1. Strategic Planning Brainstorm Guide (Strategic Timeframe: 3 years)
Community Records Foundation builds the local community; inspiring and
creating relationships by bringing together diverse populations through
collaborative participation in arts and arts education.
Currently Successful (4 --------------------- 1) Currently Lacking
Collaborative participation
3.8
Inspiring and creating relationships
3.7
Builds local community
3.5
Arts and arts education
3.4
Bringing together diverse populations
3.3
STRENGTHS and WEAKNESSES Internal factors
Every organization has certain strengths and weaknesses that will influence its long
term performance and competitive position. Strengths and weaknesses are internal
capabilities and resources that are likely to lead respectively to higher or lower levels of
performance.
Community Records Foundation's greatest strengths are the core competencies
upon which it should build its activities and programming.
MAJOR STRENGTHS:
1. Strategic planning process
2. Relationship with clients/customers
3. Organization culture and values
4. Relationship with voluneers/staff
4. Relationship with community
5. Board leadership
6. Quality of programming/service
7. Responsiveness to change
8. Programming/service depth
8. Customer/client satisfaction and loyalty
9. Art education
10. Pricing of services
10. Meets expected capabilities and skills
11. Ability to attract and retain the best people
11. Programming/service variety
MINOR STRENGTHS:
12. Only local provider of services
12. Community research and understanding
12. Management leadership
12. Customer/client service

2. Strategic Planning Brainstorm Guide (Strategic Timeframe: 3 years)
12. New product/service development
12. Research & development capabilities/resources
12. Social capital of CRF (who we know)
12. Structure and stability
12. Available workshops and classes
13. Website
14. Use of technology to improve effectiveness
14. Ability to educate and update community on CRF
14. Access to volunteer opportunities with CRF
15. Management of donors/donations
16. Name/Brand Recognition
16. Management communication
17. Advertising and promotion
18. Fund-raising/fees collected
19. Sales/marketing productivity
20. Variety of services/programming
21. Money/asset management
22. Operating at full-capacity
Strengths most mentioned in comments, in no particular order:
Organization culture and values
Commitment to individuals as artists and to the community
Community research & understanding
Utilizing the community- we are the only org like it in the area.
Creativity
Access to quality artists and volunteers (musicians, teachers, technicians, organizers)
The program's dynamic attractiveness to community members and students
Relationship with community
Members' commitment to the arts
A wealth of diverse ideas and goals from which to startup and further programming
Social capitol
WEAKNESSES:
1. Access to equipment and other capital
2. Location
Weaknesses most mentioned in comments, in no particular order:
Lack of staff and volunteers
Lack of funding and financial capital
Communication...of goals and objectives; by management; between all members of
CRF community
Lacking infrastructure, structure, stability, and a plan
Lack of message/brand/name recognition
Community awareness

3. Strategic Planning Brainstorm Guide (Strategic Timeframe: 3 years)
OPPORTUNITIES and THREATS External factors
In setting long term direction, every organization is confronted with a number of
opportunities and threats that will influence its future success. Opportunities and threats
are external, environmental (our surroundings, not just nature) factors that are likely to
lead respectively to higher or lower levels of performance.
Our strategy will be to pursue its best opportunities while minimizing its greatest
threats.
MAJOR OPPORTUNITIES:
1. Degree that products/services are unique
2. Access to new venues/locations/markets for our products/services
3. Local music scene
4. Diversity (beyond just race) of community
5. Local music gatherings and events
6. Change in technology
6. Size of our market (those we help)
6. Community non-profit orgs
7. Innovation in the field
8. Quality of services and programs
8. Available social capital (who we know and could know)
9. Local art education scene
10. Community development plans
11. Growth of community need of CRF services
12. Community businesses
13. Changes in social values and norms
13. Values, beliefs and expectations of community
MINOR OPPORTUNITIES:
14. Continuity/consistency of services and programs
14. Structure and stability of community
15. Changes in demographic of local population
16. Access to volunteers and needed resources
17. The biggest needs of the community
18. Changing customer/client/community needs and preferences
19. Availability of qualified and skilled employees/volunteers
20. Cost of services and programs
21. Changes in government regulations
22. Cyclicality/seasonality of demand for services
23. Funding in this line of work
Opportunities most mentioned in comments, in no particular order:

4. Strategic Planning Brainstorm Guide (Strategic Timeframe: 3 years)
Dwindling school/afterschool experiences
Youth recording, youth music scene, and afterschool programming
Other arts than music
Degree that products/services are unique (only ones doing it)
Market size
Depot townʼs businesses and people, making connections and relationships
Collaboration with other non-profits
Working with youth throughout their schooling
Being involved with chamber of commerce or other community development gatherings
THREATS:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Changes in economic conditions
Similar services entering our community
Similar services pricing policies/practices
Similar services product/service quality
Similar services strategies
Size of similar services
Threats most mentioned in comments, in no particular order:
Social capital is exhaustive
State in the economy/changes in economic conditions
Lack of message/people not knowing who we are and what we offer
Lack of funds
Spreading ourselves too thing too quickly and burning resources and people out
Lack of community support, getting people involved, and keeping people around
Lack of structured management and management leadership
Lack of talent from board and sub-committees
Lack of recruitment
Similar services

5. Strategic Planning Brainstorm Guide (Strategic Timeframe: 3 years)
CHEAT SHEET:
How do we think about strategic planning?
Use greatest strengths to build activities and programming.
Think about ways to strengthen minor strengths.
Address strongly the identified weaknesses.
Figure out how to pursue/capitalize on the major opportunities.
What can be done to improve the situation surrounding the minor opportunities?
How can we minimize our greatest threats?
What are some of the assets available?
The board and its committees, local schools, EMU (business school, Campus Life,
VISION, music school, teacher ed., etc.) , our fundraisers, the classes currently being
taught, existing partnerships, enthusiasm of youth, social capital (lots of connections
among us), Bright Futures programs, everyone affiliated with CRF, Ypsilanti City
Council's grandchildren and children who are in the local schools, UM Music School,
Mott's Children's Hospital, 21st Century Community Learning Centers, PREVENTS the
destruction of community, PREVENTS the incarceration of students, PREVENTS
dropout from school...
What are some of the changes that could be worked on?
A highly visible space to call home, organizational structure, stable and capable board/
staff/volunteers, funding, community connections, marketing, internet presence and
services, research and documentation.