Priorities from the Organizational Assessment

Items are ranked from 1-5. Items ranked 1 need improvement. Items ranked 5 we are very
successful at. Any items ranked 4 or above are highlighted in green and most likely don’t
need focus in our next strategic plan. Items in yellow need improvement and may or may not
be priorities. 7 people completed the organizational assessment.

Organizational Culture and Teamwork

Our organization's leaders discuss the influence that personality types have on our
work as an organization. 2.50
Our organization makes new members feel useful and important. 3.00
Our organization's leaders take steps to prevent burnout. 3.50
Our organization works to strengthen the skills of its leaders. 3.60
Our organization's teams understand each other's problems. 3.60
Our organization provides opportunities for our membership to develop team-building
skills. 3.60
A common set of references and practices exist within the organization, which may
include: traditions, rituals, unwritten rules, stories, heroes or role models, symbols,
language, dress; are truly shared and adopted by all members of the organization;
actively designed and used to clearly support overall purpose of the organization and to
drive performance 3.67
Our organization's leaders make an effort to involve the general membership in
organizational decision making. 3.80
Our organization's leaders let individuals know when they are doing a good job. 3.80
Our organization's teams share responsibility for their actions. 3.80
Our organization's leaders celebrate individual efforts. 3.80
Our organization's leaders work effectively with individuals to ensure they meet their
organizational responsibilities. 3.83
Our organization has a comprehensive equity and inclusion plan and reviews and
revises it to reflect ongoing evaluation and feedback. 4.00
Our organization's leaders are timely in their decision making. 4.00
Our organization's leaders are innovative in their decision making. 4.00
Our organization's teams share information about their work. 4.00
Our organization's leaders celebrate team efforts. 4.00
Our organization's leaders' actions are based on the anticipated organizational
demands of the future. 4.17
A common set of basic beliefs and values exists and is widely shared within the
organization; provides members sense of identity and clear direction for behavior;
beliefs embodied by leader but nevertheless timeless and stable across leadership
changes; beliefs clearly support overall purpose of the organization and are
consistently harnessed to produce impact 4.17
Our organization's leaders work to merge individual and organizational goals. 4.17
Our organization's leaders set realistic work plans for those working on strategic and
organizational plan implementation. 4.20
Our organization discusses its organizational habits and unwritten rules of behavior. 4.29
Our organization's leaders encourage constructive criticism. 4.33
Our organization is committed to open communication. 4.33
Our organization's leaders make major decisions as a team. 4.33
Our organization stresses good relationships among people as much as it does project
completion. 4.40
Our organization's teams cooperate well with each other. 4.40
Our organization's leaders identify and build on each other's strengths when working
on organizational tasks. 4.40
Our organization's leaders collaborate with and learn from other Affiliates in the
network. 4.40
Our organization values unique and diverse perspectives. 4.50
Our organization's leaders implement priority actions through teamwork. 4.50
Our organization regularly reviews our mission statement, goals, policies, and
procedures to ensure they are current and reflect our values, beliefs, and vision. 4.57
Our organization assesses how we can be more inclusive and welcoming of different
identities. 4.67
Our organization's values, beliefs, and visions guide our actions. 4.71

Priorities:
 Better engage new members with the essential work being done at CAEE
 Managing Burnout and Understanding Capacity
 Critical Communications improving how we discuss difficult issues.
 Would like to understand staff recognition better and possibly increase
 More Member Engagement in Decision Making
 Network Weaving and Integration of Community Insights
 Professionalism to improve our work with partners.
 More intentional opportunities for celebration

