Charting CREF’s Future Through a Strategic Plan

CREF has seen a tremendous amount of change in the last year and a half, perhaps the most marked in our organization’s more than 30-year history. From hiring our first full-time executive director, to the retirement of our organization’s most steadfast educator, and to bringing on multiple full-time and part-time staff, our small but mighty organization is at a crucial point to consider both our history and our possibilities moving forward. The stars were in perfect alignment to develop a strategic plan, and in the fall of 2023, our Board retreat in Chicago brought us together for exactly that.

On Sept. 30, CREF’s trustees and staff members gathered for a day-long strategic planning retreat. The process was facilitated by Wendy Scott, who brought decades of experience working with non-profit organizations of all sizes to align their visions and goals. Wendy laid the groundwork for our retreat over the preceding months through hours of interviews with CREF staff, trustees, and advisors, then working this feedback into coherent discussion points.

Our day began with a thorough review of how our mission and vision are tied into our work, and branched out to in-depth dialogue about the key areas identified by Wendy beforehand. The contributions of both long-term trustees and newly minted staff brought forth a balanced mix of historic knowledge and fresh ideas. 

CREF’s Board of Trustees approved the strategic plan at their February 2024 board meeting setting in motion five goals to pursue in a handful of major categories.

1. Organization, Staff, & Board: CREF is due for revisions to policy documents and needs several novel ones that reflect how our team and programs have grown in recent years. We’ll also develop a decision-making matrix for the board that aligns with our mission and strategic plan. 
2. Research: We’ll be assembling a task force to develop a research plan for the coming years that will help identify key questions and issues that CREF would address by partnering with researchers, along with strategies to drive further collaboration with the academic community and NGO's.
3. Fundraising: Next up is the development of a fundraising plan to help us pursue diverse revenue streams. This will involve establishing a fundraising committee to develop the plan and professional development opportunities for our staff.
4. Education & Training: Expanding our education and training offerings is a natural progression for CREF, and developing an education and training plan specific to this initiative will help us tackle it thoughtfully. Here, we’ll be better characterizing our target audience and their needs, selecting new programs to pursue and improvements needed to existing programs, and developing or revising them with input from industry experts.
5. CREF Identity: CREF was created decades ago as the research and education arm of the US Composting Council, and the two organizations remain strongly interconnected. Nonetheless, as we bring on an unprecedented number of dedicated staff (many staff resources were previously shared with USCC) and look to revolutionize our efforts as outlined above, we’re reflecting on what defines CREF as an organization and how we should function as our own entity.  With this in mind, we’re working to better define our relationship with USCC so that each organization can leverage our combined unique resources and abilities while supporting one another for the benefit of the compost industry and compost utilization.

The strategic planning retreat was the catalyst of a three-year endeavor to transform CREF into a better-structured and more capable institution than ever before. What lies ahead of us is a long road of establishing task forces, drafting plans and protocols, and shaping our big ideas into realities. We are incredibly fortunate to have a wealth of talent and insight to draw upon. The retreat also allowed trustees and staff to connect in person, some for the first time, so that all came away with fresh perspectives on what each of us bring to the organization. From our dedicated and industry-leading trustees to our passionate and skilled staff, CREF has never been in a better position to reinvent ourselves, and we look forward to sharing our successes with you in the coming years.