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Over a period of several months in 2024, Chestnut Hill Rotary members gathered to reimagine the club’s future and develop a new vision and plan to achieve that stated goal.
Established nearly 30 years ago, the Rotary Club of Chestnut Hill has experienced tremendous change, particularly in the past decade. These changes present both challenges and opportunities for the club both now and in the near future.
“There’s a long history to be very proud of. But we know that we can also do better,” said Jay Pennie, Club President.
The planning process began with an honest assessment of club experience. The leadership team utilized the Rotary Action Plan which was developed to improve the club experience and a meaningful, lasting change in our community. The four Rotary priorities are: Increase Our Impact; Expand Our Reach; Enhance Participant Engagement; and Increase Our Ability to Adapt. The priorities used to provide a framework for developing the specific plan for Chestnut Hill Rotary.
“I particularly like the fact that the strategic plan focuses on our ongoing efforts to enhance the experiences of our members”, said Tim Sager, Treasurer. “We are in a significant growth phase and need to regularly assess whether we have social, educational and philanthropic activities that appeal to our group as our constituency evolves.”
Leadership decided to take a member-driven, bottoms-up approach using member data through surveys and in person breakout sessions. A strong consideration was also assessing what the community of Northwest Philadelphia needs.
One example that resulted from the planning initiated The Fund for Northwest Philadelphia. The aim of the new endowed fund is to connect those who have resources and an abiding love for the area with those groups in the area who do extraordinary work to enhance and support Northwest Philadelphia.
“The vision of the Rotary Club of Chestnut Hill is an active and fun membership organization, dedicated to personal and professional growth by driving positive change for everyone in Northwest Philadelphia and beyond.”
“One of the inherent structural challenges is that Rotary Presidents change every year, making it difficult for the club’s leadership to have sufficient time to both develop and achieve meaningful, longer-term goals, said Pennie. “This multi-year plan will help us achieve our vision for the future.”
Visit the Strategic Plan 2024-28 page for details.
