strategic planning for jewish schools- ronni ticker caje 32

Strategic Planning for Jewish Schools

Ronni D. TickerCAJE 32

August 8, 2007

05/03/23 Ronni D. TickerGratz College

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Why Do I Need A Strategic Plan?“No good military officer would

undertake even a small attack… without a clear concept of his strategy.”

Seymour Tilles, professor at Harvard Business

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Strategic PlanningWhat Is It?


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Definition Strategic Planning is a systematic

process… through which an organization agrees

on, and builds commitment among key stakeholders…

to priorities which are essential to its mission and responsive to the operating environment.


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A Process For:Assessing the current situation; Gathering competitive data; Understanding customer needs and

wants; Clarifying vision and mission Articulating a plan in a concise, clear,

readable format Leading stakeholders to embrace a

shared future


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Time consumingRequires expertiseLots of data to gatherEmployees are already

underpaid and overworkedBoards don’t demand it

Why Most Don’t Plan


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Road map for where you are going

Chance to Foresee change Opportunity to Adjust

So Why Do It?


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Activity #1 Introduction In pairs with someone you do not know

Discuss one or two aspects of your school that are excellent

Discuss one or two challenges facing your school

Introduce your partner Name, position and brief description of the school –

excellence and challenges


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Steps in the Process Who are we today? Where are we going? How will we get there? How will we get everyone on the

same page? How will we know if we are on or

off course?


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Phase I: Evaluate Current Situation Who are we today?

1. Organization2. Products/services3. Trends and Competition4. Your Customer


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Phase II: Where are we going?1. Define vision, mission, core

values, purpose2. Delineate desired core

strategies3. Define goals and objectives4. Write and articulate the plan


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Phase III – The Strategic PlanPresent the information you gathered Include positives and negatives – not

the right time for spinCan start with data or with the missionAlways include an executive summary

with an overview of recommendations


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Topics in the PlanVision, Mission, Core Values,

PurposeSWOT – Where we are todayObjectives and Goals – Where we

are goingStrategies – How we will get

there


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Phase IV – Implement and MonitorBuild excitement in the

organizationMake expectations clearImplement a change

management process since people will be asked to change and change is hard and scary


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Responsibilities of Leadership1. Evaluate2. Monitor

How did it affect employee attitudes? Positive? Negative?

How did it affect customer satisfaction? How did it affect external perceptions

of the organization by stakeholders? What were the financial implications?


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Managing ChangeIf the planning committee

worked well together, consider assigning the task of monitoring outcomes

Establish formal measurements

Phase IEvaluate your School

OrganizationProducts and ServicesMarket ContextCustomers


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OrganizationHow you operate today

People – paid and volunteerProducts/Services – everything you

provide to your customersProcesses – how you operateTechnology – how your systems

workHonesty is the only policy


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Products vs. Services Products are what you “sell” to the public

– what do you ask families to PAY for? Hebrew – Prayer? Conversational? Bar/Bat Mitzvah Tutoring High School program

Services are intangible and often “included” – difficult to ascribe value Family Education Junior Congregation


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Evaluation ToolsHow are you perceived?

Surveys, informal feedback, questionnaires – Constantly talk to your customer

Qualitative vs. Quantitative

Contact, “Measurement and Accountability in the Jewish World” http://www.jewishlife.org/pdf/summer_2004.pdf

http://www.jewishlife.org/pdf/summer_2004.pdf


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Know your MarketThere are several aspects to the

marketCompetitionTrendsRevolution vs. evolution


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CompetitionTraditionally, we think of our

competitors in a very narrow sense. Other Jewish pre-schools

The competition is not who YOU think your competitors are, it is who your CUSTOMER thinks your competitors are.


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Benchmarking Collect benchmarks – talk to ed

directors Relative Value Relative Size Ratios

Gather from colleagues, national organizations;

Take advantage of conferences


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Activity #2Evaluate Your Organization Think of one aspect of your

school that is not working as well as you would like and evaluate it What is working? What is not? How does it compare to similar

programs at other schools? What do the students think? What do the parents think? What does the school committee think?

