Business Plan
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Strategic and Business Plans
The Foundation went to considerable lengths to prepare a draft three-year Strategic Plan over the last year. Efforts involved consultation around the country as well as written submissions and input from consumer organisations.
The feedback and comments provided by members, staff, volunteers and consumer organisations were extremely useful to the Board as it considered activities and the direction ahead for the Foundation, in particular in terms of shaping the Strategic Drivers, detailed on pages 32-34.
With the change of Chief Executive from Paula Daye to Sandra Budd in July of this year, the Board agreed that it was important to get Sandra's input before signing off the strategic direction for the Foundation.
New Style Business Plan
During that time, and based on analysis of feedback provided during consultation, the Senior Management Team prepared a new style Business Plan for the Board's consideration. That Business Plan recognised that, because much of what the Foundation does is ongoing and often takes longer than a year to come to fruition, it was important to build a clearer picture over a longer period of time rather than focus solely on the annual business cycle.
This Business Plan was also consulted on and the feedback used to improve on the draft Plan. The Board adopted this Business Plan which covered the year to June 2008 and projections to June 2010. The Plan will still be reviewed annually.
The Business Plan builds on ten Strategic Drivers, or key priorities, for the organisation. These drivers flow from, and uphold, our existing vision, mission and values (see back page). The Strategic Drivers show the Board's priorities and communicate their expectations to the Senior Management Team.
These enhancements to the planning process meant that working to a three-year Strategic Plan would no longer be the best approach. Building on the valuable work already undertaken, the Board and Senior Management Team are now looking to a longer term view.
Planning during 2008 will focus on that longer term landscape and will involve members, staff, volunteers and consumer organisations.
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Strategic Drivers
The main focus for the Foundation over the next three years is maintaining and enhancing delivery of core services. The ten Strategic Drivers, plus examples of activities to be undertaken in each area, show, in more detail, how the Foundation plans to achieve this.
1. Life Skills Development
What does that mean?
While opportunities exist for all to learn new skills, younger members and those of working age are endowed with a range of specialised blindness skills and positive attitudes to equip them to face a lifetime with vision-impairment.
Activity includes:
- increasing staff support available to children and families by broadening the skill base of Children's Services staff
- continued development of a transition programme to better equip younger members as they leave school and move into further education, training or the workforce
- adaptive technology computer training to more members regionally
- opportunities for working age members to maintain and develop skills that maximise their employability by developing pre-employment skills and help them access paid employment.
2. Adapting to Sight Loss
What does that mean?
Older members are receiving basic skills training to support them in their homes and communities and to minimise the effects of vision loss.
Activity includes:
- implementing group training, instruction and peer support tailored to older members
- expanding the skill base of staff so that more services can be delivered during a member's initial contact with the Foundation
- maintaining effective library services while transitioning to the fully digital library service
- ensuring members are aware of and can access equipment to overcome the effects of vision loss
3. Widening the Help Available
What does that mean?
Additional volunteers, members and other service providers are trained and organised to support members to deal with their vision-impairment.
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Activity includes:
- providing appropriate volunteers to support Foundation members and the organisation as a whole, and building the member volunteer base
- delivering blindness awareness training strategically to other service providers and organisations
4. Strategic Alliances
What does that mean?
The Foundation has made referrals to alternative providers and is satisfied that standards of service have not been compromised.
Activity includes:
- exploring options for partnering with other providers to provide blindness-related services to members
5. Keeping Abreast of Technological Developments
What does that mean?
Keeping up with technological developments with a particular focus on a new way of distributing and playing talking books being developed, funded and used and accepted by members.
Activity includes:
- transitioning to digital delivery of library books and magazines
- improving information systems
6. Effective Lobbying
What does that mean?
Advocacy to government to support blindness-related services and issues has yielded positive results.
Activity includes:
- building lobbying capacity
- promoting braille as a key literacy tool for members
7. A Good Employer
What does that mean?
The Foundation is recognised as a good employer and its operations reflect accepted best practice.
Activity includes:
- enhancing the health and well being of staff
- improving staff training and ensuring that all staff have the competencies required to carry out their roles
8. A Standard Setter
What does that mean?
The Foundation is recognised as an exemplar of blindness-related service provision and delivery.
Activity includes:
- managing financial risk and ensuring the long term sustainability of the Foundation
- evaluating aspects of the Foundation's performance
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- capturing institutional knowledge and developing systems to ensure knowledge is communicated
9. Effective Infrastructure
What does that mean?
The Foundation's operational structure and funding is in keeping with the directional thrust and demands of the organisation.
Activity includes:
- enhancing the Foundation's governance processes and expanding the Board's capability for continuous improvement
- ensuring members are given appropriate opportunities to participate in key decisions regarding the governance and strategic and business direction of the Foundation
- structuring services to best meet changing needs of members and staff
- reducing the Foundation's overhead costs
- increasing fundraising revenue through more effective direct marketing and more effective management of existing donors and sponsors
- obtaining and using evidence to support service monitoring and development
10. Reflecting the Profile of the Community
What does that mean?
The Foundation fully reflects and is responsive to the changing nature of the New Zealand population and the demographics of sight loss.
Activity includes:
- delivering culturally appropriate and effective services
- encouraging and assisting Māori, Pacific and members from other ethnic backgrounds to access and become aware of the full range of services offered by the Foundation.
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Our Vision
The Foundation's vision is that blind and vision-impaired people have the same opportunities and choices as other citizens to participate fully in society.
Our Mission
The Foundation's mission is to:
- provide services and training to enable blind and vision-impaired people to overcome the barriers that inhibit independence and participation,
- enable blind and vision-impaired people to take charge of their own lives and to enjoy the same rights and responsibilities as their sighted peers,
- promote awareness of the unique needs of blind and vision-impaired people, and
- work with other agencies to further the interests of blind and vision-impaired people.
Our Values
The Foundation is committed to being an organisation that is:
- Member-centred
- Working as one team
- Innovative
- Learning and evidence-driven, and
- Committed to continuous improvement and long-term sustainability.
The Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind wishes to thank the following sponsors for their ongoing support