National Council Objectives (2012-14)

The following are the objectives and projects of the National Council for the 2012-14 term.

Objectives

	objectives
	completed projects, ongoing updates may still be necessary
	projects in progress, on agenda for next Council meeting (Summer 2013)

Pride, Professionalism, and Respect

Objective	Status	Description	Assigned to
1.0	in progress	Create and develop an awareness campaign and method to track and share progress Hours of Hope campaign, a challenge to collectively complete 100,000 volunteer service hours by our 2016 Centennial. Program started at National Convention 2012, currently in progress. Campaign currently has about 9% of the goal met.	VPF, VPCD, VPPD
2.0		Expansion of LiA offerings at the Chapter level and addition of more local facilitators, in order to continue the growth of Brothers as individuals, and to see an overall increase by at least 50% of LiA modules utilized by Chapters by 2014. Local facilitators increased from 208 (2011-12) to 311 (2012-2013).	VPCD
3.0	in progress	Update recruitment resource guide with best practices. The National Development Committee updated the resource guide on the wiki.	VPMD
4.0		Update the Chapter Advisor Guide with current best practices and explore ways in which Chapter Advisors can be better incorporated beyond the Chapter level.	VPCD
5.0		Update Chapter Resource Guides to reflect current best practices, and explore areas in which the creation of a new Guide may be beneficial to the Fraternity as a whole.	VPCD
6.0	in progress	Continue the promotion of Region Conferences, and continue to successfully implement the Five Star Plan, with a goal of doubling overall attendance at Conferences by Brothers by 2014. Region Conferences in 2012-13 had an attendance of 1,605 Brothers. An increase from ~1,200 in 2011-12 year.	VPCD
7.0		Review Chapter Leadership Manuals and update as necessary to reflect current best practices, and explore the possibility of the creation of new ones as may be needed.	VPCD
8.0		Explore the feasibility of a commemorative book to celebrate the Centennial of 2016.	VPCD
9.0		Develop projects benefiting TFA or the spirit of TFA for chapters not in a TFA Region	VPPD
10.0		Determine new avenues to recognize outstanding achievements in service outside the scope of the National Philanthropy	VPPD
11.0		Create new resources, support structures and networking opportunities for Brothers going into TFA	VPPD
12.0		Determine new avenues to Integrate LiA within the scope of the National Philanthropy	VPPD
13.0		Improve current TFA initiatives (Backpack, ABP, teacher grants) by increasing awareness of initiatives as well as increasing the overall participation within these initiatives.	VPPD
14.0		Determine and develop new methods to integrate Philanthropy & Service at National Events	VPPD
15.0		Develop alternatives to discipline that focus more on education than restrictive sanctions in order to help Chapters/Brothers learn from their mistakes	SVP
16.0		Provide Brothers with educational resources on identifying hazing and its effects/consequences, and methods to continue to host traditional events without hazing.	SVP. VPMD

Dialogue and Collaboration

Objective	Status	Description	Assigned to
1.0		Better communication between Chapters and Regions to be established via social media already in place, as well as the creation of new methods, such as a "Buddy Chapter" program, by which Chapter are paired off Nationally with one another. Further, a "New/Old Chapter" Program should be implemented as part of the Expansion efforts, in which a new Chapter is paired with an older one as a "Buddy" or "Partner" for a period of time until the new Chapter is more firmly established.	VPCD
2.0		Host a series of Alumni roundtable discussions focused on promoting active engagement and participation from our Alumni Brothers, with a focus on alumni programming, retention, best practices and continued Brotherhood Development.	VPAD
3.0		Establish an Alumni Volunteer Corp as an element of the National Development Committee in an effort to provide a strong volunteer base which may be called upon by the National Organization and Chapters for expertise and advice on issues of finance, fundraising, event ideas and fraternal history.	VPAD
4.0		Host Roundtables with ABP participants in order to facilitate networking opportunities, develop new ideas and resources and to help improve current initiatives.	VPPD
5.0		Expand on the success of National Convention Roundtables by coordinating a series of Roundtable discussions for Chapter Committee Heads.	VPCD, VPPD
6.0	in progress	Provide additional on-going National Council availability to the Brotherhood through options such as online office hours, town halls, and the use of advisory roles to the National Council. Over the 2012-13 academic year National Council held ~20 online office hour activities through Facebook and Twitter. Several National Development Committee members have worked directly with National Council Members to mentor them on project development.	NP

