The Survey has accomplished many remarkable things in its first 30 years; we need a strong vision to reach new heights in our 4th decade. With input from members, friends, board and staff, and peer organizations, we created a new strategic plan that restates the Survey’s vision and values and its mission. It provides four goals, with concomitant strategies, to engage all curious observers in the adventure of our lifetime: learning about our ecosystems and then saving them . . . to save ourselves!
The plan restates the Survey’s mission and vision to make it clear not just how we work but how our work targets urgent conservation and societal problems. It includes a new values statement that emphasizes transparency and openness to all. The Plan has 4 goals to guide us over the next 5 years. Each goal has a number of strategies to direct energy in the most important directions.
This is not one of those plans that’s just going to sit on a shelf. As part of the planning, we prescribed certain actions for each strategy and also identified metrics to measure progress and responsible parties to look to for accomplishments.
Special thanks to the Board of Director’s Strategic Planning Task Force: Co-chairs Sarah Gaines and Don DeHayes, along with Joanne Riccitelli, Caitlin Chaffee, and Hugh Markey. Also, thank you to the rest of the Board and to Survey staff members David Gregg and Kira Stillwell, to half-full llc for facilitating the discussions, RI Foundation for funding the project, Brian Jones for graphic design, and members, friends, and partners for input through online surveys, 1-on-1 interviews, a charette, and in many other ways.