Strategize with Us!
This year marks the 5th year since the Desert Ridge Community Association adopted its Strategic Community Plan. We are planning to review and update the DRCA Strategic Community Plan this year, and we want your involvement and help!
A strategic plan outlines priorities and projects for the immediate future and for years to come. It can accommodate revisions as changing circumstances dictate—without conflicting with the vision behind its creation. It also helps determine what this year’s budget will include and suggests what future ones might feature.
The strategic community planning process has many advantages. It stimulates ideas to make good use of association resources, identifies responsibilities, assigns work, coordinates efforts, reveals obstacles, identifies opportunities and guides decisions.
The plan begins with our mission and vision statements. The mission statement explains our organization’s purpose, such as serving the community, advancing development, preserving property values, etc. The vision statement, also broad, provides a picture of what the community will look and feel like in the future. It can project a well-managed community, a place where homeowners’ needs are met and a community where residents and members have a sense of involvement.
As we review our plan, we’ll examine all critical association documents, our governance process, assets and infrastructure, financial statements (including the reserve study) and community demographic trends. We also may conduct a needs assessment, which includes an analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats—a tactic used by many businesses.
Community members feedback is crucial to the strategic community plan. We may ask for your input via surveys and town hall zoom or in-person meetings to determine needs and interests. Through these opportunities, you can indicate priorities and suggest projects.
We’ll review your comments then develop and prioritize short-term projects, long-range projects, and how and when to fund them.
Stay tuned…and start thinking about the future of our community.
Doug Dickson
DRCA Board President, CMCA
Desert Ridge Community Association
