The TOS Strategic Plan

INTO THE FUTURE WITH TOS

In March of 2024, the directors of TOS convened in Bastrop at a weekend retreat facilitated by Social Impact Consulting, LLC to map out a strategy to guide the organization into the future.

The seeds of this project sprouted in 2022 during Byron Stone’s second tenure as president, with the creation of a “due diligence” group whose goal initially was to better define our mission. The late Gailon Brehm was instrumental in defining the criteria to use, and little by little the process moved forward. It was agreed that it would be worthwhile hiring an objective professional organizational consultant to help us solidify the plan.  TOS had reached a plateau, and there was so much more we could do.

The final proposal is outlined below.

We have already seen developments within the administration of TOS such as the creation of specific working groups and a better definition of their duties. Some goals have been reached, such as the membership numbers. Other strategies listed below are on a wish list and others will need tweaking. There is still much work to do, and the board welcomes your ideas to help us realize our potential.

TEXAS ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY STRATEGIC PLAN

Vision

“We envision a future in which:

• • • • Texas leads the nation in its passion for and love of birds

and its commitment to habitat conservation, education, and protection.

• • • • Texas culture promotes the value of, and ease of access to,

the enjoyment of birds for all.

• • • • Growth in the number and diversity of Texans committed to birds and the environment ensures a healthy future for Texas’ 660 resident, seasonal, and migrant species of birds.”

Mission

The Texas Ornithological Society is a nonprofit organization founded in 1953, with the sole purpose of promoting the enjoyment, understanding, and conservation of Texas’ bird populations through birding events, education, research, and habitat restoration.

Strategic Areas for Goal Setting

Membership

Aspiration: A growing, diverse and engaged statewide membership that will support TOS’s visibility and impact.

Goal: Grow membership to 990 by Dec. 31, 2025

            Strategies:

• Focus on membership retention
• Understand the value of TOS membership to constituents
• Develop and implement recruitment strategies
• Create greater visibility making TOS a household name across the state
• Attract diverse groups of birders
• Develop leadership and mentoring opportunities

Governance

Aspiration: TOS will have a governing board that understands its responsibilities and performs them effectively. Annual evaluations will indicate proficiencies in areas such as leadership transitions, meeting productivity, committee engagement and others.

Goal: Recruit and retain board members, and strengthen board performance

            Strategies:

• Maintain a “pipeline” of prospective board members
• Provide orientation for new board members
• Match board members with a mentor
• Strengthen board performance through annual evaluations, understanding and use of our bylaws, possible satellite groups throughout the state, transparency in board processes

Conservation and Stewardship of Sanctuaries

Aspiration: A statewide array of well managed sanctuaries.

Goal: Develop written management plans for each sanctuary and a means of evaluating the implementation of those plans.

            Strategies:

• Ensure each existing sanctuary has a funded development plan to improve habitat.
• Establish new sanctuaries outside the Gulf coast

Leadership, Visibility, Identity

Aspiration: TOS will be widely known as the premier resource for birding and bird conservation in Texas.

Goal: Collect relevant information and data to inform our membership, partners, and the public through strategic advertising and visibility campaigns

            Strategies:

• Target retail outlets for distribution of materials and surveys
• Incorporate existing resources into TOS programs
• Understand expectations of future/potential TOS members
• Create a communications plan to target a wider audience – statewide and/or national
• Increase engagement through a brand awareness campaign
• Be the centralized “Go To” landing page for people searching for birding information in Texas
• Survey non-members for actionable themes

Program Impacts

Aspiration: Engaging, effective, high-quality programs as demonstrated by rigorous evaluation. Impacts shared widely through annual reports.

Goal 1: Create a professional grant-making policy

            Strategies:

• Establish written procedures for evaluating and approving grant requests.
• Identify and attract donors

Goal 2: Annual meeting attendance expands to cover 25% of active members by 2026.

            Strategies:

• Survey meeting attendees to garner suggestions for future such events.

Goal 3: Ensure programs are impactful and relevant by involving a wider group of members.

            Strategies:

• Poll members to measure interest in current and past programs, publications, trips