Building a Five-Year Roadmap in One Day
National Federation of Press Women
|
The National Federation of Press Women (NFPW) brings together professional communicators from across the country. Each year, the organization holds its annual conference in a different location. In 2022, that location was Fargo, North Dakota.
As conference plans came together, NFPW's board saw an opportunity. With eight board members gathering in one place, they wanted to use their time together to tackle something bigger: creating a five-year strategic plan. The challenge was ambitious. The board had a single day available for strategic planning and wanted to leave Fargo with more than ideas. They wanted a clear framework and a path forward. That's when they connected with Reach Partners. Starting Before the Retreat A productive planning session doesn't begin when people walk into the room. It starts much earlier. Before the retreat, Reach Partners met virtually with board members and distributed a survey to gather perspectives, identify themes, and better understand the organization's opportunities and challenges. Those conversations helped build trust and gave everyone a shared starting point before arriving in Fargo. Rather than using a standard planning template, Reach Partners designed the day around NFPW's goals, priorities, and available time. "We don't walk in with a cookie-cutter approach," Rachel Asleson said. "We build the plan around the group and their goals." Making the Most of One Day The agenda was ambitious. Over the course of an eight-hour retreat, board members worked through a structured process to identify the organization's most important challenges, clarify priorities, define long-term objectives, and discuss how progress could be measured over time. Reach Partners facilitated the conversations, asked questions that pushed the discussion deeper, and helped the group move from broad ideas to practical decisions. "We set an aggressive schedule, and to their credit, the board made it through everything," Anita Hoffarth said. "They were ready to dig in and did the hard work." By the end of the day, the board had developed the framework for a five-year strategic plan and established clear direction for the work ahead. Creating Momentum Beyond the Meeting The retreat was only the beginning. Using the framework developed during the session, Reach Partners drafted NFPW's 2023–2027 strategic plan, including strategic goals, objectives, preliminary metrics, and mission and vision statements. The board then continued the work, refining and implementing the plan over time. Leadership regularly referenced the strategic plan and vision statements when communicating with members. The documents became a touchstone for decision-making and helped articulate the purpose behind the organization's actions. "They took what we built and moved forward with it," Anita said. A Lasting Impact At the close of the retreat, participants took time to write notes of appreciation to one another and post them on a shared board. It was a simple activity that reflected the spirit of the day: thoughtful work accomplished together. One board member later shared: "With the help of Rachel Asleson and Anita Hoffarth of Reach Partners, we embarked on an intensive, one-day retreat in Fargo to develop the framework for the plan. Rachel and Anita managed to pull off the impossible. They kept us focused, encouraged us to think through vague ideas, challenged some of our preconceived notions, and kept our expectations at a realistic level. And it worked. We finished that day with a framework in hand and marching orders to keep moving forward. We also made two new friends and gained two members for NFPW. Thank you, Rachel and Anita, for everything!" What Reach Partners Delivered
Outcome In one day, NFPW's board moved from ideas and aspirations to a clear strategic framework. With focused facilitation, thoughtful preparation, and a willingness to do the work, the organization left Fargo with a roadmap for the future and the momentum to put it into action. |