Strategic Plan 2010 - 2013
From March, 2010 through September, 2010, one of our outstanding contributors and guides, Lynn Montei, led us in the process of creating, revising, considering, a a new three year strategic plan, which replaced the successful plan she helped us create back in 2007.
We are deeply indebted to Lynn, and are grateful to all who participated in this important project.
Chicago IONS--Who We Are
Chicago IONS is the Chicago Community Group of the Institute of Noetic Sciences. It is an open, evolving and intentional learning community focused on the expansion of our consciousness, the mind-body-spirit continuum, and the exploration of human potential. Chicago IONS values and honors both the discernment and rigor of science and the wisdom of direct inner experience in its pursuits.
Mission Statement
Chicago IONS facilitates the exploration and awareness of human potential and the expansion of consciousness to foster individual and collective well-being.
Vision Statement for 2013
Chicago IONS envisions a community and global society increasingly awake to the ever-expanding dimensions of consciousness within a loving and sustainable world.
Goals for Vision Attainment
Goal 1: Sponsor meetings/gatherings, speakers and programming that inspire and cultivate increased awareness.
Goal 2: Define, grow, enliven and attract diversity to our Community Group.
Goal 3: Become a high-functioning volunteer organization.
Goal 4: Collaborate with partners to fulfill our mission.
Goal 5: Conduct community outreach, public and media relations for widespread knowledge of our organization and its programs.
Action Plan
Goal 1: Sponsor meetings/gatherings, speakers and programming that inspire and cultivate increased awareness.
1. Foster the feel and practice of an intentional learning community
a. Create learning/experiential objectives to guide programming.
b. Focus on interactive audience participation.
c. Incorporate reflection time.
2. Generate new ideas for future programs
a. Listen to and expand on ideas and concerns generated by the community through a suggestion box and questionnaires to the membership.
b. Consider programming featuring local presenters, former presenters, high-profile speakers and authors.
c. Use a variety of formats such as weekend-long events, retreats, series, two-day and other combinations.
3. Evolve the speakers / programming process, building on our recent and historic experiences.
a. Utilize annual learning objectives to guide programming.
b. Establish a simple, straightforward process of review, discernment and selection.
c. Request potential presenters provide learning objectives to assist proposal review.
4. Utilize and become a presence in other community venues and systems periodically (museums, colleges, outdoor venues.)
5. Wherever possible, design a social component to community group gatherings.
a. Utilize icebreaker, such as one-minute pair-share.
b. Consider an annual social-only event
Goal 2: Define, grow, enliven and attract diversity to our Community Group
1. Widen the circle of involvement to create a diverse and invigorating community group.
a. Be intentional about cultivating community at each gathering/event, utilize greeters and use designation to identify newcomers.
b. Recruit and engage new members through other local groups connections and participant suggestions on how we can network IONS to Chicago.
c. Grow our core membership and inspire more active membership participation.
d. Explore, identify and act upon the means to attract a greater range of diversity to our community group.
2. Define “membership” and discern whether it or another term best describes community group participation, and be consistent in its use.
Goal 3: Become a high-functioning volunteer organization.
1. Increase community participation in planning and execution.
a. Define jobs of shared leadership, making them smaller and more specific so people will feel freer to sign up.
b. Design tools (survey, questionnaire, intake sheet) to gauge member/new member interest, suggestions, specialties, resources and commitments.
c. Mentor participants looking to increase their commitment to the group.
d. Look for ways to involve participants at meetings.
e. Continue to evolve the Shared Leadership Team model.
f. Engage the community group around aspects of the strategic plan through dialogue as a minor part of our programming
2. Encourage and cultivate the formation and development of new form-based (e.g., book study, film), topic-based (e.g., health and healing), and geographic-based (e.g., south suburban) groups.
a. Work with IONS Regional Representative to cultivate new geographic groups in the Chicago area.
b. Invite small group formation at meetings, through the newsletter or a special invitation specifically tailored for new group formation.
Goal 4: Collaborate with partners to fulfill our mission.
1. Define terms of partnership.
2. Cultivate relationships and explore mutuality of mission and goals.
a. Designate an individual as partnership liaison who will research, inquire, contact and facilitate the relationship with other organizations / initiatives.
b. Be ready to supplement and support the partnership liaison’s efforts, such as appearing at shows, festivals, and events to talk about IONS and p provide materials on our mission and events.
3. Commit to periodic collaboration with like-minded organizations as resources allow.
a. Discern how to help partners achieve greater quality programming with available resources.
b. Co-host social and service oriented activities.
c. Partner with IONS as often as is practical.
4. Recognize our partners with charitable contributions when able/appropriate.
Goal 5: Conduct community outreach, public and media relations for widespread knowledge of our organization ....... ...............and its programs.
1. Create and project a visual/verbal representation of our community group.
a. Change our community group name from Chi-IONS to Chicago IONS.
b. Create a brochure about us that describes mission, vision, history, meeting times and contact information.
c. Engage a designer to create a professional logo for use in publications and brochures and a masthead for the e-newsletter
d. Create and utilize a website.
2. Advertise our organization and its programs.
a. Create vital PR releases.
b. Buy advertisement for our programs two or three times/year.
c. Find free advertising on the WWW, yelp.com and other free online resources
d. Develop marketing material and promotional items.
e. Video tape a meeting and put it on YouTube.
f. Optimize our PR by utilizing speakers’ PR networks.
