Branch leaders connect the National Society’s strategic planning process to local realities and implementation. They bring branch perspectives into consultations and data collection, liaise with other branch representatives, build ownership among local governance, staff, members and volunteers, and help translate the approved strategic plan into branch-level operational plans, budgets, indicators and actions. They require competencies in local strategic thinking, facilitation, consultation, data collection, communication, operational planning, budgeting, monitoring, peer learning, and volunteer engagement.