Life Enrichment Center Collaborative Engagement – June 18, 2013
presents
Life Enrichment Center
Collaborative Engagement
June 18, 2013
Real-Time Record
Click here to download a Word document of this Real-Time Record
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Click here to download the Excel Spreadsheet of the Strategic Priorities
www.collaborativelabs.com
1
727-341-3139
Life Enrichment Center Collaborative Engagement – June 18, 2013
Building our 2016 Strategic Vision & 1 Year Tactical Plan
Grab a coffee, find a seat and add a Strength to one of the “Life Enrichment Center
Strengths” whiteboards at the front of the room:
8:30am –
9:00am
9:00am –
9:15am





Programs
Board Development
Capacity Building (Facility, member growth, staff growth, partnerships)
Funding
Marketing/Advertising/Community Outreach/Communications
Welcome, Introductions & Session Objectives
 Invite participants to introduce themselves and share examples of current Life Enrichment
Center Strengths.
Build Our Ideal 2016 Headline News Story highlighting the following focus areas:
9:15am –
10:00am
(1) Programs (2) Board Development (3) Capacity Building (4) Funding (5)
Marketing/Advertising/Community Outreach/Communications
Identify Priorities for each of the Strategic Focus Areas:
(1) Programs (2) Board Development (3) Capacity Building (4) Funding (5)
Marketing/Advertising/Community Outreach/Communications
10:00am
11:00am
Each focus area will be pre-populated with the priorities that emerged in February 2012.
Your task will be to add any new priorities needed to achieve the 2016 Vision and refine
the February 2012 priorities if needed. After each round of brainstorming, each team
select their top 2-3 priorities in each focus area. We will then vote elevate the total top
three priorities in each focus area.
Building the 2013-2014 Tactical Action Plan
11:00am
12:15pm
Each participant will self-select into the focus area of most interest to them. The Tactical Action
Plan will be pre-populated with the priorities that emerged in the previous activity. Teams will
add actions, accountable champions, resources needed, success metrics and time frames
needed to move each priority forward. At 12:15 we will reconvene as a full group for wrap up
and next steps.
www.collaborativelabs.com
2
727-341-3139
Life Enrichment Center Collaborative Engagement – June 18, 2013
8:30am –
9:00am
Grab a coffee, find a seat and add a Strength to one of the “Life Enrichment Center
Strengths” whiteboards at the front of the room:





9:00am –
9:15am
Programs
Board Development
Capacity Building (Facility, member growth, staff growth, partnerships
Funding
Marketing/Advertising/Community Outreach/Communications
Welcome, Introductions & Session Objectives
 Invite participants to introduce themselves and share examples of current Life Enrichment
Center Strengths.
Alan: Good morning everyone – welcome back! It’s nice to have you
back. We have a busy morning planned today. Before we go any further I
want to introduce you to the group. I’m Alan Martinez, the Business
Development Officer, but we are a small team so I facilitate from time to
time. Jonathan, he’s our business illustrator, you’ll see his amazing work
as he takes your vision and turns it into a mural. Then there’s Trish, she’s capturing the wisdom
in the room and will develop a document that we call a Real-Time Record which you will receive
in your email tomorrow. And last, there’s Mike, our technology guru. He will be taking your
picture and driving the software you will be using throughout the morning. Here at the labs we
always look at past successes, and focus on the good things that have transpired and use that
as a lift off point to plan the next 12 months.
Ronna: I put up everything I could remember.
Alan: We’ll go through those, then we’ll go through the magazine covers and develop a new
vision, then we’ll come back to present day and use our brainstorming software. We’ll revamp
the previous priorities and then we’ll move to the Gantt charts. If you need to take a break, we
don’t schedule formal breaks, so take them as needed. How’s that sound? Alright so let’s hear
about Board Development.
www.collaborativelabs.com
3
727-341-3139
Life Enrichment Center Collaborative Engagement – June 18, 2013



Board Development
2 New Board Members
New By-Laws
New Website
Comment: What are the new by-laws?
Comment: Cleaned up, brought up to date. They hadn’t been modernized in a very long
time.
TJ: It improves the board governance and oversight. It defines how the board functions in
relations to the organization. Creating new by-laws is a tedious process and as a result, it had
been put off for a long time. We had one board member that really kept needling us to update
them with the leadership of a new board member that really championed that process.
