Upper Arlington Education Foundation
Strengthening a Board to Deepen Impact
“Working with Mollard Consulting allowed us to clearly define our mission, vision, and values, and then develop goals to guide us as an organization… Our board meetings are more dynamic, our recruitment process is more intentional and inclusive, and everyone is clear on the role that they play to further our impact.”
“I am excited about the energy and continued excitement from the board. The foundational board work we have done is measurable, and we can see it”
Driven by a mission to provide access to meaningful opportunities for each and every student, the Upper Arlington Education Foundation (UA+Ed) has been a community cornerstone since 1985, enriching student experiences in Upper Arlington’s public schools through its support for classroom programs, athletics, and the arts.
At Mollard Consulting, we know that they’re also a shining example of the dividends that can be earned from investing in nonprofit governance.
UA+Ed first approached us with a request to facilitate a strategic visioning board retreat process and follow up with some coaching.
That engagement brought to life UA+Ed’s goal of fostering stronger collaboration among the board, executive leadership, and staff. Strategic visioning includes a comprehensive mission, vision, and values alignment. This powerful exercise connects the organization’s leaders and team members around authentic shared goals and a renewed sense of purpose.
In contrast to a traditional strategic planning process, which takes six to nine months and results in a detailed three-to-five-year plan, strategic visioning occurs over just three months and produces a dynamic, shorter-term plan — designed to nimbly chart the way forward in today’s quickly changing circumstances.
The process was so successful that we have facilitated their board retreat each year since, as well as their second strategic visioning scope. Strategic visioning with us helped UA+Ed articulate its aspirations and chart a clear course for future programming and fundraising efforts.
The annual board retreats, coaching, and conversations have built a tradition of continual engagement and improvement.
The result is something we’ve seen happen over and over: When you do the hard work and invest in the people, culture, and operations of your board, the ROI is exponential.
Today, the UA+Ed board is more than effective — they’re high performing, with clear goals and a strong sense of direction.
Not only are they accomplishing more together, they are happier. They’ve become one of the most joyful boards we work with, laughing and ribbing each other as they enjoy the pleasure of doing good work and doing it well.
Relationships with their staff and community are stronger. Recruiting great new members is easier. And all the successful work they’ve done in partnership with one another gives them the strength to deal with the challenges that inevitably arise.
We are excited to witness the continued positive impact of our collaboration, which ultimately benefits the teaching and learning that occurs in Upper Arlington Schools.
