The Alliance Board of Directors, in consultation with the Alliance Council, is responsible for defining the Alliance’s mission and strategic priorities; ensuring financial resources are both adequate and effectively stewarded to further the mission and priorities; and evaluating the outcomes of programs and initiatives within the context of mission alignment and member benefit.
The Executive Director, in partnership with the Central Staff and Board of Directors, is responsible for planning and leading implementation of strategic initiatives and operational work that align with the Alliance mission; advance Board-defined strategic priorities; and achieve desired outcomes within Board-defined financial and legal parameters.
The following framework is intended to recognize and support these complementary roles.
Identifying Work to Advance Strategic Priorities
Primary responsibility for identifying specific work that will advance strategic priorities rests with the Board of Directors, Executive Director (ED), and Central Staff (CS). On an annual basis, the ED and CS identify areas of emphasis within operational work for the next year that support the priorities. Separately, the Board and ED/CS may identify specific strategic initiatives to develop (usually taking the form of project-based work conducted in year-long increments). Both Council and member staff may also identify and elevate potential strategic initiatives.
In all cases, prior to submitting a full strategic initiative proposal, a brief description should be sent to the Board via a webform on the Alliance website for review and feedback. If the Board requests a full proposal to consider, the proposal lead will be referred to the ED to assist with proposal development.
- Council: Council members may contact the ED or Board Chair directly with suggestions; ideas may also be raised on the Council email list or during Council meetings. Topics raised will be discussed by the Board, who will make a determination as to whether to invite a full strategic initiative proposal.
- Member staff: Member staff may raise suggestions individually by submitting the available webform; such suggestions will be discussed by the Board, who will make a determination as to whether to invite a full initiative proposal. Collective recommendations may be shared as the result of the work of a Standing Group or Project Group. Usually, such recommendations are part of formal group reports.
Note: Strategic initiative suggestions may be submitted at any time during the year; full proposals will only be reviewed as part of annual budgeting and planning processes each fall.
Categories of Alliance Work
All work conducted by the ED, CS, and Alliance groups is designed to advance either the mission of the Alliance or its current strategic priorities. This work is generally understood to fall into the following three categories; of these, only one type—strategic initiatives—requires prior approval from the Board to move forward.
- Operational activities: All ongoing work that the Alliance has an indefinite commitment to maintain; this includes both work that sustains the functioning of the organization and work that supports ongoing member programs and services. Included in this category are expansions or enhancement of existing programs and services that do not require financial resources outside of the Alliance’s regular operating budget; this may include work assigned to a Standing Group or the establishment of a new Project Group. This work is defined by the ED and CS, and reported on to the Board and Council, but does not require Board approval for ED or CS action.
- Exploratory activities: Activities designed to assess the relevance, feasibility, and resource requirements of work that would substantially enhance or change existing Alliance programs and services or create new programs or services; this work may be completed by ED and CS or may require assignment of work to a Standing Group or the establishment of a new Project Group—but does not require financial resources outside of the Alliance’s regular operating budget. This work is defined by the ED and CS with input from the Board (and Council, as appropriate), but does not require Board approval for ED or CS action.
- Strategic initiatives: Work that is designed to advance a strategic priority and goes beyond operational or exploratory work. More specifically, initiatives are time-limited projects with specific measurable outcomes that require at least one of the following: allocation of non-operating financial resources (surplus funds, Agility Fund, investment income, investment principal, or external funding sources); a significant re-allocation of CS capacity that could impact existing programs or initiatives; an increase in annual or one-time member contributions specifically tied to the initiative; or introduction of new legal or financial risk to the Alliance, as determined by the Board. Proposals for strategic initiatives must be approved by the Board, and are contingent on CS and member staff capacity projections.
Full strategic initiative proposals will be submitted to the Board for review using an initiative proposal template. Based on these proposals, and on ED/CS projections of available central/member staff capacity, the Board will consider which potential new initiatives are best-suited for Alliance engagement, how they would advance the Alliance’s strategic priorities, and the potential for member benefit.
Note: Except in unusual circumstances in which rapid action is strategically necessary, strategic initiatives with significant personnel requirements will only be approved to begin in the fiscal year following their proposal, in order to provide time for capacity planning.
Designating Financial Resources to Support Strategic Initiatives
In general, strategic initiative proposals will only be reviewed and funded as part of annual budget planning for the upcoming fiscal year. However, if the Board deems it in the Alliance’s strategic interest and to members’ benefit to expend funds related to an initiative before the start of the next fiscal year, the Board may approve the use of surplus funds, the Agility Fund, investment income, investment principal, or external funding (e.g. grant funds or contributions from partners) at any point, consistent with the Alliance financial framework and investment policy.
In all other cases, funding for an initiative will be considered as part of the Alliance’s annual central operating budget development process:
| Month(s) | Budget Process |
|---|---|
| September/October | Full initiative proposals, including proposed funding plans for the following fiscal year, are reviewed by the Board ED, CS, and Treasurer begin annual budget development, including models that include any new initiative funding requested by the Board, and provide a preview for the Board |
| November | ED and Finance Committee/Treasurer provide initial budget overview to Council, including models that include new initiative funding Board recommends new initiatives for Council endorsement at November business meeting |
| January | Finance Committee prepares final budget for Board approval |
| February | Board endorses budget to be sent to Council |
| March | Council endorses budget, including any new initiative proposals Board approves Council-endorsed budget |