Stakeholder Engagement & Community Support in Building a Strategic Plan

2-minute read

Stakeholder engagement and support are crucial to building a successful, actionable strategic plan so that the district’s plan is a reflection of the needs of the community.

In this blog, we will explore how to engage stakeholders effectively in the strategic planning process using DMGroup’s approach, ensuring that the resulting strategic plan is actionable, community-oriented, and supported by stakeholders.

The Crucial Role of Stakeholder Involvement

Stakeholder involvement is critical to understanding the district's needs and creating a plan that will have the support needed to successfully deliver results for students.

By incorporating diverse viewpoints — from educators and administrators to students, parents, and community leaders — a strategic plan gains the multidimensional perspective necessary to address complex educational challenges effectively.

Common Stakeholder Engagement Pitfalls

While most districts engage their stakeholders early on in their strategic planning efforts, the results often lead to a multitude of perspectives and rarely produce distilled, thoughtful takeaways. In many cases, districts will hold a series of open meetings or surveys where stakeholders share their concerns, hopes, and potential ideas and solutions. After countless meetings with different groups, the district typically ends up with a lengthy list of concerns and objectives. For many districts, this input becomes overwhelming, resulting in a lengthy strategic plan that lacks focus. Some districts take all the stakeholder feedback and distill it into a focused plan, but this can lead to stakeholders feeling ignored and disenfranchised when their input isn't visibly incorporated. This discontent can cause interest and support for the new strategic plan to vanish.

How can stakeholder input be incorporated into the process successfully?

DMGroup’s Approach to Engaging Stakeholders

Engagement of internal and external stakeholders is a key component of DMGroup's strategic planning process.

The very first step in our process is to form, with intention and care, a Steering Committee to lead and do the work of creating the strategic plan, thereby ensuring key stakeholder voices remain central to the strategic planning work throughout.

In addition, DMGroup’s process includes a two-part community engagement process:

  • During the design phase, when preliminary input is solicited

  • Once a draft of the strategic plan is developed, to request feedback and incorporate it into a plan

As a result, DMGroup's framework and process provide a powerful, actionable, results-oriented plan that aligns work across the district to produce significant and measurable results.

Strategic Planning Design Steering Committee

The ideal steering committee composition should reflect the diverse interests of the district but not aim for a complete representation of every area. It typically includes members from the board of education, district leadership, and school leadership and sometimes includes student, building-based, or community representatives. Cohesiveness is crucial; members should be committed to constructive discussions for the district's overall benefit rather than specific interest groups. The committee should consider both the personalities and subject expertise of its members. Members of the Steering Committee should expect to devote a significant amount of time and effort to developing the strategic plan.

DMGroup recommends a committee of 10 to 12 members to balance significant representation with logistical feasibility, ensuring full attendance and engagement at meetings.

Engaging Stakeholders in the Design Phase

Engaging stakeholders during the design phase is where the foundational elements of the strategic plan are laid. Having broad-based input ensures the plan is reflective of the district's needs and also resonates with the community.

Key stakeholders include board members, district leaders, school leaders, school staff, support staff, students, families, community partners, small business owners, and any other stakeholders identified by the Steering Committee. DMGroup typically conducts a series of interviews, focus groups, community meetings, and surveys of key stakeholders to capture their perspectives and insights. This qualitative feedback is then analyzed and distilled.

Early engagement is vital to gaining a rich understanding of the district’s needs and stakeholder concerns. When paired with a deep analysis of district data, this approach leads to an in-depth, nuanced understanding of a district’s greatest needs. This information is essential later on in the process when the steering committee establishes its theory of action and priority areas. Soliciting input early fosters collaboration and a sense of ownership in the process—crucial for the plan's acceptance and success.

Feedback on the Strategic Plan

Once a strategic plan is drafted, it is essential to circle back to stakeholders for feedback. Sharing a draft plan with stakeholders facilitates grounded discussions and insightful feedback, revealing overlooked details and necessary adjustments. The engagement process also enhances understanding and buy-in. Hearing various reactions to the plan, stakeholders can gain a deeper appreciation for its complexity. Although it may not create consensus, it fosters a deeper understanding of the district's needs and helps to articulate how the strategic planning steering committee is approaching competing needs to create a coherent, actionable strategy.

After gathering feedback, the steering committee should make necessary adjustments before the School Board approves and adopts the plan. The public unveiling of the strategic plan ensures widespread understanding of its purpose and objectives, paving the way for a strategic plan implementation.

A Strategic Plan Designed in Collaboration

Effective strategic planning isn’t a solitary endeavor but a collaborative journey that requires the active participation and support of the entire community. By engaging stakeholders meaningfully in the process, DMGroup ensures that the strategic plans we help districts create are supported by the communities they serve. For districts looking to transform their strategic visions into impactful realities, embracing this depth of stakeholder engagement is essential.

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