Health Ministries Association: Strategic Plan Objectives

Strategic Objectives

Program and Member Services Objective:

By 12/31/2003, HMA will offer its members consistent access to opportunities for education, personal and professional development, and spiritual support.

Rationale
HMA members frequently find themselves bridging the gap between faith and health. HMA members are traditionally the front-line doers and not always strategically or systems oriented. HMA members are requesting education and development in the skills and processes that lead to consistency and professionalism among those practicing health ministries. They desire to receive education opportunities that provide deeper integration of faith and health. As members continue to navigate the boundaries of faith and health, they need support in the form of knowledge, inspiration, resources and affiliation. As an organization that values spirituality and the development of the whole person, HMA can provide support for individual spiritual formation and opportunities for spiritual fellowship for individuals from many faiths.

Strategies

1. Improve access to HMA's service and support networks.

Collaborate with other resources and organizations to become a centralized information and referral source concerning the integration of faith and health.
Make better use of technology to link members (Web, distance learning, teleconferencing, etc.).
Facilitate mentor and peer support and networking.

2.Provide personal and professional development opportunities targeted on member needs.

Enhance consistency and professionalism by developing specialized continuing education for specific sections.
Work with chapter leadership to facilitate member access to local and national spiritual resources.
Provide spiritual support for members who practice Faith Health Ministry outside of a faith community setting.
Enhance the national conference and promote regional conferences developed around a centralized curriculum.
Update the "How-to Manual" and models to facilitate expansion of health ministries without sacrificing quality.
Focus on boundary leadership skills.
a. Promoting and facilitating collaboration across boundaries (ex: government, health care, and infrastructure of church).
b. Management skills/systems thinking.

3.Provide conceptual frameworks for individuals engaged in Faith Health Ministry.

Provide a forum for sharing experience, resources, and best practices.
Vocabulary to talk about integration of faith and health in secular settings.

Collaboration Objective:

By 12/31/2003, HMA will be a servant leader in facilitating the expansion of the faith health ministry movement.

Rationale
Integration and facilitation of the Faith Health Ministry movement are key to successful growth. Currently, no member organization serves as the integrator of the Faith Health Ministry movement. HMA does not have the resources or the desire to be the one and only "Leader" in the movement; however they are an appropriate organization to facilitate access to these diverse resources, organizations and knowledge.

Strategies

1.Collaborate with other organizations in creating national, regional and local conferences or other educational opportunities.
2. Provide a forum for sharing theoretical studies, existing research and other knowledge resources.
3. Leverage the existing Faith Health Ministry network's knowledge resources.

Coordinate with other knowledge providers.
Take advantage of the current network as a way to test ideas.
Be the "logical first phone call" for information about Faith Health Ministry practitioners or the movement.

4. Facilitate collaboration and resource sharing.

Theological basis of the integration of faith and health.
Multi-faith resources.
Interdisciplinary links to fields of social justice and community as well as health care.

5. Build on the success of the annual conference.

Conduct a conference related needs assessment among members and others engaged in Faith Health Ministry.
Invite sponsors and vendors to participate in funding the conference.
Develop a scholarship fund to ensure that students and others who may not have funds can attend the conference.

6. Establish ethical standards, policies and procedures for forming partnerships and collaborations.

Infrastructure and Operations Objective:

By 12/31/2003, HMA's infrastructure will provide consistent, timely and appropriate member service, connections and a strong sense of affiliation for its members.

Rationale
Currently, chapters are successfully expanding and self-forming to meet local community needs. Grassroots efforts have outgrown the national resources and infrastructures. Chapters are completing their work independently of other chapters and the national office. The organization needs an infrastructure that supports and links the chapters, members and communities.

Strategies

1. Establish and staff a national office with sufficient equipment, resources and staff, including an Executive Director, to conduct the following activities:

Liaison to the board.
Develop appropriate collaborations.
Conduct fundraising and development.
Serve initially as the Director of the Health Ministries Education Corporation
Provide an initial contact point for relationships with local communities.
Support the activities of the volunteer leadership.
Provide information, education to members that do not belong to chapters.
Provide direct support and services to members not belonging to chapters.
Coordinate publication activities.

2. Provide resources, linkages and leadership to enhance the chapters' ability to provide members with:

Opportunity for people to meet.
Resources to start health ministries.
The opportunity to provide input and direction to the national organization.
The opportunity to participate in national leadership.
Continuing education. × Fundraising leadership and support.
Spiritual support and inspiration.

3. Enhance the current section structure to support affiliation and professional development.
4. Implement newly defined processes for identification and development of national leadership from the membership.

Committee participation
Board membership
Bylaws
Visibility and relationships with national leadership

Funding Objective:

By 12/31/2003, HMA will have established diverse funding streams to support expansion of the organization.

Rationale
To meet the expanding needs of whole person ministries, HMA has agreed to expand both its program/member services and infrastructure. This expansion will require both increases in the annual operating budget and capital funds. The membership and chapters grass roots approach provides opportunities for diversifying funding sources. Additionally, the knowledge and experience of the organization and membership can be used to produce revenue. Finally, the annual conference¹s success and quality presents an opportunity for revenue generation through sponsorship.

Strategies

1. Develop a uniform case for charitable gifts in support of HMA.
2. Use grants to fund implementation of the strategic plan.
3. Increase revenue produced through conferences by expanding sponsorship and vendor opportunities.
4. Conduct additional fundraising campaigns (in addition to the membership drive) to fund projects and operations.
5. Explore opportunities for generating fee-based revenues from marketing consulting, products and services (including CEU¹s) to outside organizations.
6. Establish ethical standards, policies and procedures to guide chapters in their fundraising.
7. Enhance revenue from the chapters and membership by expanding programs and member services.

Conduct a chapter membership drive to increase the number of dues-paying members.
Share responsibility for fund-raising activities with chapters.

Marketing and Communications Objective:

By 12/31/2003, people and organizations engaged in the Faith Health Ministry movement will regard HMA as a leading organization for the movement.

Rationale
As interest in the Faith Health Ministry movement expands, the number of organizations, conferences, and resources is likely to proliferate. Because many members operate with relatively few resources, they will be hard pressed to attend more than one out of town meeting each year, or to participate in several organizations. In this context, HMA can provide a significant service by creating a "one stop conference" featuring the rich variety of resources the movement can offer.

Strategies

1. Invite support and participation from other organizations as we jointly conduct conferences, especially as related to the sections of HMA.
2. Build a consistent approach to HMA's publications.

Conduct a chapter/member needs assessment for publication needs.
Develop and implement a plan for starting a professional journal.
Establish editorial advisory boards.
Establish a business plan and policies and procedures for subscriptions, advertising in our publications, underwriting and promoting our readership.
Use web technology to support our publications.

3. Implement a public relations strategy that generates high level coverage of the Annual Conference and related activities.

Include press kits and other materials for distribution.
Identify and cultivate media contacts.
Identify and take advantage of cross marketing opportunities.
Develop a national speaker's bureau, and encourage chapters to feature these speakers at their meetings.

4. Develop a process for collecting, analyzing and sharing community needs assessments, activities, and other data from chapters and communities.

5. Implement marketing strategies that can increase chapter membership and participation.

Educate members and prospective members about enhanced HMA services and functions and the benefits of HMA membership.
Provide how-to information regarding chapter activities and operations.
Provide specific support for chapter membership drives.

6. Model the integration of faith and health by "walking the talk" in our marketing and communications efforts.

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