEO’s, and staff need a comprehensive and understandable basis for day-to-day decision making and yearly operational plans/budgets. Decisions in governance and management are more reliable when made deliberately, with full examination of possible future consequences, within the framework of a set of priorities, in accordance with the organization’s levels of authority, boundaries, and channels.
4. Foundation for Fundraising: A successful fundraising program rests on both a realistic determination of funding needs and a persuasive statement of why people should contribute financial support. Strategic planning is requisite, especially for organizations that are embarking on a major capital campaign for bricks and mortar or endowments. Comprehensive planning is one of the key marks of readiness to undertake the commitment that such campaigns require – major donors are expecting and looking for this.
5. Allocates Resources-to-Opportunities: All organizations must shepherd their resources and constantly be vigilant in expending their income and assigning their personnel. Board members have a fiduciary role in financial responsibility. Strategic planning enables boards to enact logical resource allocation over longer periods of several budget cycles, and yearly strategic financial plans. This in turn creates a level of trust in their community, since the board is transparent in where the organization’s resources are invested.
6. Tool to Monitor Performance and Achievement: Criteria against which to measure and evaluate how well an organization and/or individuals are doing are established through strategic planning. There is no way to tell whether an organization is achieving its purposes unless somewhere those purposes are clearly stated and measured.
7. Organizational Effectiveness and Commitment: Non-profits function as a team boards, executives, and staff. The process of planning puts a spotlight on team effectiveness. Particularly revealing is the focus it puts on board leadership; measuring board commitment and fulfillment, and belief in the mission (not just today’s problems), board support and oversight of staff; and any micromanagement or blurring of boundaries or channels. Planning can strengthen the organizations fabric, becoming the adhesive of an emerging team effort.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

I’ve included below some additional information to help you determine what to do next with your current and future planning process:

1). General overview of our planning process and testimonials

2). Strategic planning options

3). HEG’s 8-Step Strategic Planning Process

3). How to invest in our Strategic Planning Toolkit

NEXT STEP

If you would like to find out more about our Strategic Planning consulting services, or learn more about how we can help provide your organization helpful solutions, please email HEG at info@halladayeducationgroup.com or call directly at 604-868-002 to discuss your situation in more detail.

To Your success

Doug Halladay

President
Halladay Education Group
P: 604.868.0002 / F: 868.472.8737 / Email: info@halladayeducationgroup.com
www.HalladayEducationGroup.com

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P.S. Don’t forget to go to our secure Online Store to invest in our Strategic Planning or School Start-Up Toolkits.