Purpose & Strategic Importance
Volunteers, members, and staff are central to any strategy. They not only implement the current strategic plan — they are also the people the National Society depends on to deliver the future one. Consulting them during the process is therefore a crucial opportunity to build ownership for the end product.
Activities & Decisions
Key questions to ask
- What motivates their engagement with the National Society?
- Are they satisfied with their experience and involvement?
- What aspects of working with the Society make them feel proud and fulfilled — and what aspects leave them negative or demotivated?
- Do existing tools and processes support their work, or is there scope to strengthen ways of working?
Ways to consult
- Electronic surveys with a mix of qualitative and quantitative questions.
- Focus groups to explore particular issues in more depth.
- Branch or national meetings where feedback can be gathered systematically.
- Story-sharing opportunities where individuals can submit short reflections on topics they feel passionate about.
Examples & Learning
Salvadoran Red Cross
“In our second strategic plan, we focused more on clear results and local engagement. Because of earlier efforts to build internal capacity, branches and volunteers understood the planning process better. We worked closely with them through workshops and surveys, and made sure to include their perspectives before the plan was approved by the national governing board.”
— Director of Administration and Finance, Salvadoran Red Cross
Swedish Red Cross
“To develop our strategy, Swedish Red Cross held many meetings with volunteers at regional and branch levels. We also ran digital sessions on key topics like ‘engaging more people’ and ‘climate change.’ Each region met with its branches to review the last strategy and discuss what should go into the new one. A major meeting with regional and national governance was held a year before final approval. The whole process took about 18 months, and the General Assembly approved the strategy with some wording changes.”
— Organisational Developer, Swedish Red Cross