2023-2026 Strategic Plan Approved

The Strategic Planning Committee and the Board of Directors would like to announce that revisions to the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan are complete. After the end of the 2017-2020 Strategic Plan, we underwent a rigorous research and drafting process to determine the OTW’s priorities and goals, as well as the steps we would need to take to accomplish them over the next three years. The plan does not limit the organization to these goals or projects, but rather provides guidance and direction on a general path forward.

The Strategic Plan is a document intended to guide the progress of the Organization's work over the next several years, and is based on the Vision Statement, which has been public since July 2022. The Strategic Planning Committee received and implemented lots of great responses during several rounds of volunteer and chair feedback.

Strategic Planning would like to thank the OTW’s volunteers, donors, supporters, users, and broader community for their patience and engagement. The support of our community continues to make it possible for this organization to be proactive about our role in fandom and beyond, and continue to serve fans.

Implementation of the plan begins July 2023. The Strategic Planning Committee will use an implementation support plan to outline the ways that our committee and the OTW are committed to the success of this plan.

We invite the public to check out the Strategic Plan Visual Timeline (with alt text here) or the text-only version of the plan available below to learn about the future of the OTW and its projects.

2023-2026 Strategic Plan

Each goal of the plan fits within a larger theme goal. The plan responds to themes from the Vision Statement and beyond, including Diversifying Spaces, Internal Stability, Paid Staff, Governance Development, AO3 Development, Cybersecurity, Diversification of Fundraising, and External Communication.

3 months:

• Strategic Planning Committee begins Implementation Monitoring support to ensure progress on goals.
• Diversifying Spaces - Diversity Consultant Research Officer: Diversity Consultant Research Officer (DCRO) provides their first report to the Board.

6 months:

• Diversifying Spaces - Recruitment: Each committee will have reviewed research on and taken action to improve diversity and decrease bias in candidate selection processes.
• Paid Staff - Paid Staff Transition Officer: Paid Staff Transition Officer (PSTO) is selected and begins research.

9 months:

• Cybersecurity: Initial steps for cybersecurity goals are complete, and continuing sequence is begun.

12 months:

• Diversifying Spaces - Volunteer Coalitions: Research into volunteer coalitions is completed and initial volunteer coalitions start being formed.
• Internal Sustainability - Succession Planning: Committees and workgroups will have a plan in place to handle the planned or unexpected loss of an essential volunteer.

15 months:

• Paid Staff - Feasibility Research & Needs Assessment: Paid Staff research on feasibility and need is complete, and final findings are presented by PSTO.
• Governance Development - Governance Research Governance research from prior plan finishes being presented to Board and members.
• Internal Sustainability - Retention: Organization retention data and research is internally published.

18 months:

• Internal Sustainability - Documentation: Committees finalize processes for reviewing documentation.
• Paid Staff - Paid Staff Transition: A decision is made on incorporating paid staff, and transition begins.
• Diversification of Fundraising - Research on Fundraising Methods: Review of the current fundraising model, its internal and external impact, and potential fundraising methods is underway.
• External Communication - Strengthen Overall Communications Strategy: International and multilingual external communications strategy is clarified and further developed.
• External Communication - Strengthen Consistency and Reach of Public Messaging: Clear guidance for consistency across our platforms to support raising awareness of the OTW mission is developed.

24 months:

• Internal Sustainability - Conflict Management: Procedures for dealing with personnel conflict are drafted, approved, and put into practice.
• Diversification of Fundraising - Fundraising Planning Report: Research findings of the internal review and external research on fundraising methods and other non-profit fundraising is compiled and shared.

30 months:

• Diversification of Fundraising - Review and Implementation: Fundraising research is assessed and a decision on implementation is made.

33 months:

• Governance Development - Governance Proposal: Governance proposal(s) are shared by the Board for feedback.

36 months:

• Governance Development - Governance Implementation: Governance proposal feedback is gathered and the Board decides on implementation.

Ongoing Work:

• AO3 Development - Continued Maintenance and Support of AO3: Regular maintenance and support to ensure the AO3 site is stable, secure, and performant.
• AO3 Development - Privacy and Compliance: Review and overhaul of cookies & cookie policy to meet the requirements of privacy laws.
• AO3 Development - Internationally-Accessible AO3 Interface: Finalize multi-language email notifications and pursue possible avenues for making additional user-facing text translatable.

Every 3 months:

• Diversifying Spaces- Progress Report & Diversity Consultant: DCRO provides report and update on latest findings. This report will be shared both internally as well as externally to users.
• Paid Staff - Paid Staff Transition Officer: PSTO provides report and update on latest findings.

Every 6 months:

• Diversifying Spaces - Volunteer Coalitions: DCRO/Consultant checks in with Volunteer Coalition leaders.

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The Organization for Transformative Works is the non-profit parent organization of multiple projects including Archive of Our Own, Fanlore, Open Doors, Transformative Works and Cultures, and OTW Legal Advocacy. We are a fan run, entirely donor-supported organization staffed by volunteers. Find out more about us on our website.