Committee & Process

Strategic Committee Members
Gordon Lentzner - Committee Co-Chair
Andy Pieter - Committee Co-Chair
Jeff Antonoff
Edie Brodsky
Lynne Kass
Amy Lipeles
Laurie Raykoff
Rita Zamost

Objectives
• Clearly identify local needs to be addressed by the organization
• Identify and confirm the mission and vision of the Center
• Establish clear and realistic goals and identify priority areas
• Provide a thorough evaluation of the organization's internal strengths and weaknesses, as well as its
  environmental opportunities and threats
• Provide a plan document that clearly articulates goals, objectives, responsibilities, and timelines
• Establish measurable outcomes to assess progress toward goal achievement

Approach & Method
Our approach to strategic planning is essentially a process of determining where we are, where we want to go, and how we will get there within the practical realities of the organization. We will use a flexible five-step process that takes into consideration the key elements, specific needs of the organization, and the time constraints of lay and staff leadership. The steps to successful strategic planning include:

1. Project Preparation
Preparation for planning includes identifying a strategic planning group (e.g., board members, staff members, and other stakeholders), training this group, developing a detailed work plan, and securing buy-in from key leadership to proceed. In this phase, the scope of the project is determined, key participants are identified, specific activities are delineated, and a project schedule is confirmed. AJCC will initially identify a planning group of approximately 5-8 people who will provide ongoing guidance and input for the project and liaison to the project consultant.

2. Situation Analysis (Data Gathering)
The planning group and the consultant will gather information in appropriate detail to define issues/challenges/opportunities within the Center's service area and to elicit action recommendations. This process may involve the use of individual interviews, focus groups, and/or questionnaires in surveying key stakeholders, identified by the planning group, to discover potential strategic actions that adequately and fully address organizational priorities and overall operations.

Findings from the data gathering process are then reviewed by the planning group. This will yield a focused list of critical strategic issues and recommendations for the organization to address in the upcoming planning process.

3. Set Direction for the Future: Board Planning Session
The consultant would facilitate a planning retreat/meeting where participants (board and key staff), review data and critical issues identified during the situation analysis, determine strategic goals, objectives, and action recommendations, determine outcomes measures and set future direction for long-range planning and service delivery at AJCC.

4. Prepare and Adopt the Plan
Next, the consultant will draft the strategic plan based on the outline developed at the planning session. The plan typically includes an executive summary; mission and vision statements; history and profile of the organization; findings and recommendations; strategic goals, objectives, and strategies; and an implementation plan.

5. Implementation
Implementation is an ongoing process. Key leaders and stakeholders will take responsibility for keeping the organization on track with the implementation plan.

Contact us with questions:
Jeff Antonoff, jantonoff@alpertjcc.org or phone 562-426-7601
Gordon Lentzner, glentzner@aol.com or phone 562-420-3102
Andy Pieter, apieter@directlist.com or phone 714-772-3282