"We had attended Donald Golob's and Anders Ourom's session on establishing and maintaining charities a while ago, and engaged Donald to facilitate our recent strategic planning session. We recently terminated our agreement with our major fundraising partner and needed to determine how to replace this major revenue source quickly, and to review the overall structure and operation of our charity.
Donald was able to help us identify and outline a strategic direction and focus for the organization that we can now use to move our charity forward with a specific focus on our upcoming fiscal year. His experience and expertise with charities and incorporated societies was a definite benefit.
He was also able to provide an outside perspective that helped our group see our operation in insightful ways and to assist us with developing practical, strategic approaches to the challenges we face.
His session summary report was succinct and to the point, and provided us with the information the directors need to make their decisions about the charity's future."
Al Gregory, Director, Vancouver Fire Fighters' Charitable Society
Secretary/Treasurer, Vancouver Fire Fighters' Union, Local 18-I.A.F.F.
Whistler Arts Council
Thanks so much, Donald. Your help with facilitating this annual event is much appreciated. I'm always happily surprised that we can gather ideas and determine actions from what seems like out of the blue, but is instead a carefully developed practice of asking questions and creating room for discussion so the group can determine its priorities. Thank you again,
Leanna Rathkelly, Chair, Board of Directors
Thanks so much for facilitating our strategic planning session last week - I always come away feeling inspired, energized and proud to be still working with the Whistler Arts Council.
Joan Richoz, Past Chair, Board of Directors
Thank you for a great session at WAC today … it was very interesting, inspiring and provided a lot of clarification. It set up WCC’s Friday’s session nicely!
Strategic Planning
BC Association of Kinesiologists
"We engaged Donald Golob to facilitate a strategic planning session in October 2007 at the recommendation of our administrative support services provider, and then again in May 2008. He very quickly grasped the issues we were dealing with as a professional member association and expertly assisted us in the identification of key issues and a strategic direction and focus for our organization.
As a consequence, we engaged Donald as our first interim Executive Director from May 2008 until April 2009. During this period he helped us implement the strategic direction and focus for our organization; establish and provide support to an Executive Committee of the Board; provided governance coaching, mentoring, and support to our Board of Directors; and assisted us with the process to revise our constitution and bylaws with a local lawyer, and the alignment of our structure and operation under these new governing documents; among other key assistance.
We have an administrative support services company, and have had for some time. What Donald did for us was fill the Executive Director level incorporated society governance and operation assistance gap that existed between our support services and our volunteer board of directors, and move us to where we needed to be faster than we thought possible and expected.
We continue to benefit from the changes Donald helped us implement and recognize the value that engaging his type and level of expertise brings to an organization like ours. Because of our experience with Donald, we now have a part time Executive Director in place and would be hard pressed to operate with out one."
Elizabeth Beetles, Past President, British Columbia Association of Kinesiologists
BC Association of Medical Radiation Technologists
"In August 2006 we engaged Donald Golob to help our organization develop its first strategic plan. In November 2007, our 2008-2012 strategic plan was unanimously adopted by our Board of Directors. We further engaged Donald to help with implementation from November 2007 to our AGM in May 2009, and we still rely on him for advice as needs arise.
Having never engaged in strategic planning we relied heavily on Donald's expertise in first designing our process, in developing the plan, and then in its implementation. As a member driven organization, with a range of affiliated stakeholders, it was important for us to develop a process that included these groups. Donald's advice, guidance, and management of our stakeholder based, strategic planning and implementation process was invaluable. This was certainly a defining factor in the unanimous adoption of our plan.
During the planning and implementation phases, his expertise in the governance, structure, and operation of incorporated societies in BC was also invaluable. It helped us understand and appreciate what it means to be an incorporated society and helped us rethink and refocus our organization's direction, priorities, and operation.
The BCAMRT is a very different organization than it was before we engaged Donald and went through this process; one that is better able to serve its members and to address the challenges it faces as a professional member association in BC."
Louise Kallhood, President Alison Mitchell, Past President
British Columbia Association of Medical Radiation Technologists
BC Association of Medical Radiation Technologists
"(O)ur strategic initiatives are still being accomplished - when my energy lags abit, I think about your drive to make things happen and get back at it - thanks!"
Louise Kallhood, ACR, MEd, President, BC Association of Medical Radiation Technologists
Strategic Planning Sessions
Administrative & Professional Staff Association, SFU
'On behalf of the APSA Executive and staff, I wish to thank you for your efforts in facilitating our recent retreat and providing a summary report. The 'wake-up call' you provided will be used to spur on a structural and functional re-organization that we believe will result in a more effective and efficient association. Thanks again for your contributions!'
Richard Blackwell, (Former) Vice President, Board of Directors, Burnaby, BC Canada
BC Association of Kinesiologists
'The group loved the session you did and were incredibly inspired and empowered. Thanks so much!!!'
Donna Denham, President, Support Services Unlimited, BC Association of Kinesiologists Administrator, Vancouver, BC Canada
BC Association of Medical Radiation Technologists
'My thanks to the BCAMRT Strategic Planning Steering Committee for allowing me to take part in the session. Although I wasn't able to continue on Saturday, I left on Friday feeling that for once, in a very long time, the BCAMRT was on a course of action which will surely pique the attention of the BCAMRT Members. I can't remember feeling so totally exhausted and elated at the same time! Don Golob is an excellent facilitator and is to be commended for his patience in trying to "wrangle a room full of cats". I think he was superb!
My best wishes to the BCAMRT..........long may it flourish!'
Margery Wilke, BCAMRT Past-President, BCAMRT Life Member
Whistler Chamber of Commerce
Thank you for facilitating yesterday’s strategic planning session … it was a long and productive day where I think we made good progress in defining who we are, what we do, for whom and at what cost. I’m looking forward to continuing the work and getting down to the next level where we’ll tie down definitions etc.