Ronna: That was one of the things we did not have on our list from a year ago.
Alan: Anything else there? New website?
Ronna: Yes, that was on our list.
Alan: Ok, how about in Programs?





www.collaborativelabs.com
4
Programs
New classes and teachers
Creative Play (Storytelling)
Expanding to new programs more teaching
various medians (i.e. new Green event)
Workshops – more to be scheduled
Adding florals to 2013 TECO Art Show
727-341-3139
Life Enrichment Center Collaborative Engagement – June 18, 2013
Ronna: We started a beginning watercolors class and photography.
Sherri: The creative play was a fun class with a very energetic teacher. It started out being
called creative story telling but we ended up with creative play. We played children’s games
and created collages.
Comment: The photography class was about how to photograph artwork. And I can say I
already see improvements.
Alan: That’s a great testimonial.
Comment: Some of the more intense classes, like watercolors and pastels expand your ability
to be an artist.
Barbara: We’ve lengthened some of the programs. We’ve added mixed media to the drawing
program.
TJ: There were programs that we also tried that probably will not be tried again. It’s
frustrating but it’s a good thing, we found out what works.
Comment: There was one program that we were going to start but there was conflict.
Barbara: We need to send emails to remind people to sign up.
Alan: Capacity building, how about this? Were you talking about repaving when I was there?
Capacity Building (Facility, member growth,
staff growth, partnerships)





Parking improvements
Ideas for Building Expansion
New Partnerships
New Staff Member
Facility Improvements
TJ: Yes, that was done and we had money left over to take care of some tree issues.
Comment: A lot of improvements.
Barbara: Whole Foods partnered with us and hosted a wine and cheese. They said they were
willing to do it again.
www.collaborativelabs.com
5
727-341-3139
Life Enrichment Center Collaborative Engagement – June 18, 2013
Funding






Qualified for Google Non-Profit Grant
Program
New Fundraiser Partnerships
Part-Time Grant Writer
Estate Donation
Florida Medical Center
Grant Finalist
Alan: Partnerships are important. How about funding?
Jim: We haven’t received any but by completing the Google for Non-profit applications we
qualify for grant money from them. But getting the application for non-profits completed was a
long process. As of March their format changed so that Google for business used to allow 10
free users, but now it charges $50 per user. We made it in just in time, I didn’t know it was
coming, so it was pot luck.
Barbara: Tampa Bay Lightning gives $50,000 to a local hero at each game.
TJ: They put the person in the jersey and put you in the jumbotron.
Ronna: We also got a onetime nice donation through our CPA from an estate that she was the
executor on. The stipulation was that it would be used for educational. It was a significant
amount for us.
TJ: Do we have a grant writer? I missed the last board meeting.
Ronna: I told her the focus needs to be on new sources of grants and funding.
Mike: We were in the group of three finalists. There was a group that came in and took
pictures.
Ronna: Yes, that was Florida Medical Center, but we didn’t get it. We will try again.
www.collaborativelabs.com
6
727-341-3139
Life Enrichment Center Collaborative Engagement – June 18, 2013
Marketing/Advertising/Community
Outreach/Communication






Built new website
Brighthouse PSA-DVD published
2nd Ed. Anthology
New Community Partners
LEC In Murder She Wrote Book
Feature Story in T.B. Times
Cert. of Appreciation – Motorola
Corp.
Alan: Ok, how about marketing and advertising?
TJ: The new website was a huge undertaking. It’s about 90% now.
Jim: A huge pat on the back for Sherri over there who has learned a new language.
Alan: It’s not an easy thing to do when you have to sit down and figure it out but everyone
benefits.
Jim: We’ve had to figure it out as we go but it’s colorful and we like it.
Barbara: We have to get people used to the website.
Alan: That may be part of your marketing discussion about how to get the message out about
the website.
