organization development
#1 - Helping a national trade association create its overall strategic plan and strengthen its board.
A trade association with members across North America chose COPE to lead its strategic planning process. Using an applied approach to strategic planning, COPE designed the process including environmental scanning, internal performance and values audits, gap analysis, a board retreat, and goal setting and strategy development. Following the retreat, COPE and the association’s staff developed a board orientation process and materials, drafted committee charters, revised the organization’s by-laws, wrote job descriptions for key board leadership positions, and strengthened policies to ensure the plan would be implemented and sustained. With the staff, COPE developed functional integration plans linking the newly developed goals and strategies to existing work and budgets.
#2 - Facilitating a multi-disciplined educational retreat for a national level educational initiative.
When a group of 55 educators, scientists, researchers and supporters wanted to convene to develop a national initiative on plant-based education, they called COPE to facilitate a two-day retreat. COPE used its broad organization development skills to help the group develop its vision and mission, define its goals, establish a new non-profit organization, and launch a national communications campaign. COPE engaged in planning activities, conducted pre-retreat interviews with key stakeholders and attendees, designed and facilitated the agenda and activities for the event, and produced a post-event final report for the client and key participants.
#3 - Managing an economic development strategy process (CEDS) for Vermont's largest economic region.
The Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) provides a regional template for future economic development, describes the economic challenges and potential of a region, and prioritizes economic development projects. CEDS is conceived as a mechanism for coordinating the efforts of private industry, governments, stakeholder organizations, and individuals concerned with economic development in the region to come together in agreement around an approach to furthering economic development in the region and gain certification from the Economic Development Administration.
Commissioned by the regional economic development authority to manage and facilitate a CEDS process for the region, COPE convened eight committees to undertake the process. The process allied nearly 500 people with diverse opinions and perspectives on a single path. It also created new partnerships and connections for community members that led to greater collaboration across municipalities, local and state agencies, nonprofit organizations, employer sectors, and between regional entities. The end product presented a coherent and integrated approach to meet the specific challenges and fulfill the potential of the County. Certification was received in July 2005.