Last year at this time I wrote a reflection of the previous year, 2024. To refresh our memories, 2024 was my first full year as Executive Director of the Foundation. I spent a tremendous amount of time that year listening to anyone who was willing to chat!
I learned a lot.
One conversation that sticks out to me was a young mom I spoke with who was sending only one of her two kids to preschool because she could not afford to send both. What a terrible choice to have to make!
All of that listening from 2024 turned into a year in 2025 centered on reflection and research. Another word for it might be “discovery.”
Our board and team spent time in 2025 reflecting on what was learned and then conducted a variety of research projects to prove that what we learned was true for many people, not just a few.
We discovered – through stories from people in the community, expert advice in education and community building work, and data gathering research projects – that there are four areas of critical need in our community.
This work of reflecting on real conversations, gaining knowledge backed by data, and identifying where the Foundation can have the most positive impact was done through a process called a strategic plan.
I am going to be spending the next few months sharing with you all what our board has adopted into our new strategic plan, how it aligns with our mission, and the exciting ways our work will support our families, strengthen our community, and create opportunities for success in the Magic City.
First, some context.
A wise mentor of mine once offered some sage advice I joyfully applied in my first 2 years of work at the Foundation – “trust the process.”
This mentor is a successful business person who has grown multiple businesses, and did so by developing trusted processes that, when repeated and constantly optimized, create predictable success.
Before I spotlight our four areas of focus over the next few months, it is useful to first understand a little about our process.
Developing a strategic plan isn’t something that happens over a couple of weeks.
Our process took more than six months.
It started by undertaking a selection process to hire a company of professional experts who work with organizations like our Foundation to find the most important areas of focus. Many firms expressed interested in doing this project, four firms were interviewed, and ultimately one emerged as the winner.
The winner had experience with community foundations, communities the size of Barberton, nonprofit expertise, and familiarity with some of the challenges our community faces. They also work in a time and budget efficient manner (which they proved to us – in a good way).
Their process included surveying past and present Foundation board members, conducting interviews with some current board members and community members, both producing and reviewing multiple research reports and data sets, reviewing all of our legal documents and policies, and conducting two board and staff retreats and one staff-only retreat.
This is time-consuming work, and every step of the process must be intentional and supported with facts.
All of this work was distilled into a 17-page strategic plan that our board officially adopted in 2025. Included are four areas of focus for our funding efforts in the coming years, five areas where we can evolve and grow as an operation, a clear definition of the role of the Foundation in the community (what we should be doing and what we should NOT be doing…), and a clear vision for growing the size of the Foundation – so we can grant more funds!
A strategic plan is a proven process that builds a roadmap to future success.
It helps us be proactive, be good stewards of our resources, and builds intention into all of our activities.
It aligns our donors, board members, staff, and community into a common purpose for our work.
I’m excited to spotlight each of our four areas of focus in the coming months.
As you learn more, I hope you’ll ask yourself (and them someone on our team) this question – “How can I get involved?”
In Community,
Josh Gordon
