Page 73 - FGLN SC Onboarding Binder 2021

WHY THIS PLAN NOW?
A solid strategic plan acts as map and compass that helps organizations navigate change, allowing them to be more intentional and proactive, and to think past immediate threats and changes in the environment, aiming them towards bigger goals. It obliges them to look more closely at what they are meant to do, to help them see what strengths they bring to the journey, and how they might turn obstacles into opportunities for growth and clarification of purpose.
The Flint & Genesee Literacy Network (FGLN) seems perfectly positioned to be taking on this planning process at this time. The network began as a collective action initiative, bringing together partners committed to literacy in the communities of Flint and Genesee County who had been doing excellent work, but had few opportunities to work in collaborative coordination.
The role of the network as a backbone organization was established early, and it has quickly grown to embrace all six of common activities pursued by backbone organizations to support and facilitate collective impact as outlined in the seminal work of the Foundation Strategy Group (2013):
1. Guide vision and strategy
2. Support aligned activities
3. Establish shared measurement practices 4. Build public will
5. Advance policy
6. Mobilize funding
It was soon clear that the emerging network of partners also met the Key Conditions for Success as outlined by the Foundation Strategy Group (2013):
Common Agenda
All participants have a shared vision for change including a common understanding of the problem and a joint approach to solving it through agreed upon actions.
Shared Measurement
Collecting data and measuring results consistently across all participants ensures efforts remain aligned and participants hold each other accountable.
Flint & Genesee Literacy Network Strategic Plan 2019-2022
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