Try this! Because goal setting is an ongoing activity of review and development, your board may find it useful to dedicate one meeting annually to these “big picture” considerations. Consider whether you are on track and identify new priorities. This may also be a good time for the board to evaluate their own performance and assess overall board effectiveness. Be sure to chalk up performance indicators as you review your own definitions and measures of success.
Or this! Your agency could set aside time at each meeting to evaluate whether recent activities have been “on target” and whether certain objectives have been met. By doing this on a regular basis, all board members become familiar with the central goals. Ongoing monitoring of progress becomes a natural part of the agency’s work and is consistently recorded. Board members are kept on track.
Consider the business plan, which MET now requires, as a planning tool. To what extent does the business plan cover key elements or even the entire scope of your agency’s plan? Is the board involved in its development or does the executive director work in isolation? How does planning tie in to your performance indicators?
There are many systems and resources dedicated to goal setting and strategic planning.