ANNUAL PLANNING 2014
Cornell Alumni Leadership Conference: January, 2014
Presenter: Sheryl Hilliard Tucker
Trustee, Cornell University Board of Trustees
Chair, Cornell Mosaic
Annual Planning FY2014
TODAY’S AGENDA
1. Why Planning Is Important
2. Putting A SWOT Analysis To Work
3. Making Your Goals Smart
4. “Play To Win’ Strategy for Achieving Your Goals
5. Recruiting The Best Board
6. Next Steps
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Why does planning get such a
bum rap?
3
The value of planning
4
Planning helps groups identify and
focus on their priorities
5
Annual Planning for FY2014
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What is an Annual / Work Plan?
 An ANNUAL PLAN is your roadmap to the future.
 Outlines how an organization plans to fulfill its mission with maximum
efficiency and impact.
 Includes specific goals and the action steps (tactics) and resources
needed to accomplish them.
 Developed with input from your Board, Committees and your Cornell
Alumni Affairs staff liaison (if you have one).
 A WORK PLAN is a coordinated set of tasks for carrying out
the goals outlined in the Annual Plan.

Clarifies roles for board and committee members, resources required
and time frames.
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Cornell’s template for an
Annual / Work Plan
insert volunteer community name Work Plan: FY 2014
Name: insert name of volunteer community leader
Title: insert title of volunteer community leader
Please read through these notes, then delete this text box once you’ve filled in your plans.
Goals are big-picture initiatives that are “SMART”: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely.
There should be no more than 5 goals per volunteer community, and they should all support the visions in your
strategic plan.
Start each goal with an action word such as: integrate, develop, initiate, launch, start, cut, increase, decrease,
improve, reimagine.
End each goal with a quantifiable (i.e. numbers-based) measure.
Example: Increase average net promoter scores of Webinar programs by 10% by July 1, 2014, with
average of 20% response rate on surveys.
Example: Increase alumni engagement index (AEI) in Chicago from 30% to 32%
Tactics are specific events, activities, or relationships you’ll initiate to achieve your goals.
Examples:
·
Invite more targeted segments of alumni by interest and relationship to the university.
·
Send all surveys within one hour of webinar close.
·
Break out survey responses by tracked/untracked attendees.
·
Follow up with attendees who answer 0 to 6 for NPS question.
Putting these together, here's what a goal might look like. (Note: This is fictional, just an example to get
you going.)
GOAL One
Increase AEI for the class of 1983 from 30% to 32%, by July 1, 2014.
Tactics:
·
Throw a 50th birthday party in major metros and send paper invites to unengaged classmates.
·
Use affinity marketing to reach out to classmates for 30th Reunion.
·
Use class treasury to send free copy of Cornell Alumni Magazine to unengaged, then do phone focus
groups to follow up and learn more about their interests.
GOAL One
Fill in goal here
Tactics:
·
·
·
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Start your annual planning
with a SWOT analysis
A SWOT is a snapshot of your organization’s current status
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The building blocks of a SWOT
 Examples of STRENGTHS?
 Examples of WEAKNESSES?
 Examples of OPPORTUNITIES?
 Examples of THREATS?
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Putting your SWOT to work
How can we leverage
our STRENGTHS?
 How can we improve
each WEAKNESS?
 How can we benefit
from each
OPPORTUNITY?
 How can we lessen
each THREAT?

Turn your SWOT into GOALS
Make your goals S.M.A.R.T.
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Support your goals with a
“PLAYING TO WIN” strategy*
Answering these 5 questions can help you turn your goals into a
successful annual plan
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What is your winning aspiration (goal)?
Where will you play?
How will you win?
What capabilities must be in place?
What management systems are required?
*Adapted from Playing to Win, a groundbreaking strategy book by A.G.
Lafley and Roger Martin.
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Playing to Win Strategy
1. What is your Winning Aspiration?
 Think of your Winning Aspiration
as a Big Hairy Audacious Goal or
BHAG
 Focus on what it will do to better
serve your active alumni group
members, the alumni you want to
attract and, of course, CORNELL.
 Make sure your goal is ambitious and forces your board to
stretch a bit to accomplish it.
 Keep the mission of your alumni organization in mind when you
identify your goal.
 Make sure your goal is SMART.
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Playing to Win Strategy
2. Where will you play?

Define the playing field(s) that you
will need to target to achieve your
goal.

Targets may include young alumni, diverse alumni, older
alumni, alumni from a specific college, alumni with marketing
experience or other specific skills, wealthy alumni, high-profile
alumni, staff or faculty that can provide the resources or
expertise you require
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Playing to Win Strategy
3. How will you win?
 Think about how you will
achieve your goal on your
chosen playing field (e.g.
geographic region, target
market, etc.). This is your
unique value proposition.
 Be specific and compelling when you describe how you will
your goal.
 Think through what winning in respect to your goal will
look and feel like. It’s easier to accomplish your goal when
you have the results pictured in your mind.
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Playing to Win Questions
4.
What capabilities must be in place?
 Determine the core capabilities and
resources you require to achieve
your goal. This includes specific skills,
resources, networks, Cornell staffing
support, etc.
 Be honest about the state of your capabilities. Assess
what will be required to keep or attain the capabilities
you require.
 Play to the unique strengths of your board, committees
and go-to alumni — or recruit individuals to your board
and committees who have the skills / networks you need.
 Remember that the Cornell Office of Alumni Affairs and
Development’s goal is to help you achieve your goals.
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Playing to Win Strategy
5.
What management systems
are required?
 Make sure you have the
right systems, schedules.
metrics, check-in points,
approval process, etc., you
need to achieve your goals.
 Determine how you will communicate your goals and strategy
in a simple, but clear way.
 Clarify how you want to monitor your progress and keep your
goals on track.
 Define measures that will tell you, over the short- and longrun, how successful you are in achieving your goals.
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Build a “Playing to Win” Board and
leadership team
1. Evaluate your approach to
recruiting board members.
2. Make recruitment part of
every board member’s job,
even if you give the detailed
work to a committee.
3. Set recruitment goals and
timelines.
4. Celebrate successes.
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Fill leadership positions with with
your ANNUAL PLAN in mind
 Discuss what skills and expertise would make the
board stronger and more dynamic.
 Avoid the tendency to recruit board members just
like the alumni already serving on the board.
 Remember, diversity often sparks innovation. Identify
people who share the core values of the organization, but
perhaps provide a different perspective or worldview.
 Be very careful about recruiting alumni just for their
administrative or management skills. Your leaders must be
passionate about your organization and want to work on behalf
of Cornell and our alumni community.
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Final advice . . .
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