The Louis August Jonas Foundation is in the beginning of the third year of the organization’s five year Strategic Plan. We want to ensure that the Camp Rising Sun community knows what our Strategic Plan is and how we are progressing towards our goals.
In October 2016, after soliciting feedback from the broader alumni community, the Strategic Planning Committee presented its five-year strategic plan to the Board of Directors. The primary objectives of the Strategic Plan have been to:
Fulfill the mission by delivering annual summer programs for 60 boys and 60 girls that develop a lifelong commitment to compassionate and responsible leadership for the betterment of their communities and the world.
Set a foundation for sustainability of Camp Rising Sun into the next century
Retain the long term goal of conducting two single-sex, full-term (7-week) concurrent summer programs for 60 boys and 60 girls at two sites
The Strategic Plan constitutes a guide for the course of action the Foundation will take in the following five years, and an analysis of what developments are necessary in order to reopen and successfully operate Clinton and the Red Hook Campus, as described as the ultimate goal of the plan.
The Strategic Planning Committee detailed essential steps needed for success in the Strategic Plan. The plan focuses on the fiscal responsibility of achieving the goal to run two camps concurrently within projected budget limitations. To reach the goal of sustainability and reopening the Red Hook campus, the report outlines that we will need to decrease the portfolio draw to 4.8% (three-year average), increase annual fundraising to $1 - $1.1 million, and design and execute a successful capital campaign to cover the costs of necessary renovations and maintenance of the Red Hook campus by the end of the five years in 2021.
Since the adoption of the strategic plan, two fiscal years have passed. In the first year (FY16/17) LAJF fundraised $562,000 – a 20% increase from the previous year. This amount, however, was still short of the fundraising goal of $650,000. Last year (FY17/18) we raised more than $658,000 and thus met and exceeded the ambitious and previous goal of $650,000. This year, LAJF’s fundraising goal is to raise $750,000 which is a little over a 15% increase from last year’s (FY17/18) goal.
New Developments
Increasing alumni engagement
An essential part of the Strategic Plan is the goal of increasing alumni engagement. Recently the Strategic Planning Committee has been working on defining which parameters to focus on and creating a strategy for increasing engagement, including creating metrics to better track our progress. The initiatives include finding new ways of stay connected to local alumni activity in the various alumni associations, and assess the reach of the Foundation’s communications.
LAJF and CRS is excited about the 30th Anniversary of the Clinton Campus in 2019 and the 90th Anniversary of Camp Rising Sun in 2020. We hope you stay connected with us through social media, our blog, and our newsletter. If you haven’t heard from LAJF and CRS lately we may not have your updated contact information. You can update your contact information as well as find your fellow alumni here to stay connected.
Portfolio draw
The Louis August Jonas Foundation is a non-profit organization that is supported in part by individual donors and an investment portfolio. The Finance and Investment committee has recently made recommendations urging the Strategic Planning Committee to reconsider the original five-year goal of a 4.8% draw on the investment portfolio. The market projections from 2016 when drafting the original plan have been amended based on recent market-projections. The new recommendation based on a ten year span is to aim for a 4.0% draw for the FY 2024 as the target to set for portfolio draw, to achieve financial sustainability. This won't influence our current strategic thinking, but the difference will be offset by the Foundation’s fundraising efforts.
The Strategic Planning Committee continues to assess the initial projections that guided the drafting of the 5-year strategic plan. As an example of how the SPC is continuously monitoring the assumptions made in the original plan, there is an assessment in the increases in expenses in comparison to the fundraising targets, and actuals.
In recent meetings the Strategic Planning Committee held discussions specifically regarding the new recommendations from the Finance and Investment Committee, regarding portfolio draw. Reaching a 4.0% draw from the investment portfolio will likely take time, and may cause the need for higher fundraising goals as we work towards lowering the draw. It is the firm belief of the committee that the strategic planning for the Foundation should be guided by the recommendations of the Finance and Investment committee, while simultaneously allowing a pragmatic implementation by Foundation leadership and staff. The committee will be working on a more detailed incorporation of a goal of a 4.0% portfolio draw, into the Strategic Plan for the Foundation.
The Strategic Planning Committee continues to monitor and improve on the implementation of the goals described in the Strategic Plan, and to make sure that we do all we can to achieve financial and programmatic sustainability into the next century.
To read more about the Strategic Plan and the recent developments, see the latest Sundial(page 40-42).