On a cold, but sunny Saturday in late February, eighteen members of KNPS met at the Bernheim Arboretum Visitor’s Center to begin the process of developing a long range strategic plan for the Society. It was a great mix of members with decades of membership in KNPS, brand new members, professional botanists, and amateur naturalists.
Strategic planning is simply the process of defining the long term direction (or strategy) of the Kentucky Native Plant Society, and then making decisions on allocating resources to pursue this strategy. The strategic planning process begins with an organization’s mission statement. A mission statement simply defines the purpose of the organization answering the question, “why does KNPS exist?”
“The mission of the Kentucky Native Plant Society is to promote education, preservation, and protection of Kentucky’s native plants and ecological systems.”
After discussing the mission of KNPS, the members broke into small groups to brainstorm the Society’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as opportunities and challenges to the Society from outside events and forces. This was a great process and resulted in a good understanding of both the internal and external environments that the Society functions within.
The group ended the morning session with a review of the Society’s long term goals. These are:
- To serve as the KY native plant education resource
- To promote appreciation of the biodiversity of native plant ecosystems
- To encourage the appropriate use of native plants
- To support native plant research
- To support efforts to identify and protect endangered, threatened, and rare native plant species
In the afternoon the group used a process called structured brainstorming to develop a list of initiatives and actions that should be taken to create the desired future for the Society. In developing the initiatives, the group focused on the mission and goals and considered how the initiatives could move the Society in the direction set by those elements. A list of over 60 possible initiatives were generated. The group narrowed that list down to 10 (list below).
Unfortunately, shortly after the session, COVID-19 changed everything and additional work on narrowing down the list to the top 3 strategic initiatives was put on hold. Fortunately, that gives you, the members and friends of the Kentucky Native Plant Society, the opportunity to participate in the process. Review the initiatives below and then go to this online form and let us know what initiatives the Society should concentrate on over the next 3-5 years.
Potential Initiatives for KNPS to Undertake
Education and Outreach
- Continue/re-do the native plant stewardship program with a required practical element
- Presence at more conservation (“green”) related events
- Bring back the botanical symposium and have it be a real collaboration of botanical professionals
Governance/Leadership/Organizational Structure
- Volunteer Coordinator or Volunteer committee
- Restructuring board to create more positions to share the workload – make sure everyone knows what their jobs are
- Communications Director for press releases, etc./someone needs to work with sister organizations
Preservation, Conservation, and Restoration
- Shortage of plants used in restoration projects…some states have set up prisons to produce plants. We could work with government agencies to set up plants. Coordinate with Master Gardeners
K12 Education/Children Involvement
- Partner with local parks/schools for kids mini garden… children’s gardens
- Creating a board position that is K-12 outreach coordinator, teaching and outreach (schools, scouts, etc.)
Website and online presence
- Website – subsection for beginners