Leadership Development and Opportunity

Objective	Status	Description	Assigned to
1.0	in progress	Improve Council Candidate Training for the 2014 national elections by collecting feedback from 2012 candidates and expanding the existing modules to cover evolving topics. Request for feedback on the 2011-12 Council Candidate Training materials was sent to 2012 National Council candidates. Limited feedback was returned, will look at new ways to review the training program prior to 2014.	NP
2.0	in progress	Provide resources to allow serving National Council Officers to receive continuing education and training relevant to their area of focus on the Council team. National Council Members are being invited to take over National President responsibilities for temporary time periods to help them better understand the management of the Council and National Organization. Three Council Members attended the 2013 Novak Institute for Hazing Prevention.	NP
3.0	in progress	Provide on-going support and development opportunities to National Council Officers who are transitioning onto the Council for a first time or into a new role. Personnel Committee Chair has been rotating Council members onto the Committee to give them exposure to the critical behind the scenes work with the Executive Director. Five of eight current Council Members have served on the Committee.	NP
4.0		Parli pro (update current, directory of experts, training videos)	SVP
5.0		Create and/or gather sample risk management forms that chapters can use as templates when creating forms for their own events.	SVP
6.0		Digitize old National Council & Grand Chapter minutes	NS
7.0		Provide additional transparency of National Council motions	NS
8.0		Post National Council proposals to get brother feedback	NS
9.0	in progress	Grow and develop our Leadership In Action program by engaging more Brothers to complete modules, and become certified. Additionally, find ways to expand the program to new channels and increase module availability broadly. Lastly, find ways to re-engage past program participants and program Alumni with the Leadership In Action program directly and with the National Fraternity in a broader sense. The 2012-13 academic year saw 42.5% of Collegiate Members participating in LiA modules, an increase from 32.5% in 2011-12.	VPF
10.0		Ensure all Phi Sigma Pi ceremonies are planned and executed in a professional and meaningful manner.	VPMD
11.0	in progress	Improve the rate of retention of initiates from pinning to induction through best practices in voting, and quality event planning. Council adopted Voting policies document, and series of initiate communications.	VPMD
12.0		Improve the passage rate of Initiates on the National Membership Exam	VPMD
13.0		Formulate best practices for planning and executing initiation events that are engaging to both initiates and Brothers.	VPMD
14.0		Establish an Alumni Organization Toolkit which may be used as a reference for new and existing Alumni groups and Brothers on issues such as starting an Alumni Chapter, best practices for engaging regional alumni and other useful tools and techniques.	VPAD
15.0		Create a Collegiate Chapter Alumni Resource Toolkit which may be used as reference for Alumni engagement on a Chapter-level, including best practices for engaging Alumni on a local and regional level.	VPAD
16.0		Expand the existing scope of the Professional Networks by launching a minimum of 2 additional networks by PSPNC13. In addition, incorporate alternative learning and educational resources to enhance the value of each network, including webinars, articles and other meaningful information.	VPAD
17.0		In conjunction with the National Staff, develop and expand opportunities for Alumni to engage at National events, including the creation of Alumni-specific programming for attendees at National Convention. including webinars, articles and other meaningful information.	VPAD
18.0	in progress	Increase opportunities for Brothers to advance their own personal development through expanded participation in events and project development. National Development Committee Members are invited to develop their own projects, with the support of National Council Members, that can be presented to National Council for consideration.	NP
19.0		Through targeted communication, encourage and promote gifting National Alumni Association memberships as Senior Gifts.	VPAD

