STRATEGIC PLANNING SESSION
Date: July 22 & 23, 2006
Place: Cooperative Extension Services, Kainaliu, Hawaii
Facilitators: Carrie Kuwada Phipps
Participants: Colehour Bondera, Melanie Bondera, Howard Conant, Bruce Corker, Rick Funk, Nancy Griffith, Barbara Housel, Fred Housel, Mary Lou Moss, Joachim Oster, Joanie Rowe, Ron Rowe, Sandra Scarr, Christine Sheppard, Mark Shultise, Cea Smith, Michele Stephens.
A. MODEL EXPLAINED AND AGREEMENT ATTAINED
1. All components of the model and their relationship to each other are
explained.
2. Given their current understanding of the strategic planning process, the
group was willing to commit themselves to the one-day process.
B. GROUND RULES
• Maintain a positive attitude • Be clear and concise
• Switch seats during breaks • Respect others
• Avoid being defensive about your own ideas
• Listen attentively and avoid interrupting others
• Resist the temptation to put words into another person's mouth
• Avoid side conversations while someone else has the floor
C. EXPECTATIONS FOR SUCCESS
1. What is going to have to happen at the retreat to enable you to feel it was a success?
• More united group (+)
• More aware of possibilities (+)
• Succeed as organization with more teamwork (+)
• More definition of roles individuals play, direction on how to get there (+, √)
• Elevation of farmers as most important part of coffee industry (√)
• Get everyone on same page, identify common interests, cooperate (+)
• Get united, realize commonalities (+)
• Verbalize honesty and goals, commitment to carry through on goals (+)
• Common approach and agreement on accomplishing goals (+)
• Get group on same page, accomplish goals with less stress (+, √)
• Unified plan with agreement to disagree over minor issues (√)
• Clarification of farmer’s role
• Agreement on 2-3 focus activities (+,√)
• Action plan (+,√)
• Action plan to achieve agreed-upon changes
II. ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN
A. VISIONING
1. What is the best possible future you can envision for your organization in 5 years?
• All Kona coffee farmers enlisted
• Own Kona coffee trademark
• Have federal marketing order that gives control over crop
• Strong voice at state level and have passed three bills
1. Using “Kona” with “coffee” equals 100% only
2. No growing GMO even in field coffee
3. No importation of green coffee into state
• Federal criminalization of counterfeit coffee
• Elevate farmers’ educational standards
• Be the voice of Kona coffee
• Kona coffee recognized nationally as unique natural resource and protected as such
• Respected voice of Kona coffee
• Instrumental in helping farmers sell their product in direct competition to large companies
• Increased quality of Kona coffee through education
• Increased price of Kona coffee and awareness
• International protection
• Cooperative marketing under KCFA label
• Respect and ear of legislators
• Kona cartel broken, increased cherry prices
• Market Kona coffee lifestyle (cultural heritage)
• Provide resources for entire process and share
• Role model for other Hawaiian products
• Federal and other grant support
• Established valid, credible, respected organization
• Help solve human resource problem
• Advocate for water, land use, and right to farm
• Advocate for property tax differentials (Ag versus everything else)
• Increased number of members - volunteers
B. EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT
1. What are TRENDS in the external environment that may have impact on
your organization?
• Increase in price of Kona coffee equals increase in counterfeiting
• Weather
• Disease
• Increase of blending
• importation of green coffee
• increase in specialty coffee and luxury goods
• increased cooperation between blenders and processors
• increase in cost of shipping
• increase in GMOs
• increase in value of organic ag/coffee
• Kona community development plan
• increase in pressure on Kona coffee land (increase price, less acreage)
• proliferation of estate farming
• increase in home roasting (greater demand for green)
• increase in internet sales of Kona coffee and blends
• worse traffic
• more companies using “Kona” in product name
• concomitant (simultaneous) increase in awareness of Kona coffee
• cherry price increase 8% while costs to farmer increase 30% (fuel, electricity, shipping, etc)
• waking up of department of ag and legislators to potential power of “Kona
coffee” and other ag industries (flowers, nuts)
• more ag tourism
• more awareness of tourists of Kona coffee farmers/industry
2. Identify STAKEHOLDERS in your organization's external environment
who: (a) are impacted by (End-user), (b) will implement (Help) or (c) can
block implementation of (Hinder) decisions made by the organization?
