SPRING 2023 3 Those who have volunteered for a nonprofit organization understand the pitfalls of strategic planning. Always well-intentioned, the number of strategic documents collecting dust on a shelf somewhere far outnumber those that successfully compel action. There are many reasons for this, most of which are completely valid and understandable. Planning is the easy part. Executing said plan is where challenges arise. Legendary University of Tennessee Women’s Basketball Coach Pat Summit once said: “Responsibility equals accountability, accountability equals ownership, and a sense of ownership is the most powerful thing a team or organization can have.” Indeed, the best organizations demand greater accountability from themselves, which in turn provides stakeholders with a sense of ownership. Accountability is a core tenet of leadership in any form, but particularly servant leadership. In the Fall 2021 and Winter 2022 editions of this column, I shared objectives identified by the Board of Directors as part of VFA’s strategic plan for 2022–23. As the timeframe developed by the Board will soon reach its scheduled conclusion, it would be prudent to reflect on those objectives to determine how much progress has been made. At the time the strategic plan was developed (September 2021), we were emerging from both COVID-related shutdowns and a General Assembly session that was conducted virtually via Zoom. Policy outcomes from that ill-fated legislative session were less than stellar. The need to more effectively advocate on behalf of VFA stakeholders became increasingly apparent. To better position the organization, the Board established three goals under their top objective. First was to “hire a prominent lobbying firm to assist the organization in expanding the scope of statewide influence for Virginia’s forestry and forest products communities.” After soliciting proposals from multiple firms, VFA retained long-time industry advocate Robert Crockett and Advantus Strategies for the 2022 session of the General Assembly. That investment was returned almost immediately. This newfound capacity led to the creation of the Forest Sustainability Fund and $1 million in funding for the Department of Forestry to support forest land use taxation in year one. The hiring of Kyle Shreve, former executive of the Virginia Agribusiness Council, to the Advantus team and the successful effort in 2023 to restore biomass in Virginia’s renewable energy policy in amending the Virginia Clean Economy Act were outstanding encores. Garnished with several smaller victories along the way, the addition of Advantus to VFA’s advocacy efforts has exceeded even the grandest of expectations. Next, the Board further sought to build a sustainable “full-service government relations program to improve engagement among Virginia’s forestry stakeholders.” Partnering with the Virginia Forest Products Association and the Virginia Loggers Association, we introduced a new Legislative Day on the Hill event, bringing 50+ members from across our organizations to Richmond to educate lawmakers and tell their own stories. To raise additional resources for our PAC and the Board’s newly created Advocacy Fund, we joined with VFPA to launch the inaugural Virginia Wood Cup golf tournament, and this past spring, introduced the VFA Sporting Clays Tournament. Work on this objective will continue beyond the life of this plan. As part of its reconfigured volunteer leadership structure (more on that topic ahead), VFA will “convene an Advocacy Committee representative of VFA’s membership and stakeholders to provide thought leadership and direct support of the organization’s advocacy function.” The new Advocacy Committee will allow thought leaders from throughout Virginia’s forestry community to engage more directly on the public policy issues of greatest importance. Actions Speak Louder Than Words FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR UPDATE VFA Executive Director Corey Connors gave updates about VFA’s current and ongoing initiatives during the General Membership Meeting at the Virginia Forestry Summit. OBJECTIVE Become the premier advocacy organization representing the forestry and forest products community in Virginia.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTY1NDIzOQ==