I am pleased to report on the Society’s progress to date on the Strategic Planning Initiative that began in the fall of 2021.
A Strategic Planning Committee was struck, and met three times with the goal of moving to a Society that is financially secure and able to meet the mandate of sharing the gift of Iyengar yoga with the community. Melissa Hadley, an experienced facilitator and certified Iyengar yoga teacher, agreed to work with us on our strategic planning journey. The original timeline was a weekend workshop in February 2022 to determine our vision of where we want to be in five years and the actions to be taken in the following 18 months towards the vision.
In January, the Omicron wave of the pandemic changed the focus from an in-person workshop to an online format and from a five-year vision to developing a plan to survive for one year (into 2023) in the current location. Our mantra is that we need to keep the ember going for now, and to grow it again when the time is right.
February 12 – 13 participants met online for a morning, facilitated by Melissa Hadley and supported by Tegan Brophy and Carola Jaspers. A glitch with Zoom was overcome and the learning curve for Miro (online whiteboard for visual collaboration) was climbed. We reviewed trends in the operating environment, and developed key strategic directions for the next 12 months. The work was intense and productive.
March 5 – 15 participants met for an afternoon. Agenda included review of elements of KYH vision for 2023, review of obstacles, identifying actions to overcome obstacles, naming of strategies. Lots of hard work for the participants.
April 2 – 14 participants met for an afternoon. Strategies, to overcome obstacles, developed at the February 12 and March 5 workshops were reviewed and confirmed. The resulting seven strategies were assessed (mapped effort vs results) and ranked. Key action plans were developed for the top four strategies; each with a measurable accomplishment, and timeline.
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Establishing a more formal business-oriented, operational structure for KYHS
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Draft roles and responsibilities of all committees / volunteer roles and organizational chart for approval of the board by June 26, 2022
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Obtaining immediate cash to fund our strategic action plans for next 12 months
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Secure cash from a loan, grant and/or other source by July 2022
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Investigating opportunities to improve location appeal and attract new students
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Increased on-site presence of people on the property 7 days a week by September 1
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Identifying students’ needs/desires and designing strategies to meet needs/desires
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Student attendance will increase by 15% by March 31, 2023
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As time and energy are limited, the remaining three strategies will be addressed as soon as time permits.
The framework for composite actions plans was reviewed. Strategy teams will need to be identified and resources determined. The final debrief was enthusiastic. Working with like-minded Iyengar yogis was the special sauce that made the online strategic planning process work.
On behalf of the Society, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all who participated in our strategic planning process to this point. Melissa Hadley’s skill was beyond masterful at guiding the process, keeping us on a very tight timeline, and for exquisite diplomacy to get us back on task when we strayed. Tegan Brophy managed the online Miro board, powerful and complex software, which recorded all the work. Carola Jaspers was, as always, our Zoom angel. I am also grateful to the members who attended the three sessions. Everyone participated wholeheartedly and with respect and dignity.
The Society is now eagerly awaiting Melissa Hadley’s final report and template, with which we will continue the work on our own. We are off to a good start, and there will be lots of hard work towards a viable and resilient KYH in 2023.
A quick comment regarding our financial situation, which is stable. As the COVID-19 pandemic seems to be settling down, students are beginning to return to yoga classes both in-studio and online.
On a personal note, as a courtesy to the teachers I am trying to plan my life more than 36 hours into the future. For me right now this means booking my classes two weeks into the future, so the teacher knows how many students are coming to their class and can plan accordingly.