• Customers (a) • Nonmember farmers (a, b, c)
• Blenders (a, b) • Roasters (a, b)
• HDOA (a, b, c) • Processors (a, b, c)
• Bishop Trust (a, b) • State tax revenues (a)
• State legislature (b, c) • Counterfeiters (a, b)
• Retailers (a, b, c) • Other coffee orgs (HCA, SCAA, KCC) (a,
b, c)
• Media (a, b, c) • W. Hi tourist industry (DKC) (a, b, c)
• USPTO/WIPO (c) • Internet coffee world (a, b, c)
• Workers (a, b, c) • Shipping Co’s and Post Office (a, b)
• University of Hawaii (a, b, c) • Tour operators (a, b, c)
• HARC (b, c) • Federal Congressmen (b, c)
• County Government (b, c) • Land Developers (a, b, c)
• USDA (b, c) • Cultural Heritage presvtn groups (a, c)
• Festival Committee (a, b, c) • Farm suppliers (a, c)
• Other Ag Orgs (farm bureau, CTAHR, Coop) (a, b, c)
3. Identify COMPETITORS in your organization's external environment who
may have impact on the organization?
• KCC
• HCA
• Other specialty coffees
• Farmers
• Other countries that sell coffee
• Other farm organizations
• Other islands
• Counterfeiters
• Blenders
• Kona cartel
• Select retailers and roasters
• Processors
4. Identify potential COLLABORATORS in your organization's external
environment who the organization may work with in the future?
• KCC
• HCA
• CTAHR
• Farmers
• Farm and garden suppliers
• Other farm organizations
• Customers
• Legislative reps
• USDA
• HDOA
• Select retailers and roasters
• Cea’s blog
• Other coffee bloggers
• Processors
• Laborers
• Festival Organizers
• Tourist industry
• Better hotels
• SCAA
C. INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT
1. What RESOURCES, CLIMATE OR OTHER FACTORS within the
organization can help or hinder it from achieving its desired future (like items have been clustered together and the title of the cluster bolded).
Positive Member Attributes
• Optimism • Blend fighters
• Dedicated • Enthusiasm
• Cooperation • Common Interests
• High Energy • Energetic (2)
• Goal-oriented • Farmers
• Sense of purpose • New blood
• Smart, creative, leaders • Cautious
Focus
• No follow-through • limited coordination
• Dogma • lack of focus
• focus • too many goals
• overambitious • common goals should be the same
• need to move forward
• board members need to do their jobs and no worry about other jobs that
aren’t theirs
Teamwork
• Strong agendas • Egocentric behavior and motivation
• Personal agendas • Suspicion
• Petty • Revenge
• Inability to compromise • Anger
• Need to trust each other • Lack of discipline
Funding
• Lack of funds • Limited resources
• Funding • Poor
• Lack of resources/money
• Spending dollars we don’t have on items that are not necessary at this
time
Membership
• Not enough people • Membership not participating
• Not enough members • Workload
• No cherry farmers
III. MISSION
A. VALUES
1. The values you have drive the work you do. What are your most important organization-related values? Like items have been clustered together and participants voted to indicate the values of highest priority
Votes
a. integrity, honesty, trust, ethical, principle, openness (13)
b. commitment/discipline, perseverance, responsibility (10)
c. respect, courtesy, (4)
d. collaboration, cooperation (3)
e. fairness, equality, tolerance, unselfish, inclusivity (2)
f. compassion (0)
g. loyalty (0)
B. UNDERLYING ASSUMPTIONS
1. Given the values you have, you develop underlying assumptions about how the world operates. These assumptions determine how you behave and how you expect others to behave.
At this point in the process, participants defined behaviors indicative of each priority value cluster. All behaviors listed were concrete (i.e. behaviors that can be seen) and each member of the group could live with and support each behavior. If a member of the group could not live with one of the behaviors, the group would initially try to wordsmith the statement to make it acceptable. If this effort was not successful, the behavior was struck from the list.
The final lists below represent behaviors everyone in the room could live with and support (i.e. this is how they will behave in the future and expect others to do the same).
a. Integrity, honesty, trust, ethical, principle, openness
• Be respectfully honest and open in all communications within KCFA
• No disrespectful talking behind each other’s backs
• Follow-through with what you say you are going to do consistently
• Operate for the benefit of the organization even if it goes against your
own private interests
• Walk and talk match consistently
• Accepting environment even if you do not agree
• Message delivered to community would be organizational persona,
not individual’s
b. Commitment/discipline, perseverance, responsibility
• Owning a process (taking a task and doing it)
• willingness to volunteer your efforts
• staying involved for the long haul/not being a quitter
• don’t be afraid to ask for help
• delegate and share responsibilities
• don’t be afraid of missteps
• activate sleeper cells (ask those not involved to take on a role)
• report attacks on KCFA to KCFA body
• respect members’ assigned roles and support their success
C. MISSION STATEMENT
1. Are the values and underlying assumptions discussed above reflected in
your organization's mission statement? If not, does the statement need to
be updated?
OLD MISSION STATEMENT: Kona Coffee Farmers Association (KCFA), a
Hawaii nonprofit corporation, is a volunteer organization whose purpose is to promote and protect the economic interests of Kona coffee farmers who grow and sell 100% Kona coffee, to protect the Kona coffee heritage, and to seek greater legal protection of the Kona coffee name.
