Approach
 
The District Governor, working in conjunction with the DG Elect, DG Nominee and the District Vision and Planning Committee (DVPC), chose four key focus areas for our first District visioning process, as outlined as outlined in the Overview and Opportunities and Challenges section. 
 
Those areas were Membership, Public Image, Leadership Development and Succession Planning and Inter-Club Collaboration.
 
The DVPC created and offered a comprehensive survey to all District Rotarians. The District Governor championed the visioning process and over 30% of District Rotarians participated in the survey.  The survey results are linked here: Survey Results
 
The DG team and the DVPC met to discuss the general themes, concerns and strengths the survey had identified and communicated key findings to the membership. 
 
The District Vision and Planning Committee facilitated three visioning events at six week intervals in three locations:  Portland, Maine on September 15, 2016, Portsmouth, NH on November 3, 2016 and Brunswick, Maine on January 15, 2017.  The format followed the RI visioning process the Visioning Committee had utilized with individual clubs over the prior seven years, with a writing exercise tailored to the District.  The team asked participants to envision themselves five years into the future and speak to what they felt had been accomplished. 
 
Common themes emerged over the course of the visioning process, both for the District as a whole and for individual clubs. The summary results of the visioning sessions are linked here: Visioning Results
 
The DG team and the DVPC synthesized the goals and ideas generated into a working document as a starting point for a completed strategic plan.  They identified District Rotarians who were willing to assist in the development and implementation of a District strategic plan.  From this group, the District Governor, in consultation with the DG team and the DVPC, appointed a Strategic Planning Team.    
 
The Strategic Planning Team sought input from the district membership chair and other club and district leaders, both past and present, as well as new Rotarians with a willingness to serve and share their perspective as they developed the plan. 
 
The Strategic Planning Team kept the DG team apprised of its progress, recognizing that the DG team would need to approve the plan and that the ongoing support of the sitting DG would be needed to properly execute the plan.  The Strategic Planning Team presented the plan to the DG team in draft form, which was commented upon and revised as recommended.  The DG team will present a draft of the plan for review and comment to: (1) the District’s Council of Governors (its past District Governors); and (2) the sitting Club Presidents.   Once the comments are received and considered, the Strategic Planning Team will present the DG team with a revised draft for its final review and adoption.  Upon adoption of the plan, the sitting DG, either individually or through his or her designee, will communicate approved actions to implement the plan to leaders of the existing District committees that will be charged with implementing the plan. 
 
The District will consider revising its bylaws to make a Strategic Planning Committee a standing committee.  The new bylaw might provide as follows:
 
District Strategic Planning Committee
 
The District Governor, with the advice and consent of the DGE, DGN and DGND (if named) shall appoint a strategic planning committee to be composed of __ members who shall serve three year terms with ___ members appointed each year.
 
In selecting committee members, preference shall be given to Rotarians skilled in one or more of the following areas: long-term planning, club and district leadership, RI and The Rotary Foundation, the five areas of service (Club Service, Vocational Service, Community Service, International Service and Youth Service), membership development and retention, public image and public relations, leadership development and financial management. 
 
Membership also shall be selected to include a reasonable balance between the various geographic areas within the district. The committee shall meet at such times and places and upon such notice as may be determined by the District Governor and the chair of the committee. 
 
The Strategic Planning Committee shall survey Rotarians and clubs not less than every three years in discharge of its duties to review and make recommendations to the DG team pertaining to the strategic plan; it shall develop, recommend and update a strategic plan for consideration by the DG, DGE, DGN and DGND (the DG team); and it shall undertake other duties assigned by the DG team to further strategic planning in the District.  The chair and vice chair of the committee shall be appointed by the DG, with the advice and consent of the other members of the DG team.