Build Our Ideal 2016 Headline News Story highlighting the following focus areas:
9:15am –
10:00am
(1) Programs (2) Board Development (3) Capacity Building (4) Funding (5)
Marketing/Advertising/Community Outreach/Communications
Alan: We’ve had a lot of good things to celebrate. Mike, let’s bring up the magazine software
and we’ll do a quick tutorial. You’ll brainstorm some headlines, and when you hit one that
resonates with your vision move it over to the main headline area. Then you’ll use these
buckets to support your main headline and fill the sub headline areas. This is your vision of
success that will make me grab that magazine. We’ll come around and give you some help with
that. You can add images, people, objects or scenery. When you find one you want, just click
on it one time. I think we have 45 minutes, and we should be fine on time. Good luck!
www.collaborativelabs.com
7
727-341-3139
Life Enrichment Center Collaborative Engagement – June 18, 2013
Team 1 Spokesperson: Our banner
headline is New Partnerships, New Facility, a
New Arts Scene, we arrived at that as a result
of thinking about the successes we’ve already
had but also grossing those up a bit, new
partnerships, new facility, whether that be a
new building or leased space and then we
talked about a new art scene being expanded
classes and a greater appreciation of Tampa
bay, our sub headlines mean doing more of
what we already do well, we had Lightning in our mind there because they are proving to be a
supporter of the community. Expanded center fully funded, we would love to not worry about
the Center paying the bills.
www.collaborativelabs.com
8
727-341-3139
Life Enrichment Center Collaborative Engagement – June 18, 2013
Team 2 Spokesperson: We thought
about what’s our goal and it’s to enrich
lives, the success of a nation is better
measured by the happiness than gross
national product dovetailing on that we
thought the Dalai Lama would award LEC
the Happy Buddha Award, LEC creative
programming promotes viral smiling, and
supportive environment for creative growth
and happiness.
www.collaborativelabs.com
9
727-341-3139
Life Enrichment Center Collaborative Engagement – June 18, 2013
Alan: Ok, good work. How do you feel about accomplishing some of these things? Do you
feel you may go beyond 2016? I think there’s a lot of reality here.
Comment: I think it’s very achievable.
Alan: How about on the facilities side?
Comment: I think a groundbreaking could be announced.
Comment: Who’s to say that someone doesn’t own a building right now that is given to the
LEC? You know, it might be gifted to us. I think rather than saying it can’t happen, I don’t see
any problem with that.
Alan: We can tell you for certain, if you don’t put it out there, it’s not going to happen. Do
you know the folks at Sanderlin Center? They came here 2 or 3 years ago, they did their
strategic plan, one of the magazine covers they did actually happened. They had one magazine
cover about the Rays adopting the Sanderlin Center and they built a huge new playground for
them. She told me, we had no idea it would actually happen. The fact is when you say these
things, it’s like making a commitment. You can’t just throw it down and not buy into it. Not
without a lot of hard work but setting the vision and putting it out there.
Comment: It’s like artwork, you have to see the artwork before you can put it on the paper.
Identify Priorities for each of the Strategic Focus Areas:
(1) Programs (2) Board Development (3) Capacity Building (4) Funding (5)
Marketing/Advertising/Community Outreach/Communications
10:00am
11:00am
Each focus area will be pre-populated with the priorities that emerged in February 2012.
Your task will be to add any new priorities needed to achieve the 2016 Vision and refine
the February 2012 priorities if needed. After each round of brainstorming, each team
select their top 2-3 priorities in each focus area. We will then vote elevate the total top
three priorities in each focus area.
Alan: I’m going to pass out the numbers again. We’ll move onto the brainstorming phase of
the session. We’re going to take what you’ve accomplished up to this point and use these same
categories that you used before and brainstorm new priorities. What you see in the bucket,
those are the top 3 ideas that you voted on to include in the programs areas, same with board
development. We put them in there so you’ll have a chance to consider them again, make any
changes that you think need to be made to them. If you want to change or add something to
www.collaborativelabs.com
10
727-341-3139
Life Enrichment Center Collaborative Engagement – June 18, 2013
them, double click on it. If there is something else you want to say, it might be best to enter it
in as a new item. Type it in at the bottom and hit enter. You’ll see the other team’s ideas.
We’ll give you 10 – 15 minutes to brainstorm. After that we’ll give you a chance to agree as a
team, and then come up with a top 10 list. We’ll have to see what the total list ends up being,
and then you’ll drag your best ideas into the best bucket. Then we’ll revote to get our top.
Everything you did the last time is in the last Real-Time Record. Mike is going to play a little
music. Move to your new teams and we’ll go from there.
Alan: We are right on time. Here’s the first voting slide for the program. We’ll go item by
item and make sure there’s no duplication and if there is anything that needs explanation.