DISCUSSION ABOUT MISSION: Bruce, Howard, and Fred each presented a
draft mission statement. Components form the statements were chosen to
develop a new mission statement.
NEW MISSION STATEMENT: “The Kona coffee farmers association is a
Hawaii volunteer organization run by and for Kona coffee farmers. We are:
· Dedicated to ethically promote and protect the economic interest of
farmers who grow and sell 100% Kona coffee, a premier American
agricultural product,
· Dedicated to preserving two centuries of Kona coffee heritage,
· Dedicated to securing greater legal protection of the Kona coffee name.”
IV. SWOT [At this point in the process, the group topic was: (A) Strengths and (B)
Weaknesses; (C) Opportunities and (D) Threats.]
A. STRENGTHS
[The group prioritized the organization's strengths listed below.]
Prioritized list of strengths:
1. Dedication, righteous cause, persistent, direction, focused (10)
2. Creativity, brains, fresh, diverse abilities, grant writing, newsletter, new
young organization, enthusiasm, optimistic (7)
1. Helpful, supportive, inclusive, communication (4)
2. Know our product, authenticity (2)
5. Not shy, vocal, assertive, independent (2)
1. Seasoned, experienced, battle-scarred, learn by other’s mistakes (1)
B. WEAKNESSES
[The group prioritized the organization's weaknesses listed below.]
Prioritized list of weaknesses:
1. Lack of focus, organization, lack of guerilla approaches, confusion of roles, lack of action plan, big ambitions, not enough people, not followingthrough,
lack of synergy, too many chiefs (10)
2. Frustration, egos, paranoia, anger, private agendas, lack of trust, friend and foe list, dogma
3. Lack of funding
4. Failure to engage nonparticipant members, volunteers, time
3. Too many emails, selective communication
C. OPPORTUNITIES
[The group prioritized the items listed and determined the probability of each item presenting itself]:
High
·· Grants from HTA, grant writing, seeking sponsorships
· Positive publicity (media), public perception (PR), internet blogs,
schmoozing chefs,
· Legislative support
· Sales events/trade shows, fundraising, cooperative marketing, internet
marketing, international trade, sale of KCFA products, setting up a sales
location
· Engaging farmers, expanding membership
· Tourists
· Opportunity to distinguish KCFA from KCC
· Sharing of resources
Medium
· Shipping discounts
· Relationship with HDOA, change the behavior of HDOA and Univ of HI
· Cooperation with local organizations
· Internal cooperation for discounts, pooling
· Opportunity with coffee houses
· Retailers
Low
· Bar codes
· Relationship with HCA
· SCAA
D. THREATS
[The group prioritized the items listed and determined the probability of each item presenting itself]:
High
· #1-Blenders/HCA/KCC (Government status quo)
· #1-Lack of trade marking/name protection, counterfeiters
· #2-Cost of Production
· #2-Lack of labor
· KCC-membership competition
· Importation of green coffee
· Price-fixing
· Legislature
· Misinformation
· Bad/indifference of press
· Cherry farmer indifference
Medium
· GMO
· Diseases
· Bishop Trust
· Developers
· Taxes
· Mandatory certification
· Other specialty coffees
· Increasing water fees/lack of water
Low
· Retailers
· Improper procedure of mandatory certification
· Other countries selling coffee
· Aging farmers
· Weather
· Lack of public retail sales/attitudes
V. STRATEGIC ISSUES
Participants used snow cards to identify their two top strategic issues. Similar
items have been clustered together and the suggested title of the cluster bolded.
Brainstormed list - categorized
• Developing Members
· Membership (3x)
· Address issues of all farmers not just vertically integrated
· Engaging farmers membership
· Unify all farmers
· Increase membership
· Failure to engage participating members
· Expand membership
· Publicize KCFA’s differences from KCC, recruit farmers to KCFA
· Publicly distinguish KCFA from KCC/HCA
· Incompetence
· Workload
· Develop Organization
o Lack of Focus
o Focus on top priorities
o Directors on same page
o Be right about what “all” farmers want
o Personal agenda
o Make KCFA an organization that runs on rules not egos
o Communication
o Provide Resources to allow independence from processors
• Protect/Promote Kona Name
· Protect Kona name
· Legislation (2X)
· Change blend law status quo
· Obtain legislative support
· Obtain FMO protection
· Blenders (2X)
· Strengthen blend laws/labels
· Government status quo (2X)
· Lots of factual positive publicity
• Funding
· Funding (4X)
· Grants/funding
· Lack of funding (2X)
· Grants and sponsorship
Strategic Issues: Priorities
• Develop Members
• Develop Organization
• Promote/Protect Kona Name
• Funding
Brainstorming ideas on best case scenario if we address Membership strategic issue
· 650 members
· Less personality focus/more goal focused
· Funding issues will decrease
· More resources (personnel)
· Each member participates
· Key to accomplish primary goal “become the voice” of Kona coffee
· Become a force to influence legislature
· Going towards a marketing order/commission
· More clout with suppliers/laborers/etc.
