Future Planning

From: Bob McNally <bmcnally@strumstick.com>

Sent: Tuesday, July 03, 2018 5:35 PM

To: FP Board <fullboard@folkproject.org>

Subject: Future planning Interim Report

Future Planning Committee (FPC)

Interim Report July 2018

The FPC came early to the determination that in order to consider the Folk Project’s (FP) possible future, it was prudent and necessary to first make a deep look at the FP’s past as well.

Material generated by the Intentions and Resources committee was very useful in this process. This material consisted of:

• • A full listing of FP activities, present and past

  • A long listing of many different success indicators regarding those activities.

  • A listing of resources available to us

  • A listing of the many types of Volunteer opportunities we have

  • A listing of benefits to volunteers.

Several things were eminently clear from this studying of our past.

• 1. We have created many successful activities, but not according to any plan. Rather it has been a “random walk” based on what passionate champions conceived and enrolled others into supporting. We have planned well within activities, but not really planned in large for what activities we would undertake.

  2. By far and away our biggest resource is the enthusiastic participation of our many volunteers, over many years, with many different kinds of activities. They are our lifeblood.

  3. There are many positive benefits that volunteers experience.

  4. The key indicator of success for the history of FP activities has been level of participation (both by attendees and volunteers).

Educated by a detailed look into the FP’s past, we began to consider how we should look at its future.

We discovered some “best practices” research into Maximum Effectiveness of Teams.

A condensed expression of the findings indicates that highly effective teams all embody a group of characteristics

Purpose (an intention with meaning and impact)

Safety (a supportive, respectful and non-judgmental working environment)

Focus (clear goals and team member roles)

Trust (team member dependability and accountability)

We recognized that there are two aspects to each of these;

1. What behaviors encourage and advance the characteristics...enhancing

2. What behaviors diminish and suppress these characteristics...undermining.

With all this in mind, we felt prepared to begin looking toward the future. We established a functional purpose for the FPC.

Determine the desirability and potential for:

• • Sustainability

  • Growth

  • Refinement

  • Preservation

  • Cultivation of Champions

  • A Folk Project Mission statement

We are well into the process of looking at all of these things, and many many many ideas have been stimulated as a result. We will be making recommendations in a few months for the board’s consideration regarding high level goals for FP and a range of activities we suggest undertaking.

However, some implications for the future of the FP were so immediately apparent, before even delving into actual plans, that a preliminary draft report to the board was deemed worthwhile, even as our work continues.

• • The projects the FP undertakes are ALL dependent on champions who conceive and move those ideas forward.

  • The success or failure of projects stands on the work of champions plus the enthusiastic work of interested, willing volunteers.

  • There are many things that benefit and encourage champions and volunteers

  • There are also things that can dishearten and discourage champions and volunteers.

It is therefore very clear that the successful future of the FP, regardless whatever activities we undertake, depends on:

• • Nurturing and maintaining a system within which champions and volunteers are enthusiastic, happy and supported in what they are doing.

  • Hand and hand with that is avoiding situations where champions and volunteers are discouraged or disheartened.

This does not mean that there are not practical realities that might limit a champion’s vision. The board has a constituted responsibility for broad oversight and the appointment of chairs, and approval of significant expenditures. It does mean however that the first question the board should ask about any decision is “does this empower our champions/volunteers or does this disempower them?” That should be our mantra. It is entirely possible for the board to make input to a champion’s project without disempowering them, through dialog and mutual agreement. However if the intention to empower is not a deliberate goal we should not be surprised when the result is disempowerment. And when we unnecessarily discourage any champion, we are effectively discouraging all of our volunteers.

If the FPC made no other contribution to the successful future of the FP, this alone would have made our work wothwhile.