Governance and Finances

Our organization has an advisory committee that is separate from our board of
directors, and that group effectively fulfills the purpose for which it was created. 2.40
Our board has a financial committee. 2.80
Highly diversified funding across multiple source types; organization insulated from
potential market instabilities (e.g., fully developed endowment) and/or has developed
sustainable revenue-generating activities; other nonprofits try to imitate organization’s
fund-raising activities and strategies 2.80
Our organization's leaders represent a variety of backgrounds and experiences,
including diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. 3.00
Our board has adequate resources for fund development and develops annual
fund/resource development plans. 3.00
Significant internal revenue generation; experienced and skilled in areas such as
cause-related marketing, fee-for-services and retailing; revenue-generating activities
support, but don’t distract from focus on creating social impact 3.00
Our organization has written descriptions of all committees, their responsibilities, and
their authority. 3.17
Highly developed internal fund-raising skills and expertise in all funding source types to
cover all regular needs; access to external expertise for additional extraordinary needs 3.17
Well-developed systems for long-term planning, revenue diversification and outlining
and managing to target goals; multi-pronged fund development strategy is proactive
and integrated into the organization's long term strategic plan and budget projections 3.17
Our board or financial committee maintains records on prospective contributors. 3.33
Our organization ensures that individuals who coordinate fund development efforts
receive supportive training. 3.40
Our organization's board has a representative serving on each committee. 3.50
Our organization's committees effectively fulfill their responsibilities. 3.50
Our organization's leaders review and update our by-laws and committee structure on
a periodic basis. 3.67
Our board members financially support our organization. 3.67
Our organization raises money through its membership. 3.71
Our organization's job descriptions do not limit what a person may do. 3.80
Our organization's leaders are familiar with our by-laws and committee structure. 3.83
Our board monitors and evaluates fund development efforts. 3.83
Our board ensures that regular financial reviews or audits take place. 3.83
Our organization's structure allows easy flow of work from one task to another. 4.00
Our organization has written job descriptions for board members and committee chairs. 4.00
Job descriptions in the organization are crafted in inclusive ways and use well-defined
measures to attract a diverse pool of applicants. 4.00
Our organization is able to secure adequate financial resources. 4.00
Our organization's structure is such that it can deal effectively with multiple initiatives
and problems simultaneously. 4.17
Our organization's structure (committees, projects, teams, etc.) changes as our
organization's needs change. 4.17
Our organizations new leaders are introduced to our by-laws and committee structure. 4.17
Our board ensures that our organization is on budget. 4.17
Our organization's financial goals and actions align with our values, mission, and
structure. 4.33
Our board considers the organization's diversity, inclusion, equity, and justice priorities
in funding decisions. 4.33
Our organization pursues multiple funding opportunities. 4.50

Priorities:
 I am unsure of some of my answers above as it pertains to audits and fund specifics. Maybe the
board should know more about this?
 Planning for sustainability as an organization
 Improve membership contributions
 Help with corporate/event sponsorship.
 Increased financial awareness for board members
 Empower committees more
 Diversification of Funding Streams
 Diversify our portfolio of grants
  Help with foundation relationships.
 Potential development of a finance committee
 New book keeper

Members, Volunteers and Meetings

Our board assigns experienced board members to new board members as mentors. 2.40
Our organization's leaders invite and encourage the general membership and the
public to attend meetings. 2.60
Our organization's meetings are regularly evaluated for their effectiveness. 3.00
Our organization has a large volunteer base. 3.00
Our organization's leaders have identified target membership and/or network groups. 3.17
Our organization's leaders have developed a plan for attracting target membership
groups and/or network to the organization. 3.17
Our organization has been able to attract the active members and/or network that it has
targeted. 3.17
Our organization's leaders provide a variety of large and small tasks for volunteers to
complete. 3.20
Our organization's leaders informally and formally recognizes its volunteers. 3.20
Our organization widely advertises volunteer opportunities. 3.20
Our organization works to recruit individuals of diverse backgrounds and experiences
to participate on committees and as volunteers. 3.33
Our board works to attract the membership and/or network participants that it wants. 3.33
Majority of members embrace fundraising as a core board role and responsibility; each
board member has donated to the organization financially; realistic and appropriate
fundraising goals and plans are in place; board is actively fundraising and has achieved
measurable progress towards goals 3.33
Our organization's membership and/or network represents a variety of backgrounds
and experiences including diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. 3.50
Our organization's board meeting participants leave with assignments to complete. 3.50
Our organization's leaders assign board member selection responsibilities to a
committee (permanent or temporary). 3.67
Our organization's leaders are trained in meeting facilitation. 3.75
Our organization's meetings honor different ways of learning. 3.80
Our organization's board sets the date, time, place, and agenda for the following
meeting before the conclusion of a meeting. 3.83
Our board's actual turnover follows the planned turnover. 3.83
Our board makes our members and/or network feel welcome at organizational
meetings, conferences, workshops, and other activities. 3.83