· Do more events/promotions/fundraisers
· Educate community (more, better)
· Become a household word
· KCC would seek to merge with KCFA
· Achieve legal protection
· Significant impact on farmers economic interest
· We control our own destiny
Brainstorming ideas on worse case scenario:
· Dissolve organization soon
· “Kona” loses its reputation as best coffee
· Begin to loosen requirements for membership
· KCC/HCA represents “Kona coffee” to legislature and public
· Cherry price stays as is
· No changes or worse legislation
· Unable to develop plan to increase membership and carry it out
· Kona coffee farmers have no real voice
· Personal agendas keep dominating agendas
· We all become cherry farmers
· We all lose our farms
· We lose our commitment, determination, dedication
· We all leave farming and buy condos
· Development and loss of ag land/Bishop Estate runs more amok
Brainstorming ideas on current reality:
· KCC has 500 members, KCFA has 85 members
· We’ve been in existence for 6 months
· Not all current members are up to date and not participating
· Membership is steadily increasing
· We are networking/pooling already
· We have a board in place-well organized projects, legislative issues
· Intent to implement membership drive
· Members currently being polled
· Have had a “membership” meeting
· Potential members definitely unclear about joining KCFA- need to
differentiate from KCC
· Haven’t followed through on social aspect as should
· Have logo and seals for members (have ID benefits)
· Have events planned
· Have website, forum, brochures and best ag newsletter
· Have merchandise
· People present have worked hard to get where we’re at and need help, need
larger core
Brainstorming ideas on sustaining forces:
· Member commitment and energy
· Existence of blenders encouraging KCFA to get more members and increase voice
· Member knowledge (especially of past organizations)
· Trial by fire
· Email
· Speak out when appropriate
· Common interest/single mindedness
· Believe we are doing the right thing (pride)
· Peer pressure
Brainstorming ideas on restraining forces:
· Time
· Enthusiasm
· Volunteers
· Shyness
· Follow-through
· Mistrust
· “Prada” fascination with power and money
· People follow other leaders
· People are sheep
· Not having clearly defined processes
· Clearly defined organizational authority
VI. GOALS
A. LIST GOALS:
1. What are some goals which will help you address Member Development?
a. Develop a list of talking points to distinguish KCFA from KCC & HCA
b. Increase membership to 300 by 2/07
c. Increase level of participation by current members to at least 50%
d. Develop infrastructure of membership (mentor/cell system
e. Develop value add member benefits program (training & education,
resources, estate program)
f. Social gatherings/dinners - bimonthly
g. Come up with additional alternate classes of membership
h. Develop a discount and resource pooling program
2. What are some goals which will help you address Protect/Promote Kona
Name?
a. Establish a “presence” at political events/ongoing educational efforts
b. Propose a study to research the brand equity of the Kona coffee name
c. Federal legislation/country of origin?
d. Support legislative change to the blend law
e. Prevent HCA from getting trademark
f. Explore possibilities of a federal marketing order for Kona coffee
g. Green certification
h. Get Kona coffee included in COOL legislation
i. Legislative action to revise coffee labeling requirements
j. Counter HCA’s self-appointed role as spokesperson for industry
k. Self publicity that only 100% Kona coffee is Kona coffee
l. Suggest new testing methods for Kona coffee identity
m. Not allow GMO testing and growing
VII. GOAL 1: KCFA will increase their membership
ACTION PLAN (SPREADSHEET)
VIII. GOAL 2: Protect/Promote Kona Name.
ACTION PLAN (SPREADSHEET)
EVALUATION of Strategic Planning sessions
Day 1
+ Δ
(Liked) (Could have changed)
• stayed on task • chairs/cushions
• cherries, good coffee • location of chairs (configuration)
• respectful of each other
• much input
• good facilitation
· 100% participation
· Good moderation
· Came together on issues (group got closer)
· Collective definition of difficult concepts
· Room full of smart leaders
Day 2
+ Δ
(Liked) (Could have changed)
• Good base/useful start • more practice on brainstorming
• Visibility of issues • stay on task
• Ideas to focus meetings • no sidebars
• Action plan & focus • decide on time allotted on different tasks
• Can agree to disagree • could do better job of homework
• Facilitation (kept group in line) • not much diversity in the process
• Mary Lou’s catering
• Everyone participated
• Patience and tolerance of hearing/listening to each other
• Snack/coffee outstanding
• Clarification of people’s views
08/01/06 10:29 AM
