On the 22 January 2003 FDS volunteers, employees and other members attended a strategic planning day at the Burwood RSL. FDS Chairperson, Ted Bassingthwaighte, with the assistance of Tony Trimingham, moderated the day.

Prior to the meeting Tony Trimingham, Ted Bassingthwaighte and Alison Bell from the Professional Panel met and discussed a range of FDS functional areas. It was agreed that the five areas to discuss at the strategic planning day were as follows:

1. Volunteers/Telephone Lines
2. Fundraising/Marketing
3. Consolidating Current Activities
4. Developing New Activities
5. Policy/Politics

On the planning day it was decided to amalgamate point 3 and 4 due to time constraints and the common thread running through the topics.

The Nominal Group Technique (see www.ryerson.ca) was used to glean a wide and well-formulated response from each participant.

The group firstly reaffirmed the Family Drug Support Mission statement:

To assist families throughout Australia to deal with drug issues in a way that strengthens relationships and achieves positive outcomes.

The following document lists the ideas that the group unanimously voted as most important to least important in the context of developing a 3 to 5 year strategic plan for Family Drug Support.

Also included in this document are the ideas and comments of individuals that have merit in the context of flagging important operational/development/marketing/policy issues that should be considered by the Board of FDS.

The next step in the process is developing an organisational strategic plan incorporating our Mission and the action plans to deal with the implementation of these strategies.

Chairperson, Ted Bassingthwaighte has undertaken to complete a draft plan for consideration by the Board. It is expected that the process will be complete by June 2004.

A diverse set of ideas and comments arose out of this topic. The common thread that emerged was the issue of volunteer training. This issue arose in other topic areas discussed during the day.

The group voted the following four points in order of importance as those that should be included in FDS strategic plan:

1. Follow-up volunteer training - 3 months after initial training and ongoing training.
2. Better use of available community resources to publicize FDS activities.
3. More reskilling opportunities - wider variety of times made available.
4. Password restricted page on FDS website for volunteers using information technology for on-going training.
4. Broaden FDS multi-lingual services.

• In addition the group presented the following ideas. It is felt these ideas have a real currency and should factor into FDS Board deliberations.
• Broaden the ability of FDS to complete telephone changeovers + have a second person in charge re backup of telephone changeovers.
  
• Develop systems to improve volunteer morale/debriefing information.
  
• Develop recruitment ideas re attracting more volunteers.
  
• Develop process to attract more volunteers to overnight shifts in FDS office.
  
• Enhance the volunteer bulletin with tips/updates re skill training..
  
• Redesign volunteer call record sheet to suit information technology (for those with email access).
  
• Improve the use of the FDS telephone line to leverage wider FDS services.
  
• Volunteers are to be clear on FDS principles while on a call - must be non-directive and show empathy.
  
• Enhance the use of IT to better distribute volunteer information/education.
  
• Improve system of volunteer debriefing.

FDS currently have an active fundraising committee that is investigating a wide variety of potential sources of income.

The group voted the following four points in order of importance as those that should be included in FDS strategic plan:

1. Seek sponsorship of large corporations.
2. Use public relation/advertising agencies on a pro bono basis.
3. Leverage existing services and make it into a profit centre for FDS.
4. Target public persons with a high profile on drugs.

In addition the group presented the following ideas. It is felt these ideas have a real currency and should factor into FDS Board deliberations.

• Use professional fundraisers.
  
• Join other like organisations to raise funds together.
  
• Promote superannuation salary sacrificing to FDS within other organisations.
  
• Broaden and improve FDS processes for capturing all available government and NGO funding.
  
• Run a charity event i.e. golf day or ball/dance.
  
• Ensure the existing FDS fundraising committee continues to exist.
  
• Increase FDS exposure on community radio.
  
• Find an individual or organisation that will be FDS Webmaster on pro bono basis.
  
• Develop individual volunteer sponsorship programs.
  
• Publicize FDS tax deductibility as a registered charity.
  
• Approach schools in specific areas to run fund raising days for FDS.
  
• Develop charity tins for shop counters.
  
• Run open and show days to promote FDS philosophy.
  
• Canvass trade unions to purchase FDS training/information material.
  
• Create e-commerce site to allow download of Guide To Coping and other resources that can be purchased by credit card.

This topic was broken into two sections - ideas to develop current FDS activities and ideas to develop new FDS activities. There are some close correlations to the fundraising/marketing and volunteer/telephone lines segments of the process but it was agreed that the chosen priorities were able to stand alone in the final strategic plan.

The group voted the following four points in order of importance as those that should be included in FDS strategic plan:

Current FDS activities:

1. Broaden the geographical availability of Family Support Groups and Stepping Stones by increasing the number of facilitators and telephone lines.
2. Expand FDS services for drug education to teachers and parents and other institutions.
3. Distribute and follow-up pamphlets and posters.
4. Utilize volunteers to promote ongoing FDS support services.

In addition the group presented the following ideas. It is felt these ideas have a real currency and should factor into FDS Board deliberations.

• Utilise local media.
  
• Provide support for Family Support Group facilitators to better promote activities.
  
• Condense Stepping Stones program time-frame (and also Train-the-Trainer modules).
  
• Increase awareness and availability of FDS library.
  
• Evaluate and publish Stepping Stones to show improved outcomes.

New FDS activities:

1. Form coalitions with other organisations that are linked to drug issues.
2. Clarify volunteer's role in FDS to attract broader range of volunteers.
3. Develop systems to better reach potential audience.
4. Develop problem specific resources.

In addition the group presented the following ideas. It is felt these ideas have a real currency and should factor into FDS Board deliberations.

• Specifically target individuals with FDS literature.
• Hold more drug awareness days.
  
• Refine consolidate FDS activities by developing new ones.
• Extend counselling services for profit.
• Consolidate existing activities before developing new activities.

In early deliberations by FDS CEO Tony Trimmingham, Board Chairman Ted Bassingthwaighte and Alison Bell from the professional panel this topic was agreed upon as it was felt that FDS does have a place in the development of drug family related policy. It was hoped that the collective knowledge of the assembled FDS family would provide guidance to the FDS Board for future activities.

The group voted the following four points in order of importance as those that should be included in FDS strategic plan:

1. FDS to develop a media policy.
2. Maintain FDS policy direction of all FDS activities.
3. FDS to remain non-party political.
4. Develop drug awareness strategies resources.

In addition the group presented the following ideas. It is felt these ideas have a real currency and should factor into FDS Board deliberations.

• Continue to promote support harm minimisation strategies.
• Support and maintain links with associated organisations lobby groups.
• Develop a briefing paper to Parliamentarians re the issues effecting FDS members.
• When identifying FDS use the full title 'Family Drug Support' rather than the abbreviation.
• Provide support for family groups unfairly discriminated against by legislation and government policy.
• Separate procedures policies.
• Adhere to current policy direction maintaining FDS Mission statement.
• Seek support from individual members for letter writing/ petition campaigns.
• Maintain current political/religious/cultural neutrality.
• Support like groups.
• Continue support for 'evidence based treatment.'
• Advocate for policies that affect carers or parents on all FDS activities.
• Lobby for more treatment facilities.