Now that we’re six, the FunDza board and management felt it was time to review where we’ve come from and where we’re going to. Mignon Hardie asked Mignon Keyser to facilitate the strategy session for staff and the board. Mignon Keyser is a strategist, business mentor and peer process specialist. She has 15 years of planning and facilitation experience, starting out in the project management industry with a variety of corporate experience, and then specialising on working with entrepreneurs and social innovators. Mignon H met Mignon K through brand building workshops sponsored by the Indigo Trust, and realised their shared love of reading, education and social impact.
Mignon K facilitated the session on 12 May. She arrived, fired up and ready the reach and teach the staff/board. It was an amazing day of uncovering our shared vision for the organisation, articulating our shared values and putting together a priority plan of things that we need to get right to stay in business. This was just the beginning of a much longer process that we hope will help us to retain and build on our core strengths and also open us up to the possibility of ‘the new’.
Here is a selection of comments from the staff about what they found most meaningful during the day:
Sonja: “It is easy to forget how similar our values are to those of our colleagues. The strategy session helped me to see anew how aligned our values are and also to appreciate how focused we are on getting young people in South Africa reading.”
Phoebe: “The meeting was well planned and organised, I highly enjoyed the activities especially because i am a very visual learner. I will definitely make use of Mignon’s vision board ideas for my own personal use as well as revisit them for work purposes.”
Veronica: “I learned the value of having a goal/dream and the hard work that is supposed to be done in order to get there. I also learned that everything takes time and that you can only do as much as one person. In regards with my work I valued the vision that everyone had and shared equally.”
Alonzo: “One of the things that stood out for me on Friday is the errors we make when we prioritise things that are not really the most important. Secondly, how to recognise a gap, there are a lot of opportunities to grow and we need to recognise our opportunities and take full advantage of it.”
Nandi: “The Strat plan was an eye-opener. It also made things easier in terms of decision making and gave a clear idea of the impact of the work that FunDza does, this was done by looking into FunDza’s values.”
Zimkhitha: “We are sometimes caught up in the work that we do on the ground – for me this is the editing, publishing and managing of the Fanz writing – that we forget to take a moment and reflect on what we’ve done and where we’re going. The strategy meeting took us back to basics and expanded into the future. It was refreshing to be reminded of the work we’ve done from a different view point. Now as I do my daily work, I will be able to do that with an eye on where the programme is going and how we’re growing it.”
Shelley: “It felt like we were being guided on a tour of FunDza, remembering why we do what we do and who we are doing it for. It was great to focus on our strengths and develop plans for combating our weaknesses. It was a holistic approach to brainstorming and troubleshooting.”
Dawn: “Loved the Strat Plan. As a newbie I found it very informative and thought provoking. I also enjoyed getting to know my colleagues on an informal level and look forward to the update session.”
Ndibulele: “I really enjoyed the strategy meeting as it showed that I actually had a lot I didn’t know about FunDza for someone who’s been here for more than two years. I’m planning to take most of the lessons and apply them to my work so that they can bear me maximum fruits.”
Tamica: “It was informative, interesting and a great way to think outside of the box. I also got reminded of the bigger picture and the purpose behind why we do what we do.”
Dorothy: “I especially enjoyed seeing the different pictures and ideas of my colleagues, and how they came together to create a greater vision encompassing the various individual strands.”
Mignon H: “What a valuable day! It was such a useful reminder for me to see how far we have come as an organisation. I loved the vision board and shared values exercises as these also brought us back to the core of who we are and what drives us. For me it was an inspiring and energising day… But it was also a sobering reminder that the ‘need’ remains urgent and real. There is much to be done and we hope that the plans we’re putting in place now will set us on a path that will help to have an impact on the lives of generations of young people across our country.”