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SAGE
Westchester County, New York, January 2008
Challenge: strategic planning retreat
Location: Briar Cliff, Westchester County, New York
Date: January 2008
Client Contact: Michael Adams, Executive Director, Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE)
FWB team: Paul Groncki, Sharon Walsh, Beth Storz, Steven Fox, Julie Larsen
“It was a true delight to work with Facilitators Without Borders at the SAGE retreat. The retreat was so successful that it surpassed all of our expectations, and the extraordinary skill and hard work of Facilitators Without Borders was one of the critical ingredients. We couldn't have done it without them!”
— Michael Adams, Executive Director, SAGE
In early 2008, five Facilitators Without Borders (FWB) volunteers came together with over 45 board and staff members of SAGE to collaborate on strategic planning for the organization. SAGE, a New York City-based organization, is dedicated to serving lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) seniors.
The retreat was an exciting milestone: celebrating its 30th anniversary as a provider of community programs and services, this was SAGE's first overnight retreat. The sense of shared stewardship and anticipation for the weekend was tangible!
Prior to the retreat, the FWB team had an opportunity to attend a meeting with SAGE's board and staff and to learn more about some of the research that had been done by its various teams. The retreat provided an opportunity to work together and to explore four key areas of SAGE's work:
- Providing outstanding services and advocacy to GLBT seniors in New York City
- Sharing knowledge to benefit GLBT older people throughout the country
- Advocating for GLBT aging issues by providing leadership and support to groups in other communities
- Using effective communication in every sense of the term
The FWB facilitators worked with the teams to consolidate their ideas in each of these areas. This included defining key criteria to prioritize the wealth of ideas and to evaluate them against a shared vision for SAGE. The outcomes of the retreat, including a contagious camaraderie and enthusiasm for SAGE's work, will be used to guide SAGE in its next steps towards solidifying its future direction.
Despite the sometimes commonly held view that strategic planning processes need to be arduous and exhausting in order to be successful, the FWB team helped to ensure that SAGE's strategic planning reached its next stage without difficulty.