Programs
1. Environmental sciences, Green living, private farming, astronomy, etc.
2. Found Object Art
3. Sculpture
4. Personal Finance
5. Improv
6. Smartphone skills
Best - Programs
1. Art
2. Theatre/Performance Art
3. Technology skills (phone, camera, computers)
4. Book Club
5. Personal Makeovers
6. Financial Planning
7. Recipes for Healthy Living
8. Computer use/applications
Comment: Let’s combine 8 and 3.
Comment: Add visual to 1.
Comment: Let’s change 1 to maintain current programming.
Comment: Yes, what’s working needs to be a priority.
Alan: Ok, let’s press three buttons in order of priority. Press with conviction.
www.collaborativelabs.com
11
727-341-3139
Life Enrichment Center Collaborative Engagement – June 18, 2013
Alan: Ok, 1, 2, and there’s a tie between 3 and 5. Why don’t we keep all 4?
Comment: Ok.
Alan: Now we know how it works and we are professionals. Let’s take a quick look.
Board Development
Best - Board Development
1. Identify what skills that are needed and target specific aspects of need / Make a list of top prospects
2. Establishing relationships with movers and shakers
3. Recruit people with a passion for our mission / Time, Treasure, Talent - prefer 3, accept 2
4. Find members that are able to contribute time
5. Periodic sharing of ideas and information from members of other successful organization's boards.
6. Collaborative Labs engagement to share board best practices and ideas.
7. Use Chamber of Commerce as resource
Comment: Combine 3 and 4.
Comment: We talked about combining 4 and 5.
Comment: Would 5 be included in 4?
Comment: I thought it would be a good resource to find other people through networking
events. I get invited to 4 or 5 networking events a week. It might be worth looking into to see
if they allow for letting non-profits be members without having to pay a membership fee.
Comment: I think they are separate too.
www.collaborativelabs.com
12
727-341-3139
Life Enrichment Center Collaborative Engagement – June 18, 2013
Alan: Ok, let’s open the polls to vote.
Alan: Ok, 3, 4, and tie between 1 and 2. There are some clear choices between your first two
without a doubt. That’s good. You’re keeping some of the old stuff and adding some new
stuff. Let’s take a look at capacity building.
Capacity Building
1. Attend networking events
2. Change non-structural walls?
Best - Capacity Building
1. Collaboration with other community resources. / Partnership with larger corporations
2. Increase Staffing; Paid Staff, Volunteers, offer internships (instructors, business, development and
marketing)
3. Broaden participation of LEC members in networking events, meetings and other outreach events.
4. Evaluate physical plant: HVAC, plumbing, technology, grounds, electrical service, etc.
5. specific taskforce on facility search / More Room
Alan: Any feedback or are they good like they are? Ok, choose your top three.
www.collaborativelabs.com
13
727-341-3139
Life Enrichment Center Collaborative Engagement – June 18, 2013
Alan: Ok, we have 2, 1, and then 3. Were any of those part of the original list?
Comment: Yes, 3 is new.
Alan: This is about developing your focus for the next 12 months. Let’s look at funding.
Funding
Best - Funding
1. Development (grant writing, events, individual, government) /Fundraising Event (art show,
performance, scholar or celebrity
2. Establish relationships with corporate donors
3. Increase avenues for the sales of student work.
4. Establish endowment/legacy fund
5. Electronic billboard (sign) in front of building advertising programs, classes and events.
6. Seek in-kind contributions
7. Establish Relationships With "Movers and Shakers"
Comment: Can we combine 2 and 7?
Comment: Yes.
Comment: What is endowment legacy fund?
TJ: That is an account that is invested and then the proceeds are used to fund the center. The
original amount is never touched. So it is a contribution from an estate. For instance, USF has
about $300 million in their endowment and the interest goes back to the University. A
corporate IRA might be how you can think of it.
Alan: Ok, the polls are open.
www.collaborativelabs.com
14
727-341-3139
Life Enrichment Center Collaborative Engagement – June 18, 2013
Alan: Ok, we have 1, 2, and 4.
Alan: Let’s look at the last one.
Marketing/Advertising/Community Outreach/Communications
Best - Marketing/Advertising/Community Outreach/Communications
1. Electronic billboard (sign) in front of building advertising programs, classes and events.
2. Cross-promote LEC with area businesses (eg frame shops, art supply stores, Michael's, Bamboozle,
libraries, etc.)