Long Term Planning and Sustainability

Objective	Status	Description	Assigned to
1.0		Ensure adequate funding to support the growth and development of the Leadership In Action program in an ongoing, sustainable way. Explore all sources of funding including grants from the Phi Sigma Pi Foundation, and other external donors.	VPF
2.0		Ensure adequate funding to support the growth and development of the Alternative Break Project in an ongoing, sustainable way. Consider methods by which the overall reach of the ABP can be broadened to include more participation from Fraternity and community members who are not on site during the project, and find ways to engage with past project participants and communities on a more continual basis.	VPF
3.0		In conjunction with Phi Sigma Pi Foundation, work to build an ongoing fundraising campaign in celebration of our 2016 Centennial.	VPF
4.0	ongoing	Ensure that long- and short-term budget and financial planning meets the immediate and future needs of the National Fraternity. 2014 budget approved fully funding key investment areas identified by Council. Budget also approves a major investment in online resources to produce stronger member benefits.	VPF
5.0		Develop a 5-year financial plan accounting for anticipated membership growth and expansion and providing a road map to allocate the appropriate staff and material resources. Review, revise, and update this plan annually as part of the comprehensive annual budget process.	VPF
6.0		Establish a clear methodology for growing and developing fraternity investment funds, considering the fund goals and charter restrictions, and creating an appropriate risk profile for each fund in conjunction with the Financial Investment Committee.	VPF
7.0		Establish a review of the current method by which new Chapters are Chartered to see if changes are needed, and establish a long-term plan for expansion, taking into consideration factors such as school size, financials, etc.	VPCD
8.0	in progress	As the Fraternity continues to grow, preparation for any future realignment of the current Regions, or the addition of new ones as needed, should be considered and a plan of action already in place. Region Expansion Plan should also be in conjunction with any long range plan for the expansion of the Fraternity as a whole. Due to the successful growth of the Upper Mid West Region the region will be split into the Upper Mid West and Eastern Mid West Regions to allow for more compactness. Plans are also in place to support the current Pacific Coast Region as growth continues in both the Pacific Northwest and California.	VPCD, Staff
9.0	in progress	Increase and improve the utilization of undergraduate and alumni brothers on national committees by providing more opportunities for Brothers, educating brothers on existing opportunities, and increasing the number of applicants and appointees to standing/ad-hoc committees. An ad-hoc 100th Anniversary Planning Committee was created by the President in 2013. Ad-hoc NRMP review committee was formed in 2012. There are currently 54+ Brothers serving on National standing committees.	NP, VPPD
10.0	in progress	Increase data collection and analysis on programs and initiatives to allow National Council and National Staff to make more informed decisions. Information was gather via the Form 90 and the statistical reports for the eNewsletters. Feedback has yielded the technology investments over the 18 months.	NP
11.0		Provide leadership development opportunities that will allow more Brothers the ability to be well educated in National issues and pursue roles as national leaders within those areas of focus.	NP

Responsive Policy and Process Review

Objective	Status	Description	Assigned to
1.0	in progress	Work with an ad-hoc committee to review and amend the Amnesty program to ensure it is effectively used by Brothers/Chapters. The committee was formed in 2012 and provided recommendations for updates to the program. Council is considering bringing another ad-hoc committee together following the 2012-13 academic year to take another look at the program.	NP, SVP
2.0	in progress	Create a master list of Chapter bylaws and Chapter Operating Policies to serve as examples for other Chapters to adopt. The C&CS Committee has collected various bylaws and COPs. The Committee will be working to organize them in the upcoming year.	SVP
3.0		Form 20/20a & 21/21a review	NS
4.0	in progress'	Review the national investigation process and prepare an investigation manual to be used by staff when conducting an investigation into a Brother/Chapter. Various investigation practices of similar organizations have been collected. Feedback has been sought from Staff, Council, and Chapters/Brothers who have been subject to an investigation	SVP
5.0	in progress	Work with C&CS Committee to address known Constitutional issues and provide potential solutions to the GC via amendments and recommendations. C&CS Committee reviewed the proposed 2013 amendments and will provide the Grand Chapter with a report with any Constitutional or implementation concerns.	SVP
6.0		Review the National Operating Policy with C&CS Committee and make changes to ensure the document is comprehensive and constitutional.	SVP
7.0	completed	Work with an ad-hoc committee of undergraduate and Alumni Brothers to review and revise the National and Regional Event Risk Management Policy to ensure the policy adequately protects the brotherhood without placing undue burden on the brotherhood's activities.	SVP, VPAD
8.0		Revise the Awards, Scholarship, & Emblem Committee Manual.	NS
9.0	in progress	Move all remaining paper forms to online forms (e.g. Subrosa, DSK Nomination, Todd and Wood Scholarships.) This will be captured as part of a 2013-14 technology update approved by National Council.	NS
10.0		Creation of Strategic Communication Plan	NS
11.0	in progress	Consider a more goal-oriented, qualitative approach to the Executive Director's performance review. Personnel Committee has proposed this to the Executive Director and will be implemented for the 2013-14 review.	VPF
12.0		Work with the Executive Director to identify strengths and weaknesses in our staffing structure, and to ensure adequate cross-training and succession planning.	VPF
13.0		Review the HR Manual to ensure that policies are up-to-date.	VPF
14.0		Consider the need for revised employee contracts to ensure that the needs of Phi Sigma Pi are being met appropriately.	VPF
15.0		Ensure that appropriate financial controls are in place to provide oversight of financial transactions and accounting practices.	VPF
16.0		Evaluate the accessibility of National and Regional Events to ensure all Brothers have a reasonable opportunity to participate. Focus on keeping event costs low and expanding attendance incentive programs and continuing to provide compelling event content.	VPF
17.0		Formulate best practices for voting on initiates and communication with initiates.	VPMD
18.0		Conduct review of existing Alumni forms, manuals and petitions in an effort to streamline and update for current practices and procedures.	VPAD
19.0	completed	The Personnel Committee shall conduct an assessment of the current Executive Director Review and provide recommendations for future improvements.	VPF