Strategic Plan

2007-2010

In 2006, the Board of Directors of Trees Forever, in partnership with the staff, launched an integrated strategic planning process to take the organization to the next level.
Because our model for success involves key partnerships, we conducted 8 strategic input sessions across the states of Iowa and Illinois, engaging 113 stakeholders including:

• Community volunteers and landowners,
• Sponsors and partners,
• Staff and board members

We addressed Trees Forever’s ability to respond to internal and external dynamics in a disciplined and focused way that helps us to better achieve our mission of planting and caring for trees and the environment by empowering people, building community, and promoting stewardship.

Core Strengths to Preserve into the Future
– a sampling of stakeholder messages…

• Focus on practical common-sense approaches with a long-term environmental impact. Be results-oriented.
• Always involve people in everything to promote ownership and stewardship. Create opportunities to bring people together, deepen relationships, and connect people across the generations, areas of interest, and geography. Support people, especially young people, to lead with a strong sense of ownership in a project.
• Inspire an appreciation for the diverse uses of trees and native plants and educate people and institutions about the value of planting and caring for trees including the environmental, economical, and emotional impacts.
• Keep it simple for communities, volunteers, and partners to be successful with a project. Be approachable and flexible.
• Continue mutually beneficial partnerships and recognize the contributions and leadership of all involved.
• Be responsive to the needs of the community and the partners. Listen to understand the needs and interests of small communities, farmers, the Midwest, the partners.
• Practice sound financial management.
• Be positive and passionate champions for the environment, trees, communities, volunteers, partners, and Trees Forever.

Successful execution of the Blueprint is dependent on the dedication of Trees Forever’s leadership on four strategies:

• Strategy #1 – Align the design and delivery of programs to maximize core strengths and deliver clear and meaningful impact
• Strategy #2 – Broaden and deepen the linkages stakeholders have to project opportunities, to each other and to Trees Forever
• Strategy #3 – Generate more funding and improve the stability and flexibility of the funding mix
• Strategy #4 – Build leadership and management capacity of board and staff

Together we can work toward our vision of more people sustaining the places where they live, work and play by planting and caring for trees and natural areas through:

• More people engaged as Environmental and Community Stewards

• More sites with Ecosystem Appropriate:
  • Trees
  • Shrubs
  • Native Grasses
  • Wildflowers