Peace Action Long-Range Strategic Plan
Approved by the National Board of Directors: April 2005
Overview

Goals and Organization of the Long-Range Strategy

The Long-Range Strategic Plan was adopted by the National Board of Peace Action on April 9, 2005. It is intended to help create a unified, coherent, comprehensive and realistic set of goals, objectives and tactics to guide our work during the next five to eight years.

The plan was shaped over the course of three years through discussion among the national Board, national staff, key affiliate staff and volunteer leadership, and attendees at two consecutive National Congress gatherings. The result is a comprehensive document organized in three broad areas.

1. Program: Real Security through International Cooperation and Human Rights

The first section of the strategic plan is a comprehensive statement of Peace Action’s public policy and political program. We argue that unilateral domination undermines the kind of international cooperation that is critical for real, sustainable international security and for achieving freedom from weapons of mass destruction. We then suggest that our nation’s current unrestrained military ambitions threaten the well being of our people -- a case made tragically stronger by the unnecessary deaths of thousands in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. A shift instead to pushing for human rights will be more effective in moving toward real security. We then identify a unified and integrated plan to re-direct our nation’s foreign policy toward Real Security Through International Cooperation and Human Rights. We offer three goals with accompanying objectives (measurable outcomes) and tactics:

A. Cooperation with the world community
B. Freedom from weapons of mass destruction
C. Support for human rights, economic justice and democracy

2. Governance: National coordination and accountability built upon the strengths of our grassroots network

The second section outlines critical goals, objectives and strategies for merging the strengths of our two parent organizations. SANE was built on a centralized program model with a strong national office. The Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign used a de-centralized program model with strong and nearly autonomous state and local affiliates. Since our merger in 1987, Peace Action has struggled to integrate these two models. The proposed long-range strategic plan calls for increased accountability across all levels of the organization, coupled with structures designed to build the strength of affiliates and to increase the diversity of Peace Action. This section identifies goals, objectives and tactics in three areas:

A. Strengthen and coordinate affiliate-national structures and processes including increasing organizational resources, building affiliate capacity, ensuring coordinated programs between the national office and affiliates, and increasing the diversity of our affiliates.
B. Strengthen the national Board, including improvements in participation, accountability, size, composition and diversity.
C. Strengthen our annual meeting structures and activities, including ensuring that annual meetings meet legal requirements and invite broad member input, improving the National Congress in its efforts to create policy and strengthen skills, and expanding membership to new constituencies.

3. Finance and Fundraising: Ensuring financial health and sustainable revenue

The third section focuses on the financial health of the organization. We propose three major sets of goals, objectives and strategies:

A. Expand revenues by increasing the membership pool at both the national and affiliate levels, aided by the creation of a unified membership plan.
B. Control expenses by aligning program strategies and staffing arrangements with program priorities, creating multi-year budgets based on these priorities, and implementing a surplus fund.
C. Improve the implementation and enforcement of financial and fundraising agreements between the national organization and the affiliates and develop an annual data exchange.

Implementation and Monitoring

The Long-Range Strategic Plan will be implemented by teams that include national Board committees, national staff, affiliate staff and local activists. Implementation will involve the national Board committees – especially the Strategy Committee, Operations Committee, Membership and Affiliation Committee, Finance Committee and Fundraising Committee. It will also include discussion and coordination at the following organizational levels: National Congress, annual Organizers Meeting, weekly Strategy calls, and national staff meetings. Monitoring of our implementation will be led by the National Board and its Executive Committee in collaboration with the leadership of the national staff.