Morristown Unitarian Fellowship

M U F L I N K S

Strategic Planning

Plans Into Action

Putting our Strategic Plan into Action- The five year Strategic Plan developed from a year long process engaging over 200 members is now complete. The key projects for each of the Plan’s six Priority Areas – and the their timelines listed as Year 1, Year 2, and Years 3-5 can be found in the linked power point presentation along with the Spread Sheet entitled Living Our Vision.

It is now time to move from Plan to Action. As you may know, some Year 1 initiatives are already underway. Two examples of this are the reassessment of staffing that brought us our Ministries’ Administrator, Deneise Murad. And the Social Justice Council is currently seeking people interested in designing MUF’s Signature Social Justice Project. To help us live the full vision of our Plan, the Board of Trustees has used the Strategic Plan recommendations along with the input submitted by individual committees to create a timeline and a structure of support to have measurable impactful results. The following is the structure of how we can realize our Vision working together:

Priority Area Leaders (PALs) monitor projects, dates, and costs and update Board. These PALs will change as the Priority Areas’ key projects for a given year change.

Coaches assist and help in project definition. Karen Dinsmore and Gary Kunz are our Coaches.

The Board oversees the Plan and receives updates.

COM views the impact on the health of our ministries, and serves as a process resource, helping with concerns, conflict mediation, and right relation tools.

Our Minister and our staff are intimately involved.

Every one of us is key to living our Vision!

Planning Over the Last 18 Months

The MUF Board of Trustees created a Strategic Planning Task Force in early 2009 to lead a process that would yield a Five Year Strategic Plan for MUF based on the vision and mission of the congregation and provide a structure for moving forward in a purposeful manner. Furthermore, at the direction of the congregation, the Strategic Plan addressed issues such as Building and Location, Staffing, Financials, Religious Education and Outreach. Finally, the Plan provided the foundation that will position MUF to introduce a capital campaign to finance the implementation of the Plan.

The Strategic Planning Task Force would like to thank everyone who participated in the Imagination Sessions and the Congregational Meetings.

The following attached files are an archive of our Strategic Process journey and may be a useful case study for other congregations embarking on a similar journey:

Attachment 1: Summarizes the Imagination Sessions and the 6 Priority Theme Areas identified by the congregation
Attachment 2: March 21^st, 2010 presentation to the congregation – Vision Statement, Goal Statements and Recommendations for 5 of the priority areas
Attachment 3 and 4: April 24 and 26, 2010 presentation to the congregation – Facilities Discussion (6^th Priority Area)