Board of Directors develops implementation strategy to meet goals, objectives
The Cook County Farm Bureau Board of Directors, during their February board meeting, approved Areas of Focus and actions from the January board strategic planning day with a three-year time horizon. Specific attention was paid towards the voting member and the associate member value proposition for retention and recruitment.
The Board of Directors approved a three-year Strategic Plan that features five Areas of Focus:
Membership
- Member recruitment and retention
- Member benefits, discounts, and programming
- “All are welcome at our table” – expand membership appeal
- Farmer direct to consumer marketing
Public outreach
- Agricultural information communications
- Agricultural knowledge in consumers
- Agriculture literacy in schools
Younger member engagement
- Leadership development
- CCFB Foundation resources and support
Agricultural issues and support
- Lobbying and local affairs involvement
- Urban and innovative agricultural issues and support
- Political Action Committee outreach
Growing and developing strategic partners and stakeholders
- Outreach regarding consumer information
- Membership development
- Policy implementation
The plan also features internal board goals, ranking of ways to achieve the goals, concepts to further will develop, and future discussion topics.
The board reviewed its Goals and Objectives for the organization. Action items for each of the listed goals and objectives were identified and approved to help the organization achieve each.
Internal Board action items were also developed related to evaluating the effectiveness in achieving mission, goalsand objectives, outreach to farmer members, partners and business to grow support programming, and delivery of services, increase involvement within the with vision, review leadership succession plan.
Actions from past strategic plans have moved the organization forward in terms of serve of member needs and organizational modernization including:
Actions from the 2022 Strategic Plan include:
- An agriculture resolution approved by the Cook County Board
- Member Appreciation Week
- The Future Forward initiative
- Direct marketing implementation
- Urban Ag producer member newsletters and programming
- Everything Local Conference support
- Improve data collection
- Farm Shadows program
- Pollinators program
- Improve farmland assessment process with assessor
- Mental health programming support
- Vocational scholarships
Previous strategic plans resulted in:
- A Volunteer Management System based on a human resources approach to recruiting, onboarding, training, engaging, recognizing and rewarding, and providing feedback for volunteers.
- Expansion of Public Relations Outreach and consumer information through social media, the website, and Ag in the Classroom.
- Strong farmer member marketing support for improved business success.
- Hiring of a Governmental Affairs staff member and creation of a political action committee to expand the organization’s involvement in state and local government and policy development.