Strategic Plan
Our broader vision for the future of connection and community was ignited by the sale of our former building in 2019.
The financial value of our former building positioned us to envision a new home that would not only sustain and nurture the essence of our current spiritual community but reach an expanded family of spiritually minded individuals that will ultimately consider Unity on the Bay the community’s center for spiritual health and wellness.
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To ensure that this vision would be fully realized, a strategic long-term plan for programming, outreach and engagement, staff and volunteer development, and business priorities was created. The Board contracted with L.M. Genuine Solutions to:
review historical work documents;
interview key professionals that had done previous work with Unity on the Bay;
facilitate one-on-one discussions and focus groups with a robust cross-section of stakeholders;
develop working groups to contribute to the development of a 5-year strategic plan; and;
draft a plan to be approved by the Board that summarized all of the referenced engagement.
The development of the plan began in May 2021 and concluded with a final 5-year strategic plan approved by the Board on October 27, 2021. This process included dozens of meetings with leaders of all ministries, staff, sacred servers, members, and congregants. Board workshops, congregation meetings and staff meetings were also held to ensure that the plan was developed in collaboration with the full Unity community.
Unity’s 5-year strategic plan is a document that maps out key priorities, quantifiable objectives and activities/strategies that will lead to the realization of the longer-term vision for our spiritual home. Implementation will be monitored in a consistent manner through a committee structure that will be formed in the coming weeks. It is important to note, the plan will be refined as appropriate based upon progress checks and implementation realities. The plan is bold and ambitious and will guide our community through to the next era of Unity on the Bay.
This video was filmed in 2022 when Rev. Chris Jackson was still Senior Minister. Since that time, Rev. Juan del Hierro transitioned from Associate Minister to Senior Minister.
The Four Priorities
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#1
Through discernment, ensure Unity’s programming is spirit-led and meets the needs of its current community and reaches, engages, and retains a broader audience.
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#2
Ensure that sacred servers and staff are spiritually and educationally prepared and supported to collectively usher in the new era of Unity on the Bay.
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#3
Following divine guidance, ensure that Unity on the Bay is comprehensively known as the premiere Spiritual Community Center for Well-Being.
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#4
Ensure that Unity on the Bay demonstrates prosperity, generosity, and is grounded in fiscally sound principles and supported by financially sustainable revenue streams.
Affirm with us….
We give thanks that our Strategic Plan, and new home, are manifested under the Guidance of God.
Frequently Asked Questions
We understand that this plan is audacious and far reaching and so we anticipated that our community would have questions. We put together the following Frequently Asked Questions based on the dozens of meetings that we had with our congregations while creating the plan. If you still have questions you can email our Board of Trustees at board@unityonthebay.org.
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The Strategic Plan sets overall goals for our work for the next five years and provides a structured plan to achieve those goals.
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The plan is intended to meet the members of our community where they are and build upon the experiences they already enjoy. It will also look at adding new experiences that meet the needs of our community while appealing to a broader audience.
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The plan’s content was developed from the feedback gathered from our community, which includes sacred servers, members, the general congregation, staff members and the Board of Trustees. The board hired L.M. Genuine Solutions to facilitate the process.
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In very broad terms, the Strategic Plan focuses on services and programming; supporting and developing staff and sacred servers; outreach and engagement; and facilities, budget and revenue generation opportunities.
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Yes. The Strategic Plan will greatly inform us of key aspects of what we need in our new location so that we can best serve the Unity on the Bay community.
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During the Strategic Planning process, it was decided that we would secure the new property in 2022.
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In all likelihood, yes. Once we identify a property, if it doesn’t make sense to keep “Unity on the Bay” we will be changing our name.
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Timeframes are included in the Strategic Plan however since this is a five-year plan, it tends to be more broad in regards to timing and therefore doesn’t have very specific dates and timeframes. There must be room for this to be an organic plan as situations evolve.
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The Strategic Plan is a living document that will be discussed at regular Board and staff meetings, and will include recommendations from the committees that will be created as part of the prioritization and implementation strategy. If/when challenges are faced, solutions will be developed, and the plan will be refined if needed to achieve the overall goals.
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The Board of Trustees will have final oversight of the Strategic Plan. The Board will lean heavily on the Executive Staff and the committees that will be set up to support the plan.
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The Board and Executive Staff will work on developing an Implementation Plan which will include initial priorities for the first year and quarterly activities.
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The plan includes a whole section that addresses revenue generation and prioritizes being self-sustainable by 2027. The financial strategies will need to be implemented to complement any decisions made that will require funding.
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In talking about our future and becoming a premier spiritual community center in South Florida, it became abundantly clear in discussion between The Board and the Executive Staff that in order to achieve this we needed a plan and much feedback from the Unity on the Bay community.