From ak717@freenet.carleton.ca Fri Aug 18 15:18:41 2000 Received: from freenet10.carleton.ca (freenet10 [134.117.136.30]) by freenet.carleton.ca (8.9.3+Sun/8.9.3/NCF_f1_v3.00) with ESMTP id PAA15553; Fri, 18 Aug 2000 15:18:41 -0400 (EDT) Received: (ak717@localhost) by freenet10.carleton.ca (8.9.3+Sun/NCF-Sun-Client) id PAA17904; Fri, 18 Aug 2000 15:18:41 -0400 (EDT) Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2000 15:18:41 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <200008181918.PAA17904@freenet10.carleton.ca> From: ak717@freenet.carleton.ca (Miranda Gray) To: aa724@freenet.carleton.ca Subject: Visioning doc Reply-To: ak717@freenet.carleton.ca Content-Length: 11396 Status: RO I think I cuaght all the bad formating doe to the transfer. I already sent a copy to DOnna. Miranda begin paper -- NCF Visioning Committee Report (August 2000) Some assumptions It would be best we were all clear on what assumptions underlay this work. 1. The board wants NCF to thrive not just survive. 2. Each board member is prepared to get involved in at least one task beyond the board meeting. 3. The board does not micromanage projects but instead focuses its time on choosing the right project manager and giving clear instructions. 4. Our staff members’ workloads are peaked with current critical tasks. We will not be hiring any new staff in the next 6 months. 5. Planning should be an ongoing process but at a minimum the plans should be reviewed 3 times a year. 6. We don’t want to form more committees so the Executive Committee gets the responsibility to report on 4 month, 9 month & 18 month plans at least twice a year. 7. We need to build our volunteer team as badly as we need to develop membership. 8. Some tasks need to happen in sequence. We can’t start doing everything at once. 9. We can’t choose to do everything. We should pick a few tasks and do them very well rather than doing many tasks badly. 10. The future is not bleak. But membership will continue to decline in the next 6 months. Generalities In 18 months (February 2002) * membership 115% current level * unique users 115% current level * average donation for renewals and for new members at $35 * all current services available in web form * FreePort users down to those who either will not change or can not change * 200+ information providers * 100+ core volunteers * 3 core volunteers considering board level work * outreach / new member programs well established * new volunteer turnaround down to 3 weeks 9 months (May 2001) * membership no longer shrinking * membership activity stablized or increased * average donation for renewals and for new members at $35 * services available in web form includes: * registration * password changes * mail forwarding * communication with FreePort users on proposed changes well underway * information providers renewal process defined and initiated * communication strategy revised and updated * new board committed 2001-2002 planning process 4 months (December 2000) * membership no longer declining as quickly * office and help desk volunteers trained and raring to go * all board members working at one task beyond board meeting * planning for continuity as board elections hover on horizon Specifics for the near future August -- mid-October Communication Strategy Chris, Tambrae We need to figure out both what specific message we want to send out and how we can reach various groups of people. Here is a brief outline of the known problem areas (in order of importance): * the NCF brochure isn’t appealing and might be saying the wrong things to potential members * many resigning members think NCF and the Internet are different things * many resigning members do not know what services we offer * many active current members do not know what services we offer * we need to convince FreePort members to consider switching to PPP style service We know we need some branding and imaging. But we also need to figure out what tools to use and what tools to develop. August -- mid-October New member assistance Sheila, Lyn, Graeme We know that new members find us hard to get into. Lyn has already begun / or even completed an update of the NCF office volunteer handbook. But we also know that the concerns don’t end there. We need a plan to make sure our volunteer team is a knowledgeable as possible. At the same time, we should review how well our office infrastructure supports these critical activities. The 2001 budget process is coming up and if we need to upgrade, we should consider this in the budgeting process. Some suggestions we have heard are: * giving copies of the handbook to help desk volunteers so everyone is saying the same thing * providing training for both online and phone volunteers is how to give advice to technophobes, running a one-day workshop for volunteers to get more people able to do new member support * upgrading the office equipment to more modern machines to reflect what is in use out among the members * providing another phone line so the office volunteers are easier to reach * extended office hours so people can call outside business hours * changing the name of ncf.admin * updating the registration software, creating a distribution plan * updating online information * creating an NCF welcome wagon, a new mentor service, install-a-thon * and more Clearly, this is an area where we have lots of possibilities. But the leaders we have already chosen should be asked to give us specific guidance on how we can best support them in their efforts. Out of their suggestions should come one aspect of the outreach we want to do in the each future. August – mid-December Core services webifying Andre, Mark, Technical team Making NCF easier to use is hard while we have a second incomplete system. Since we do not intend to force new users to learn FreePort, we must make all core services available on the web. The following order of priority for work is recommended: ? password changes ? mail forwarding ? Making NCF easier to use is hard while we have a second incomplete system. Since we do not intend to force new users to learn FreePort, we must make all core services available on the web. The following order of priority for work is recommended: * password changes * mail forwarding * registration * web mail * file management September – November Leadership requirements Executive committee, Chris Volunteer Co-ordinators We need to build the volunteer team. But first we have to start by knowing which roles we need filled. It is also easier to get people to volunteer for specific jobs instead of as a member of the chorus. The executive committee as part of its ongoing look at planning and development should be the ones to identify the major needs. We also recommend that the HR committee work with Chris to set a target of one core leader recruited per 2 months. October – December Budget development Treasurer, Chris Finance Committee We are getting to that time of year again. We will have a new treasurer this year and we need to plan to get new blood on the committee for future year. We know that our current volunteers are getting involved in other aspects of NCF so we should plan some transition. August – December Research Sandy, Jim, Chris They say that if you steal an idea from one person, it is plagiarism and if you steal from many it is research. As a board, we need to keep informed about what our competitors and colleagues are doing. In the past, we have just hoped our members would draw interesting things to our attention. Let’s make it someone’s task so this vital element is not neglected. On the horizon We also know of some other pressing items that specifically should not happen at this time. In general, these plans should wait until other activities are completed. A vague start time is provided. FreePort Phaseout Public Campaign before AGM2001 This project should wait on several factors including the development of a communication strategy, the development of core web services, and improved member assistance. It is a major activity and has high priority but we do not recommend initiating it until it can be properly supported. On the other hand, we do not think it can wait forever. By FreePort Phaseout Campaign, we mean a sustained (18+-month) gradual and supportive approach to convincing FreePort users to voluntarily switch to PPP style access. NCF HomePage Revitalization Project before February 2001 We have all heard someone complain about the homepage and we will always hear such complaints. But at the current time, it doesn’t appeal to either new members or current members. We should consider striking a team to move the site to a portal style or doing a major revamping. New Member Development before December 2000 It would be nice if we could be ready for the Christmas computer sales. But we need to have a clearer message and a better way to get it out. We also need to have a fully accessible web registration process. Webboards / Chat before March 2001 We know the newsgroups are in decline. We want new members to have the same sense of community as the early adopters did. We think the problems lie in the technology. We need to do the research in the options for providing a chat room and / or newsgroup style tool. But there are higher technical priorities. Information Provider Development before Spring 2001 We believe that content is one key in proving a community. We need to refresh the current Information Providers and develop plan to recruit more. “Opportunities, Challenges and a Sustainable Future” Recommendations (pages 15-18) paraphrased The following recommendations are prefaced with this principle: "NCF’s fundamental purpose is to help those people in our community who might otherwise be left out, to access current Information Technology". 12.1 Provide Internet Access NCF should avoid competing with commercial ISPs while continuing to provide reliable, low-cost, basic dial-up Internet service for a modest average donation. 12.2 Be Up-to-date; be "web-centric" All new services should be offered in a web-accessible format and older services should be migrated to the web. 12.3 Phase out FreePort While text-based users cling to the service, maintaining the FreePort system is prohibiting growth. 12.4 Make membership Easy NCF must remove barriers to newcomers. 12.5 Focus on people management and community, not technology NCF operates technology, but its strength lies in grass-roots support from the community. 12.6 Training and Outreach Previous outreach programs have been highly successful at both attracting and helping new members get online. 12.7 Organize help for new members The NCF office must able to provide a warm and helpful registration / help system with strong support from a core of volunteers doing one on one instruction on core services. 12.8 Rekindle a sense of belonging In migrating services to a web format, NCF must maintain the sense of community FreePort users felt through membership privileges, member-to-member messaging and a common gateway. 12.9 Support not-for-profits and other community groups At 10% of the membership, information providers require specialized support and tools. 12.10 Publicity NCF should develop a comprehensive communications strategy. 12.11 Projects While projects provide current funding opportunities, a sustainable future for NCF requires that all projects develop membership and sustain membership. 12.12 Community Strengths As the megacity develops, NCF has a unique role to play in the new community’s Internet delivery of municipal and other government service plans. 12.13 Focus on the people who need us most NCF can differentiate itself from commercial ISPs by focusing on its niche -- people with limited incomes, people with higher training or assistance needs and those not currently well serviced by conventional commercial service providers.