Rotary Club of Harrisburg’s Commitment to
Strategic Planning Intensifies
In the 2011-12 year Rotary Club of Harrisburg (RCH) member Bob Hanson threw his passion, intelligence and money behind a strategic planning initiative for our Club. Assisting him, among others, was then member Deloris Liptack a respected strategic planning consultant from our region who brought her expertise and commitment to the RCH table.
The RCH’s concept of strategic planning for a Rotary club quickly became the envy of other clubs in our District and beyond. Actually, our Club was asked for advice on how to do strategic planning from many clubs including ongoing discussions with a club in Malaysia.
This initial commitment to a member-involved planning effort to review our actions and future needs became an annual initiative.
Our Current Process
In 2021-2022, even while dealing with continuing Covid issues, then President Matt Staub, the executive committee and the board intensified the Club’s strategic planning efforts. An outside planning organization was engaged, Dame Leadership, and a process of surveying the members was repeated. Following a period of survey analysis and several leadership meetings, a unique concept and plan was hatched.
Unique to 2022’s planning starts with Staub’s driving of the planning process, moves to Beth Mihmet’s implementation of planning during her 2022-23 year of leadership and culminates with Ellen Brown’s assignments to evaluate outcomes using metrics established this year. Ellen then report results to membership as the planning process repeats itself.
According to Past President Staub, “The executive committee and the board served as the official strategic planning committee and a handful of additional members were invited to be a part of the process.”
They first utilized results from prior Club surveys and this year’s member surveys conducted by Dame Leadership plus direct stakeholder interviews with approximately 25 Club members. The planning committee members were ultimately engaged in two five-hour planning sessions led by Dame Leadership’s Ed Dame.
These activities have been “put on paper” for leadership going forward covering major topics and commitments such as:
- Our purpose
- Our culture
- The strategies
- The execution
- Measurement matrix
President Mihmet’s 22/23 Directives
2022-2023 President Beth Mihmet has committed to a number of strategic plan initiatives for RCH. Those being:
- Challenging each member with membership growth with a goal of 155 by July 1, 2023.
- Fostering Rotary Alternate Meetings (RAM), one each quarter of her term.
- Encouraging Service on a Monday resulting in visible service and impact. Watch the RCH website, the Rotary Round Up email newsletter and social media posts for date, place and mission.
- A Special Project to serve the City of Harrisburg and Mayor Williams. A preliminary meeting was held with Mayor Williams and her staff to review a list of needs. They included a one-time work project in City Hall, a renovation in the police building and a few other projects needing volunteers, funding and talent. President-elect Ellen Brown is leading this effort and has already secured Mayor Williams as a speaker for the club on July 18.
- Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI). If we want a Rotary that is as Katey Halliday said, “strong, effective, and able to prepare the next generation to lead we need to make sure people feel welcome and at home in Rotary.” “Committing to DEI means working to become an extravagantly welcoming club,” adds Mihmet.
