I. Why plan?
Ever since it was founded in 1948, the Village Temple has operated without a formal strategic plan. Why write one now?
With this strategic plan, we hope to set a roadmap for the Village Temple for the next three years. We are an institution with a distinguished history and many strengths, but it also is clear that we must change if we are to grow. We must keep pace with a changing Jewish population in downtown Manhattan, generate sufficient financial resources, maintain strong and effective clerical and lay leadership, and serve the needs of our congregants. By defining our goals and the paths we will choose to achieve them, we can be intentional instead of improvisational, deliberate instead of reactive, and optimistic instead of worried.
A strategic plan serves several purposes:
- It articulates our goals and the specific steps we will take to achieve them. It sets priorities. It is a set of decisions for what we choose to do and, of equal importance amidst finite financial and time resources, what we choose not to do. It defines responsibilities, resource requirements, timetables and performance measurements.
- It is the catalyst for a congregation-wide conversation about who we are, who want to be, our strengths and weaknesses, our ideas and dreams. It gives us a common language that we can use in leading and managing this institution.
- It helps ensure alignment among clergy, staff, lay leaders, volunteers and members – especially important in an institution driven by both staff and volunteers.
- It is the master plan to which all of our other planning tools -- our annual budget, program and worship calendar, individual clergy and staff job descriptions and annual performance plans – must conform.
- It is the yardstick by which we will measure our progress and performance.
These inputs were the building blocks for a six-person Strategic Planning Task Force that met regularly to shape this plan. We also looked at external trends driving the future for all Jewish organizations, compared the Village Temple to our peers in downtown Manhattan, analyzed data, and gathered ideas and context from a variety of sources. We also engaged in deep discussion with Rabbi Koster and gathered feedback through numerous conversations with members.
In the coming weeks, we will use this draft document as a catalyst for even more dialogue within the Village Temple. Our earlier discussions were open-ended; now, with the framework of this draft, we can generate specific reaction to its ideas and priorities. We know this broad review process will produce an even stronger plan, one that is understood and endorsed by the Village Temple community.
An important part of our process was to funnel and concentrate all of those inputs into a plan that is intentionally concise and focuses on three main goals and a total of 11 action plans, or “initiatives,” that will help us achieve our goals. We chose a manageable number of goals and initiatives that, if achieved, will produce needed and noticeable change in almost every aspect of the Village Temple. Of the many needs we have, these three rose above all others in their ability to transform the Village Temple:
- Improve our worship, learning, social action, cultural and community engagement programs so that they are even more dynamic, inspiring, participatory, and spiritually fulfilling.
- Significantly grow membership, in order to better fulfill our mission and ensure the Village Temple’s sustainability.
- Improve the effectiveness of our organization – systems, communications and leadership.
As careful and thoughtful as we have tried to be in writing this plan, we do so with the humble understanding that is just a beginning. With this roadmap in hand, we look forward to the journey ahead.
Bill Abrams, Craig Albert, Emily Hacker, Betsy Krebs, Deb Seidman, Jill Wilkinson
Village Temple Strategic Planning Task Force