SENIOR CENTER, INC.
STRATEGIC PLAN
Original date of approval, April 2002
Revised 2003, 2nd Revision 2005

Initial Ad Hoc Committee Members:
Ed Gatewood
Charlie Gleason
Dawn Heneberry
Mary Reese
Martha Tarrant, Chair
Peter Thompson, Executive Director

INTRODUCTION

Senior Center, Inc. believes in strategic management, consistent review of our organization, and focusing our attention on the future. This Strategic Plan is designed to be a guideline of the priority issues for the next three to five years. It includes revised mission and values statements, a new vision statement, and was based on an analysis of our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats as well as a study of eleven strategic issues. The Senior Center’s historical origins are as a community development project. Community development is an interactive process that involves genuine partnership between the seniors of the Senior Center and community citizens. The volunteer leadership of the Senior Center is committed to continue that relationship.

The April 2002 Plan was created by an ad hoc Planning Committee. In November of 2002, the Board of Directors delegated responsibility for monitoring this plan in 2003 and beyond to the Executive Committee. Issues, strategies, and other aspects of the plan are subject to amendment based on this review process. Updates to the plan are performed biannually based on Board feedback and member input.

The Board and the Executive Director will assign tasks from the issues and priorities, and create outcome measurements to track progress of this plan as part of Board and staff action plans over the next several years.

MISSION

Senior Center, Inc. involves, enriches, and empowers seniors in our community.

 
VISION

Our vision is to be an indispensable asset to seniors and the community.

   
VALUES

Senior Center, Inc. values:

1. A high quality of life for seniors, and believes that Center experiences contribute to that goal.
2. Excellence, by being the provider of choice for seniors in enrichment and social experiences.
3. Diversity , and believes success depends on the Center’s ability to be inclusive and assure the availability of comprehensive programs and services to all populations.
4. A strong sense of community , and prioritizes effective partnerships with various community entities. We believe these partnerships result in a synergy that mutually enhances seniors' experiences and improves the community.
5. Fiscal constancy, by becoming a self-sustaining non-profit endeavor with long-term financial security and prudent monetary decisions.
6. Well-qualified staff. Provision of a highly-qualified, motivated staff is imperative for ensuring that the Center fulfills its mission.

STRATEGIC GOALS: 2005-2007

Strategic Issue: Promoting Positive Aging

We need to examine the perceptions of growing older, and redefine the meaning of later life in our society. We need to create a more realistic and helpful image of aging and confront the negative stereotypes of aging. We propose to embrace the variety and diversity that comes with age and to respect older adults for their intrinsic value as human beings. Strategies to support positive models of aging will be a focus of the Center. Through marketing, program evaluation and expansion the worth of the Senior Center as a vital part of the community will be more obvious.

Strategic Issue: Program Expansion

Senior Center, Inc. must respond and adapt to the ever changing and growing diverse, senior population, including expansion of programs beyond our current service hours and beyond our facility. Seniors are living longer and are active for more years, leading to the Senior Center serving broad age cohorts. Seniors and our community continue to change their views of aging, retirement and what they expect of a Senior Center. We must continually evaluate what these changes mean to the Senior Center and be willing to add or subtract programs and services to meet the community’s needs. This requires constant attention from our leaders as well as review of resource allocation. Addressing these changes could result in prospective members utilizing the Senior Center, leading to increased membership census.

Strategic Issue: Increasing Membership

Our mission strongly depends on having members to serve and membership dues to help offset costs. A major priority is to ensure an increasing member census representative of the demographics of our community. An expanding membership will allow flexibility in programmatic expansion and will contribute to economic stability.

Strategic Issue: Cultural Diversity

Because we believe diversity is strength, the Senior Center is committed to developing and maintaining an inclusive community within its membership, staff and volunteers. We can best benefit from the diversity of our community and to serve our mission by representing our community as widely as possible. Accomplishing this objective will result in improved funding sources (business, foundation, and individual); increased membership, and an inspired and energized Center community.
 
Strategic Issue: Human Resource Development

Staff

Recruiting and maintaining a qualified, motivated team of paid employees is a challenge in our area due to low unemployment, low inflation, and job growth and population turnover. Senior Center requires a sufficient number of qualified paid staff in order to maintain our current activity levels. Effectively addressing this issue will result in organizational efficiency, increased member satisfaction, and assistance in raising and utilizing resources.

Board of Directors

The volunteer Board of Directors is responsible for governing the Senior Center. Due to natural Board turnover, the development of the Board needs continual review and a formal process of self-evaluation. The better the board, the better the governance and the greater the benefit for all stakeholders to whom it is responsible.

Volunteers

Senior Center, Inc. depends on a strong volunteer force to provide a substantial portion of the labor to operate the organization. Our volunteer program encourages service to the greater community, which exemplifies the value of seniors and reflects on the contribution Senior Center members make in the community. Because volunteers choose to work to support our organization, we must continue to develop our volunteer program. We must allocate resources to the program to ensure its success as well as continue to fully integrate volunteers into all areas of our organization. Success in this area will allow us to maintain and expand our level of service, and will ensure that volunteers have a meaningful experience and will continue to volunteer.

Strategic Issue: Increasing Financial Stability

The stability of Senior Center finances on an annual operating basis supports our ability to provide programs, maintain our building, retain qualified staff, and promote our work. It nearly maintains our ability to expand our hours and programming or begin new initiatives to meet the growing and changing senior population. Secure funding (means) we can meet our mission (ends). Strategies to increase earned income, formalize development plans, and administrative refinements will be prioritized and implemented.

Strategic Issue: Facility Management and Development

Our single largest fixed, asset is the building in which the Senior Center, Inc. resides. Protecting it from deterioration is in the best practical and financial interest of the organization. Long range planning for the future needs of the Center and its members needs to be considered.

Strategic Issue: Developing Comprehensive Methods of Program Evaluation

The result of outcomes evaluation not only includes operational efficiencies but also programmatic and fund raising advantages. A statement of need combined with systematic data from a conscientious evaluation documenting need creates a compelling fundraising package. In order to ensure we are meeting our mission, we must validate quality outcomes of our programs. Although evaluation would normally be an operational issue, it becomes strategic when we have no means by which to demonstrate our successes. The opportunity for national mentoring and benchmarking in this arena is also timely.

For Further information, please contact our Executive Director, Peter Thompson at 974-4577 or send an email to the .