Customers


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Who is the customer?For many businesses this is

simple:The customer is the person who buys the product.

Not so in Jewish schools!


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The Customer Centric OrganizationAn organization that is customer

centric lets the customer’s needs and wants drive the development and delivery of products and services


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Non-Customer Stakeholders Too many to count!

VolunteersBoard membersFoundations, Federation and other

external funding sourcesAdvocacy groupsThe customer’s family The Jewish community


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Activity #3Discuss one problem you have

with any of your customers or stakeholders

Organizing All of the Data


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SWOTComposite picture of your

organization today

Strengths Weaknesses

Opportunities Threats


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Activity #4SWOTIn groups of 2

List a strength, an opportunity, a weakness and a threat facing your school

Find some commonality and discuss how you could use this information to improve your school

Phase II: Defining Statements

Vision, Mission, Core Values and Purpose


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TermsVision – Who you are or hope to

becomeMission – What you do Purpose – Why you existCore Values – Principles you

aspire to


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Vision A succinct statement of the future

state of an organization. Ideally less than 10 words.

Example: JTS The intellectual and religious center of

Conservative Judaism (8 words) The preeminent center for the academic

study of Judaica outside of Israel (11 words)


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MissionThe statement of what you do

it sometimes incorporates the purpose The Jewish Theological Seminary of

America Educates Jewish professionals and lay

leadership in the spirit of Conservative Judaism for the total community through academic and religious programs, both formal and informal


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Vision/Mission as Drivers KEY: SHARED STATEMENTS All analysis must logically lead from

the mission and vision statements to the strategic plan to the action plan

All delineations of target market, product/service offerings, marketing, human resources, fundraising, finance, etc. map to the strategic plan


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Why Shared?To inspire all stakeholders to

work together to deliver products and services to customers

To provide a context for decision-making

To achieve buy-in from all stakeholders


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Otherwise… Stakeholders are unclear whether or not

you are the right organization for them Internal confusion hampers decision

making People work at cross purposes Productivity goes down as employees

and/or board members become confused and/or apathetic

Sample Vision Statements


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Gesher Jewish Day School of Northern VATo Build a Bridge of Knowledge,

Character, and Wisdom to the Future


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Shaloah House, Brighton, MA VISION:

Shaloh House Jewish Day School expands children’s intellectual curiosity and capabilities. It provides them with an engaging, challenging, and well-rounded academic program, replete with love for Jewish tradition, history, language, and values. Each child is encouraged to live his or her life in a compassionate, Jewish way and given the building blocks to be a future leader of our community.


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Paul Penna Downtown Jewish Day School (Toronto) VISION: The Paul Penna Downtown Jewish Day School

provides an integrated approach to learning in an atmosphere where critical thinking and creative expression are encouraged and nurtured. Our vision of educational excellence encompasses a solid foundation in core academic skills, social justice, and the arts. Our teachers cultivate curiosity and a love of learning in a dynamic and encouraging environment. We bring together families from diverse backgrounds of Jewish observance and practice, in mutual respect, to promote understanding and love of Jewish tradition, values and culture. Our religious practice is egalitarian and grounded in traditional and modern sources of inspiration. Students are encouraged to question and explore, in order to develop their own meaningful relationship to Judaism and the Jewish people. Our children are active and independent learners who grow to be responsible citizens and compassionate, confident human beings.


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Solomon Schechter of Greater BostonVISION: Our students will

become self-confident, compassionate, practicing Jews and committed citizens who are prepared for the academic and social challenges of the modern world, and who are connected to the Jewish people and the land of Israel.


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Pine Brook Jewish CenterVision: The Pine Brook Jewish Center

Religious School strives to provide a high quality, stimulating and engaging Jewish education that helps foster a strong Jewish identity, community participation and love of Judaism that will inspire our children to learn our history, traditions, philosophy and the Hebrew language, now and throughout their lives.


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Congregation B’nai JeshurunOur Vision

We believe Judaism is an ongoing search for meaning, and that this search begins in childhood.

We believe Jewish identity begins to develop early and that the family and the synagogue must work together to nourish it.