3. Develop membership brochure.
4. Explore linking LEC website on other sites.
5. Digital Media: Social Media / Facebook Advertising / website
6. Mass Media - TV, Radio, Newsprint Advertising /Leverage broadcast media for free advertising
7. Target more independent restaurants, coffee shops etc./ Art commissioned by businesses
8. Art Abandonment: Ask Jim.
Comment: I came across it on Facebook. Artists that are leaving small pieces of work for
people to find with a little tag that says just let us know where it’s new home is. It’s going viral
pretty quickly. They are leaving them on doorsteps of businesses, shopping carts, on park
benches.
Comment: That would be fun to see people writing in to us.
Comment: The project is local. It’s a great way to get ourselves out there.
Alan: Do we need any discussion of #3?
Ronna: When she goes out to an event, to have a brochure that people can take with them
with information about membership. Maybe you can leave some on a table.
www.collaborativelabs.com
15
727-341-3139
Life Enrichment Center Collaborative Engagement – June 18, 2013
Alan: Anything else? Ok, if there is something in this list that you think needs to stay at the
top of the priority list that you are already doing, then you need to choose it. This doesn’t
mean that they aren’t going to continue. It just means that other things are elevating up the
priority list for you to focus on.
Alan: Ok, let’s vote.
Alan: Ok, we have 1, 2, and 4.
Building the 2013-2014 Tactical Action Plan
11:00am
12:15pm
Each participant will self-select into the focus area of most interest to them. The Tactical Action
Plan will be pre-populated with the priorities that emerged in the previous activity. Teams will
add actions, accountable champions, resources needed, success metrics and time frames
needed to move each priority forward. At 12:15 we will reconvene as a full group for wrap up
and next steps.
Alan: Ok, Mike is going to populate the Gantt charts with the priorities. Do you want to
choose 2 of the five categories and spend the rest of your time on those? Or would you like to
spend 20 minutes on each one? You can see the priority has been added, then you’ll add
specific actions that need to be done over the next 12 months to make this happen, the
responsible parties, how you’ll know you have successfully achieved this action, then the
timeline. They will all be populated in this template. How do you want to spend your time?
Focus on two or hit on all of them?
Comment: All of them.
Alan: Ok, we’ll populate the charts and then you guys can get started. Give us just a second.
My suggestion for how to do this is to go across, fill it all out.
www.collaborativelabs.com
16
727-341-3139
Life Enrichment Center Collaborative Engagement – June 18, 2013
Board Development
www.collaborativelabs.com
17
727-341-3139
Life Enrichment Center Collaborative Engagement – June 18, 2013
Capacity Building
www.collaborativelabs.com
18
727-341-3139
Life Enrichment Center Collaborative Engagement – June 18, 2013
Funding
www.collaborativelabs.com
19
727-341-3139
Life Enrichment Center Collaborative Engagement – June 18, 2013
Marketing
www.collaborativelabs.com
20
727-341-3139
Life Enrichment Center Collaborative Engagement – June 18, 2013
Programs
www.collaborativelabs.com
21
727-341-3139
Life Enrichment Center Collaborative Engagement – June 18, 2013
Alan: OK, Jonathan is going to take you through his artwork and then I’ll show you what a real
time record looks like and then we’ll let you go.
Jonathan: Ok, so here it is, as I was listening to your report outs this morning
I was inspired by your programs and made that the focus. I didn’t go full
Buddha this morning. Think of this as Buddha’s wife. She is overlooking the
easel. In the purple you’ll find keywords to strategies buckets. Then you find
your strategies in red.
Alan: This is what Trish has been putting together. It will have pictures throughout the day,
text from the report outs, jpeg’s of your magazine covers, brainstorming data, voting slides, and
lastly it will have Jonathan’s artwork as well and links to your Gantt charts as well. You will
receive this report tomorrow. You created a plan but you don’t have to work very long to start;
this way you can go to implementation quickly so it will help to solidify everything in your mind.
How do you feel about what you get done?
Comment: Good.
Alan: Great, you finished them. Good. That’s it for us.
Comment: Google Applications for Business allows for collaborative communication. It’s
internal and no one can see what we are talking about. Is anyone interested in communicating
back and forth between the collaborative team?
Comment: Sure.
www.collaborativelabs.com
22
727-341-3139
Life Enrichment Center Collaborative Engagement – June 18, 2013
Comment: I will gladly hold a “this is how to do it” session. There are a couple things that
will be in the paperwork. Better communication will get us better results.
www.collaborativelabs.com
23
727-341-3139