We are deeply indebted to Lynn, and are grateful to all who participated in this important project.
Chicago IONS--Who We Are
Chicago IONS is the Chicago Community Group of the Institute of Noetic Sciences. It is an open, evolving and intentional learning community focused on the expansion of our consciousness, the mind-body-spirit continuum, and the exploration of human potential. Chicago IONS values and honors both the discernment and rigor of science and the wisdom of direct inner experience in its pursuits.
Mission Statement
Chicago IONS facilitates the exploration and awareness of human potential and the expansion of consciousness to foster individual and collective well-being.
Vision Statement for 2013
Chicago IONS envisions a community and global society increasingly awake to the ever-expanding dimensions of consciousness within a loving and sustainable world.
Goals for Vision Attainment
Goal 1: Sponsor meetings/gatherings, speakers and programming that inspire and cultivate increased awareness.
Goal 2: Define, grow, enliven and attract diversity to our Community Group.
Goal 3: Become a high-functioning volunteer organization.
Goal 4: Collaborate with partners to fulfill our mission.
Goal 5: Conduct community outreach, public and media relations for widespread knowledge of our organization and its programs.
Action Plan
Goal 1: Sponsor meetings/gatherings, speakers and programming that inspire and cultivate increased awareness.
1. Foster the feel and practice of an intentional learning community
a. Create learning/experiential objectives to guide programming.
b. Focus on interactive audience participation.
c. Incorporate reflection time.
2. Generate new ideas for future programs
a. Listen to and expand on ideas and concerns generated by the community through a suggestion box and questionnaires to the membership.
b. Consider programming featuring local presenters, former presenters, high-profile speakers and authors.
c. Use a variety of formats such as weekend-long events, retreats, series, two-day and other combinations.
3. Evolve the speakers / programming process, building on our recent and historic experiences.
a. Utilize annual learning objectives to guide programming.
b. Establish a simple, straightforward process of review, discernment and selection.
c. Request potential presenters provide learning objectives to assist proposal review.
4. Utilize and become a presence in other community venues and systems periodically (museums, colleges, outdoor venues.)
5. Wherever possible, design a social component to community group gatherings.
a. Utilize icebreaker, such as one-minute pair-share.
b. Consider an annual social-only event
Goal 2: Define, grow, enliven and attract diversity to our Community Group
1. Widen the circle of involvement to create a diverse and invigorating community group.
a. Be intentional about cultivating community at each gathering/event, utilize greeters and use designation to identify newcomers.
b. Recruit and engage new members through other local groups connections and participant suggestions on how we can network IONS to Chicago.
c. Grow our core membership and inspire more active membership participation.
d. Explore, identify and act upon the means to attract a greater range of diversity to our community group.
2. Define “membership” and discern whether it or another term best describes community group participation, and be consistent in its use.
Goal 3: Become a high-functioning volunteer organization.
1. Increase community participation in planning and execution.
a. Define jobs of shared leadership, making them smaller and more specific so people will feel freer to sign up.
b. Design tools (survey, questionnaire, intake sheet) to gauge member/new member interest, suggestions, specialties, resources and commitments.
c. Mentor participants looking to increase their commitment to the group.
d. Look for ways to involve participants at meetings.
e. Continue to evolve the Shared Leadership Team model.
f. Engage the community group around aspects of the strategic plan through dialogue as a minor part of our programming
2. Encourage and cultivate the formation and development of new form-based (e.g., book study, film), topic-based (e.g., health and healing), and geographic-based (e.g., south suburban) groups.
a. Work with IONS Regional Representative to cultivate new geographic groups in the Chicago area.
b. Invite small group formation at meetings, through the newsletter or a special invitation specifically tailored for new group formation.
Goal 4: Collaborate with partners to fulfill our mission.
1. Define terms of partnership.
2. Cultivate relationships and explore mutuality of mission and goals.
a. Designate an individual as partnership liaison who will research, inquire, contact and facilitate the relationship with other organizations / initiatives.
b. Be ready to supplement and support the partnership liaison’s efforts, such as appearing at shows, festivals, and events to talk about IONS and p provide materials on our mission and events.
3. Commit to periodic collaboration with like-minded organizations as resources allow.
a. Discern how to help partners achieve greater quality programming with available resources.
b. Co-host social and service oriented activities.
c. Partner with IONS as often as is practical.
4. Recognize our partners with charitable contributions when able/appropriate.
Goal 5: Conduct community outreach, public and media relations for widespread knowledge of our organization ....... ...............and its programs.
1. Create and project a visual/verbal representation of our community group.
a. Change our community group name from Chi-IONS to Chicago IONS.
b. Create a brochure about us that describes mission, vision, history, meeting times and contact information.
c. Engage a designer to create a professional logo for use in publications and brochures and a masthead for the e-newsletter
d. Create and utilize a website.
2. Advertise our organization and its programs.
a. Create vital PR releases.
b. Buy advertisement for our programs two or three times/year.
c. Find free advertising on the WWW, yelp.com and other free online resources
d. Develop marketing material and promotional items.
e. Video tape a meeting and put it on YouTube.
f. Optimize our PR by utilizing speakers’ PR networks.