We believe the best way to convey the joy and beauty of being Jewish is to provide new and creative ways for children to explore Judaism at each stage of their development.


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South Bend Jewish High School, South Bend, IN Wherever Jews live, Jewish education,

and especially the teaching of Hebrew, Jewish traditions, holidays and customs is the key to maintaining Jewish identity. This vision is the guiding philosophy of the South Bend Community Hebrew School.

Sample Mission Statements


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Minneapolis Jewish Day School “The mission of the Minneapolis Jewish Day School is

to provide academically challenging and developmentally appropriate curriculum in general (reading and writing English, math, ecology, fitness, music) and Jewish (Hebrew language, Torah study and prayer) studies in an environment in which students feel positive about themselves and others. The Day School community is committed to academic excellence and to the pursuit of learning as an exciting, useful and life-long venture. We challenge our students to exemplify the highest values of Judaism and of American democratic principles. The school strives to reflect and teach respect for the diversity of Jewish life, resulting in a true community day school.”


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Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School “The Charles E. Smith Jewish Day

School of Greater Washington is an independent, community day school, serving students from kindergarten through twelfth grade. The School is dedicated to creating an environment in which students can grow to their fullest potential as responsible and dedicated members of the Jewish people, and of American society.”


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The Jewish Day School of Metro Seattle The Jewish Day School is committed

to the sacred task of providing academic excellence through a challenging, integrated curriculum of secular and Judaic studies; promoting spiritual growth through the study of God, Torah and Israel; and preparing students to become inquiring, compassionate Jewish leaders in the community and the world.


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Solomon Schechter of Greater BostonTo provide an outstanding

education in English and Hebrew that Inspires a love of learning Celebrates the creativity and achievements of our children, and Nurtures lives rooted in Jewish tradition and Torah.


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Keneseth Israel, Anne Arundel County, MD The mission of Kneseth Israel is to

provide the families of our community with a place to send their children to receive affordable enrichment to their traditional Hebrew and Jewish education so that the next generation of Jewish leaders will be grounded in the values and traditions of the Jewish faith and heritage.


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South Bend Community High School, INThe South Bend Community

Hebrew School provides a Hebrew education designed to equip students with the essentials for building a solid personal Jewish identity, to prepare graduates to be comfortable in any Jewish religious setting, and to instill a love for klal yisrael.


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Gratz College Jewish Community High School The Jewish Community High School of Gratz College’s

mission is to educate Jewish teens to be knowledgeable about the culture, traditions and language of the Jewish people. We provide affiliated and non-affiliated teens with formal and informal Jewish education programs in a trans-denominational setting. We provide our students with a caring and respectful atmosphere, taking into account each student’s social, emotional and intellectual needs and abilities. Through JCHS, there are many opportunities for active involvement in Jewish life during the teen years, assuring development of positive adult Jewish identity. We develop feelings of belonging, loyalty and responsibility to the Jewish people so that teens identify with the local Jewish community and the Jewish people globally.

Getting Started Gather the data Hold a kick-off Retreat


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RetreatTime away from the office to

begin the processBest way to end up with SHARED

vision and missionWho will be in the room?


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Sample Ground Rules1. Mutual respectful at all times.

We are here to raise and clarify issues, enhance understanding and discuss solutions.

2. We share a common goal: growth and prosperity of the school.

3. All ideas and input are encouraged. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts!

4. Blame has no place. This is a chance to move forward, not look backward.


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Parking LotIssues to discuss laterIssues of contentionKey words


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“It’s all about listening, being willing to change”

Ken Camp, VP, Basketville Casket Company


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Activity #5 – BrainstormingWrite 5 adjectives that you hope will

describe your school1. 2. 3. 4. 5.


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Activity # 6Drafting StatementsVISION – Image of the future we seek to

createMISSION – Description of what the

organization does

INSTRUCTIONS Begin to draft statements based on

brainstorming If there is not consensus, put together more than

one vision statement to present to the group


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Ending the RetreatMake sure the retreat was not a

waste of time, energy, and precious resourcesForm teamsAssign tasksEstablish timelineDefine action planRecap discussions, read flip chartsAddress “parking lot” issues