Many University Club Committees struggle to think long term (3 years) but if you can, it actually helps your club grow as well as reduces the demands on you as volunteers.

Like a sporting team, a club needs to set goals as to what direction the club wants to head and then step out how it is going to reach these goals over a period of time. The best way to do this is to create a 3 - 5 year Strategic Plan, which is supported by yearly Business Plans and Timelines.

The benefits include:

• It sets the direction of the club

• May address issues that your club is having in identifying opportunities of growth and development

• It’s a management tool

• It brings order to the hectic and time consuming business of running your club

• It prioritises goals and ideas - some are more important than others

• It is a marketing tool

• It tells others what the club stands for – your values. And helps to attract like-minded people

• Encourages others to get involved

• Provides you with a means to measure the performance of the club

• Keeps you on track and helps identify why some things didn’t work

This process can take time but will save time in the long run. The following resources explain the steps involved in developing a culture of strategic planning and includes a number of helpful tools to assist in the strategic planning process.