A Fire Service-Focused Foundation for Strategic Planning

Now is the perfect time to start the strategic planning process for an even better future for your community, your department and your members. Where do you start?

Author Mark Wallace offers a solid foundation for your efforts with his text, Fire Department Strategic Planning: Creating Future Excellence (Amazon Affiliate Link). 

If you're a department leader who likes an ongoing reference available at your fingertips focused on the unique aspects of your work to protect life and property in your community, this book is an excellent option.

A well-constructed strategic plan can provide a launching pad for focused, successful fundraising efforts through clear identification of critical, unfunded needs. 

What's working well for your department in terms of strategic planning? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

A Singular Focus: Communicating Your Department's Needs

What is the singular focus of your message to your community? If you needed to match donors to with unfunded needs at an animal rescue organization, you could reinforce a singular focus by using a photo like the one above of our friend Boston. If you're an animal lover, do you want to know more about Boston?

Recently, the Center Point Ambulance service hosted its annual pancake breakfast in conjunction with Center Point Pork Days 2010.  During the breakfast, those waiting in line had a chance to learn more about joining their volunteer service. Center Point Ambulance made the need for more volunteers the singular focus of their largest gathering of community members at the station all year.

Your singular focus might be an unfunded opportunity to help save or change lives or property through better equipment, training or apparatus. It might be attracting and/or retaining volunteers. Whatever that focus is, the more simple the message, the better. 

As the above example illustrates, visuals powerfully reinforce a solid singular focus. Your visuals might be a compelling photo from a scene, a photo of your volunteers in action, or a video testimonial from a grateful victim. The most effective fundraising and organizational development messages are a combination of statistics and stories.


What one thing represents your greatest current department need? 

FlashPoint offers fixed cost, project based fees to assist you in narrowing down your needs and developing appropriate messages with a singular focus. Contact Dawn for your free initial consultation today.