Board members have a broad variety of fields of practice and expertise, and drawn
from the full spectrum of constituencies (nonprofit, academia, corporate, government,
etc.); includes functional and program content-related expertise, as well as high-profile
names; high willingness and proven track record of investing in learning about the
organization and addressing its issues; outstanding commitment to the organization’s
success, mission and vision; meet in person regularly, good attendance, frequent
meetings of focused subcommittees 3.83
Our board nomination processes are announced publicly. 4.00
Our board is regularly infused with new members. 4.00
Our organization's meeting discussions conclude with defined next steps. 4.17
Our board's needs are considered when recruiting new board members. 4.17
Our board uses a set of written qualities to guide recruitment of new board members. 4.17
Our new board members receive personal orientation to organizational goals,
programs, and structure. 4.29
Our organization's board meetings are open to new ideas and new approaches to
issues. 4.50
Our organization’s leaders structure board meetings around strategic priorities. 4.57
Our organization's board chair pays attention to whose ideas are heard and reflected. 4.67
Our organization's leaders begin board meetings on time. 4.83
Our organization's board meeting chair is neutral and fair. 4.83
Our organization's leaders schedule board meetings regularly. 4.86
Our organization's leaders record minutes at all board meetings. 4.86
Our organization's leaders provide meeting agendas to all expected participants before
board meetings. 5.00
Our organization's board meetings include an agenda. 5.00

Priorities:
 Learn more about volunteers and how they work within CAEE to fullfill it's mission.
 We need one to two new board members.
 Continue strengthening and diversifying membership
 Revamp Annual Meeting for greater member involvement

Mission, Vision, Strategic and Operational Planning

Our organization's operational plan contains clear objectives. 3.20

Our organization's operational plan lists those who might be best suited to complete
each task. 3.20
Our organization's leaders incorporate ideas and concerns from the general
membership into the organization's strategic plan. 3.40
Our organization has an operational plan. 3.40
Our organization's leaders receive ongoing training/information to help them with
strategic plan development and management. 3.50
Our organization's leaders participate in regular strategic planning retreats. 3.50
Our organization examines the short- and long-term benefits and disadvantages of all
planning options before acting on them. 3.60

We have clear, formal lines/systems for decision making that involve as broad
participation as practical and appropriate along with dissemination/interpretation of
decision 3.60
We have knowledge of the landscape of players and alternative models in our program 3.60
area; refined ability and systematic tendency to adapt behavior based on
understanding

Our vision translated into clear, bold set of goals that the organization aims to achieve;
goals are broadly known within organization and consistently used to direct actions and
set priorities 3.67
Our organization's strategic plan is realistic, given our resources. 3.67
Our organizational structure and governance are based on our strategic plan
objectives. 3.67
Our organization's leaders select the objectives that they will work on based on their
interest and/or skills and each objectives has at least one leader working on it. 3.67
Our organization's strategic plan has a realistic time frame. 3.83

A robust, lean, and well-designed set of processes (e.g., decision making, planning,
reviews) are in place in all areas to ensure effective and efficient functioning of
organization; processes are widely known, used and accepted, and are key to ensuring
full impact of organization; continual monitoring and assessment of processes, and
systematic improvement made 3.83
Our organization's vision reflects an inspiring view of future and is demanding but
achievable 4.00
Our organization's leaders have a strong understanding of the strategic planning
process. 4.17
Our organization has a strategic plan. 4.17
Our board and/or staff produces an annual report on our organization's achievements. 4.20
Our organization's mission was created via a group process. 4.43
Our organization's mission is flexible enough to accommodate changing priorities and
activities. 4.43
Our organization's mission is realistic given our current resources. 4.57
Our organization's vision was created via a group process. 4.57
Our organization's vision discusses values and the long-term impact of our
organizational efforts. 4.67
Our organization's mission statement includes what we are providing, to whom, and
why. 4.71

