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Designing and Refining: Strategic Plan Next Steps

Just before Thanksgiving, our Strategic Plan Compass Teams got together for a working session that felt less like a meeting and more like a creative jam session.
 
These Compass Teams have been drafting the initiatives that will bring our strategic plan to life. The goal of this gathering was simple, but powerful—share what’s taking shape, pressure-test ideas, and make sure we’re learning from one another as we move forward.

A quick look at what the teams actually did

Picture a room full of people who care deeply about WFS, surrounded by big ideas and a willingness to make them better. Here’s how the session unfolded:
  • Teams presented their draft initiatives.
    Each group laid out where they are headed and why, giving everyone a clear view of the work in progress.

  • They met with their own teams to give feedback on other teams’ design briefs.
    This part mattered. Instead of feedback coming from the same few voices, everyone had a chance to respond thoughtfully and help shape initiatives beyond their own lane.

  • Dot stickers made an appearance.
    Participants used dot stickers to mark the initiatives that resonated most. It was quick, visual, and surprisingly effective. You could literally see the momentum in the room.

  • Mixed groups came together to compare notes.
    After the dots, people regrouped across teams to talk through patterns, surprises, and possibilities.
And it wasn’t just Compass Team folks in the mix. Members of the WFS Board’s Advancement and Strategic Initiatives Committee joined in too, bringing another layer of perspective and partnership.

Turning feedback into fuel

After the session, our Strategic Plan Implementation co-clerks took all that rich feedback—comment forms, dot-sticker results, and shared notes—and ran it through ChatGPT for analysis.
What came back wasn’t just a tidy summary. It was genuinely impressive.
The analysis surfaced:
  • Overarching themes that cut across multiple initiatives

  • Clear prioritizations based on what resonated most strongly

  • Examples of synergy, showing where teams’ ideas naturally connect

  • Recommendations to tighten language, clarify goals, or strengthen impact

In other words: a helpful, high-level map of what we’re building, where energy is concentrating, and where collaboration could make good ideas even better. Of course, this analysis is being used as a tool as part of the teams’ collective brainpower. 

What happens next

That information has already been shared with team leaders. Now each Compass Team will:
  1. Refine their initiatives with their groups, using the feedback as a guide

  2. Look for opportunities to combine or align initiatives, especially where synergies are obvious

  3. Keep the work moving, but with sharper focus and a clearer sense of shared direction

The best part? The energy.

There was so much discussion in the room—real, thoughtful, forward-looking conversation. People were engaged. Energized. The kind of energy that reminds you why strategy work matters in the first place: it’s not about paper plans, it’s about people shaping the future together.

A note of gratitude

We’re incredibly thankful for the time, care, and brainpower that team members brought to this process. Strategic planning only works when people show up, think hard, and generously share what they see. That happened in a big way.

Thank you to every Compass Team member and committee participant who leaned in!
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