We began our survey efforts in late Spring 2008, following the incredible successes of meeting the papal visit head-on with our full page ad in the New York Times. You funded that ad nearly overnight. It was a clear message from a majority that we need to move forward boldly supported by irrefutable data spoken in a respectfully firm, unmistakable and consistent tone.

As new officers we are committed to building a strategic direction and plan for the future. To do so, we wanted to truly listen to all our constituents and the wisdom they have to share. Our goals were to shore up what’s working so that it can continue even better in the future; to fix what’s broken; to anticipate a healthy, results-centered future, and to keep a watchful eye for future plan obstacles and perceived impediments. 

Engaging in an organization-wide SWOT analysis was a huge job. But to fulfill our national potential as a strong church reform organization, we must identify and build upon our successes while learning from our mistakes.

To conduct the SWOT surveys, we reached out to the Board of Trustees, the new officers, the National Representative Council, and the Working Groups as well as our entire membership. The response from the latter was especially appreciated – more than 500 members took the time to fill out this rather detailed SWOT survey, a response rate that is considered good for email surveys.

The following summary from all those responses identifies the strongest and most frequent themes cited in the surveys regarding the VOTF Mission, Identity Statement and National Goals:

Current Strengths of the National Organization (in priority order):

• Sheer strength in numbers (largest reform group) with a core of active, Baptismally-committed Catholics who are intelligent and talented, with a passion for our shared mission.
• Our scope, centrist position and our brand concept (compelling cause).
• Our national voice coupled with strong local activities on the affiliate level led by respected individuals.
• Current leadership committed to make a strategic difference within the framework of a clear/consistent mission statement and goals.
• Many in the pews support our mission/goals but have yet to join us formally.

Current Weaknesses of the National Organization:

• Lack of needed funds. Financial strains.
• Lack of member initiatives.
• We operate often in a disjointed/non-cohesive fashion. Need a strong plan drawing disparate components together.
• Need clear bylaws and policies to lessen the complexity and delays in decision making/execution.
• Goals are left to interpretation.
• Our identity is unclear to many non-members.
• Governance model and organization structure, which arose organically, no longer meet current needs.
• Communication is a problem all around/all dimensions and forms.

Future Organizational Opportunities:

• Publicity!
• Synod!
• Outreach to other reform organizations.
• Brand distinction within the reform group community.
• Develop events that build interest, membership and support.
• Potential to be an organizing force within the reform community.
• Educate the uncommitted to understand their rights/responsibilities.
• Use the Papal visits (U.S./Australia), the reported financial irregularities and continued abuse headlines to call hierarchy to accountability using the Pope’s own words.

Future (Potential) Organizational Threats:

• Financial instability—need exciting blueprint that arouses others.
• Waning media attention—they are interested when a new crisis flares but not in between.
• Insufficient results to show for our existence.
• We must be the moderate voice of change: committed, persistent, rational, clever & clear in a unified message that screams our brand—modeled by us. To call for VOICES, we must become superior LISTENERS!
• Leadership burnout coupled with member apathy.

In the next edition, we will share the context and the guiding principles that were used to filter information garnered from the hundreds of surveys received. These helped us synthesize findings so that we could move toward decision making on elements of the strategic plan.

Dan Bartley
Janet Hauter
Kevin Connors
Julie McConville