Priorities:
 Know more about operational plan and how that fits into board duties.
 Develop new strategic plan post-COVID

External Stakeholders

Organization fully aware of power of PR/marketing activities, and continually and

actively engages in them; broad pool of nonprofit PR/marketing expertise and
experience within organization or efficient use made of external, sustainable, highly
qualified resources 2.25
Our organization has leaders trained to work with the media. 2.75
Organization has a communications plan and strategy and updates it on a frequent 3.00
basis; knows not only who its stakeholders are, but what they value; customizes
communications to each of those stakeholders; communications always carry a
consistent and powerful message
Our organization and our efforts receive positive media coverage. 3.20
Our organization's programs are accessible to diverse stakeholders with varying
backgrounds and experiences. 3.40
Organization has a packet of marketing materials that it uses consistently and is easy
to update on a regular basis; materials are extremely professional in appearance and
appeal to a variety stakeholders; materials adhere to clear "branding" standards for
font, color, logo placement, etc. 3.40
Our organization has an individual or team that is in charge of organizational
development. 3.50

Organization widely known within larger community, and perceived as actively engaged
with and extremely responsive to it; many members of the larger community (including
many prominent members) actively and constructively involved in organization (e.g.,
board, fund-raising) 3.60
Our organization has a specific individual who oversees and coordinates the work of
each committee and project. 3.67
Our organization's leaders identify their assumptions about our stakeholders. 3.75
Our organization screens materials/resources for harmful stereotypes before sharing
them publicly. 3.75
Our organization employs advertising and recruitment strategies accessible in multiple
formats, including alternatives to written communications. 3.80
Organization proactively and reactively influences policy-making, in a highly effective
manner, on state and national levels; always ready for and often called on to participate
in substantive policy discussion and at times initiates discussions 3.80
Our organization and stakeholders implement shared projects. 4.00
Our organization's leaders use teams to solve complex problems. 4.17
Our organization engages with stakeholders directly to learn about specific needs or
assets of that group. 4.17
Our organization's leaders look to those with different solutions to problems. 4.33
Built, leveraged, and maintained strong, high-impact, relationships with variety of
relevant parties (local, state, and federal government entities as well as for-profit, other
nonprofit, and community agencies); relationships deeply anchored in stable, long-
term, mutually beneficial collaboration 4.33
Our organization has leaders who provide vision for the organization. 4.43
Our organization's leaders use consensus in decision making whenever possible. 4.50
Our organization is adaptable and resourceful. 4.50
Our organization has leaders who focus on the realities of the present. 4.50
Our organization's leaders consider the needs of stakeholders when developing goals
and strategies. 4.50
Our organization's leaders have a strong collective knowledge of EE. 4.83
Our organization strives to build from and contribute to national initiatives in
environmental education. 4.83

Priorities:
  Board should know more about marketing efforts and how we can assist.
 Amplification of Organizational Impact
 Ensuring our ED has the support she needs
 Improve PR
 Policy Advocacy
 Proactive about Advocacy
 Engagement of Diverse Stakeholder Groups
 Accessible and Inclusive communication

Evaluation

Stakeholders have active roles in all stages of evaluation efforts, not just data
collection. 3.60
Our organization has systems to identify equity and inclusion needs and uses those
systems to track progress. 3.75
Our organization uses evaluations to improve the performance of individuals. 4.00
Continual assessment of gaps in ability of existing programs to meet recipient needs
and adjustment always made; ability and tendency efficiently and effectively to create
new, truly innovative programs to the needs of potential service recipients in local area
or other geographies; continuous pipeline of new ideas 4.00
Our organization completes projects and produces results that our stakeholders are
satisfied with. 4.17
Our organization uses evaluations to plan programs. 4.17
Our organization uses evaluations to report program benefits to the public. 4.20

All programs and services well defined and fully aligned with mission and goals;
program offering are clearly linked to one another and to overall strategy; synergies
across programs are captured 4.20

Frequent assessment of possibility of scaling up existing programs and when judged

appropriate, action always taken; efficiently and effectively able to grow existing
programs to meet needs of potential service recipients in local area or other
geographies 4.20
Our organization achieved most of last year's goals and objectives. 4.33

Current Programs
Priorities:
 Revamp western slope conference to increase attendance
 Do we need programming for teachers?
 Could we have a regional role?
Staffing and HR

Reliance but not dependence on CEO/ED; smooth transition to new leader could be
expected; fund-raising and operations likely to continue without major problems; staff can
fill in during transition time; several members of management team could potentially take
on CEO/ED role 2.00
All roles have associated dedicated positions; all individuals have clearly defined core
roles which must be achieved and an area of discretion where they can show initiative
and try to make a difference; core roles are defined in terms of end-products and
services rather than activities; individuals have the ability to define their own activities
and are empowered to continuously reexamine their jobs 3.33
Our staff and board members understand the roles and responsibilities of each group. 3.60
Well-designed, clear, and well-accepted incentive system; includes competitive salary
(partly performance-based), attractive career development options, opportunities for
leadership and entrepreneurship; system effective in motivating staff to over-deliver in
their job 3.75
Positions within and peripheral to organization (e.g., staff, volunteers, board, senior
management) are all fully staffed (no vacancies); no turnover or attendance problems 3.75
Staff drawn from extraordinarily diverse backgrounds and experiences, and bring broad
range of skills; most staff are highly capable in multiple roles, committed both to
mission/strategy and continuous learning; most are eager and able to take on special
projects and collaborate across divisional lines; staff are frequent source of ideas and
momentum for improvement and innovation 3.75
Our organization's board has established clear performance standards and monitoring
techniques for lead staff. 3.80
Actively interested in general staff development; well-thought-out and targeted
development plans for key employees/positions; frequent, relevant training, job rotation,
coaching/feedback, and consistent performance appraisal institutionalized; proven
willingness to ensure high-quality job occupancy; continuous, proactive initiatives to
identify new talent 4.00
Our organization's board actively supports the needs of the staff. 4.20
Our organization's staff takes responsibility for implementing operational plans. 4.20
Our organization's board regularly evaluates/assesses the performance of lead staff. 4.40
Our organization's executive director and chair/president are different individuals. 5.00

Priorities:
 Succession Planning
 Sustainable staffing models
 Continued training
 Increase Pay Equity- how can we be a model for the EE Community in this area
 We need to hire communications/operations person

Information Technology

Sophisticated and reliable telephone accessible by all staff (in office and at frontline),
includes individual voice mail; supplemented by additional facilities (e.g., pagers, cell
phones) for selected staff; effective and essential in increasing staff effectiveness and
efficiency 4.00
State-of-the-art, fully networked computing hardware with comprehensive range of up-to-
date software applications; all staff has individual computer access and e-mail;
accessible by frontline program deliverers as well as entire staff; used regularly by staff; Did not
effective and essential in increasing staff efficiency calculate
Sophisticated, comprehensive and interactive Web site, regularly maintained and kept up
to date on latest area and organization developments; praised for its user-friendliness
and depth of information; includes links to related organizations and useful resources on Did not
topic addressed by organization calculate
Sophisticated, comprehensive electronic database and management reporting systems
exist for tracking clients, staff, volunteers, program outcomes and financial information; Did not
widely used and essential in increasing information sharing and efficiency calculate
Well-developed, effective, and efficient internal legal infrastructure for day-to-day legal
work; additional access to general and specialized external expertise to cover peaks and
extraordinary cases; continuous legal risk management and regular adjustment of Did not
insurance calculate

Priorities