Cowan Lake Sailing Association: 2006 Strategic Plan

2006 Strategic Planning Committee:  Tim Black (Chair), Mike Brock, John Eilers, Sandy Eustis, Judy Hearn, Pete Japikse, Ken Irwin, Carl Pratt, Dave Rosekrans, Steve Tsuchiya.

CLSA Strategic Planning

  Our strategic plan is intended to set overall direction and provide goals for a continually shifting CLSA leadership team.  It is focused on seven areas: racing programs, training programs, social programs, memberships, facilities/equipment/vessels, external relations, and administration  – as described in the following sections of this document.  Our plan was organized around these areas of primary concern in 2001, and we are hereby revising and updating it (in 2006.)  We expect progress toward our goals in each area to be reviewed annually by the CLSA Board of Governors and by the broader CLSA leadership team, revised as needed, and thoroughly revisited again in 2010 or 2011.

The Cowan Lake Sailing Association

Founded in 1954, the Cowan Lake Sailing Association is based on a 700 acre lake in Cowan Lake State Park, near Wilmington, Ohio.  The CLSA’s primary purpose is to provide its members with:

  competitive one design sailboat racing programs, including weekly races every Sunday from late April through October, plus various weekend regattas,

  enjoyable sailing-oriented social programs, including both on-the-water day sailing events and off-the-water events, and

  excellent training programs for new and experienced adult and junior sailors.

To provide these programs, CLSA:

  offers several types of low-cost annual memberships for individuals and families,

  owns and  maintains 9 acres of facilities at Cowan Lake, leases a waterfront area from the State of Ohio, maintains a number of race and safety vessels, and

  promotes sailing and one design sailboat racing  locally, regionally and nationally, through external relations with sailing organizations, government organizations, and the press.

The CLSA Philosophy

  CLSA is a “do-it-yourself” organization.  We run our programs and maintain our facilities and vessels almost exclusively through voluntary committees and annual work party obligations for all members.  This approach not only minimizes the cost of CLSA membership, but we strongly believe that it also promotes stronger feelings of club ownership and enhances camaraderie among our members.  

  CLSA membership is open to all sailors and aspiring sailors.  Our membership process is non-selective.  We currently have about 130 member families from Cincinnati, Dayton, and throughout southwestern Ohio.  Our only common denominators are a passion for sailing and sailboats, and a willingness to work with each other to further our participation and enjoyment.      

  CLSA is family-oriented.  We take particular pride in our excellent junior training and racing programs, encourage family overnight camping at our facility, and actively promote family participation at all of our social events.

Racing Programs:

            For many of our members, the most compelling reason for joining CLSA is to participate in our one-design racing programs.  Continuing to offer an excellent program of weekly Sunday races, holiday weekend “club regattas”, and annual class specific regattas that attract visiting sailors is a critical strategic objective for CLSA.  To accomplish this, we need to work toward the following goals:

  Provide Race Committee and Safety Committee training for all members.

  Increase participation by CLSA members in off-lake regattas and US Sailing National Championship events. 

  Conduct excellent, safe regattas that draw increasing numbers of entrants from other lakes and sailing clubs.

  Review and upgrade our racing programs on an annual basis, including our sailing instructions, scoring procedures, annual racing schedule, and Race/Safety Committee processes -- to better meet member desires.

Social Programs:

            For other members, the most compelling reason for joining CLSA is to participate in enjoyable social activities with other sailors.  While we believe that our current program of parties and social events is excellent, we also believe that enlarging our social program to include more non-race-oriented events is important.  Our social program goals are as follows:

  Continue to hold an annual mid-winter dinner which features an affordable dinner, a cocktail reception, and a sailing oriented entertainment program.

  Continue to hold three summer parties on the in-season holiday weekends (Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day.)  Each party should have a theme and should include activities for youth.

  Institute a program of non-racing social events at the lake during the season, to include such events as Saturday dinner cruises and/or inter-fleet picnics.

  Sponsor more off-lake get-togethers, such as informal weekday lunches for members, member sailing trips, and member non-sailing outings or trips.

  Engage non-racing CLSA members more thoroughly in social event planning.

Training Programs:

            Adult training is critical as a recruitment tool to bring new sailors into the sport and into the CLSA.  It is also a valuable tool to enhance member sailing skills and thus to support our racing programs.  Youth training is critical for recruiting and retaining families into CLSA membership, and for giving young people a lifelong desire to participate in sailing activities.  Our current youth training program has been widely cited for its excellence.  While maintaining that excellence, we need to focus on greatly expanding our adult training activities.

Adult Training:

  Maintain certified sailing instructors within the CLSA membership.

  Continue our participation in the Red Cross Sailing Program.

  Develop and offer a fee-based learn-to-sail program for the public.

  Establish a sailing skills enhancement program for CLSA members.

  Establish a learn-to-race program for CLSA members.

  Acquire and maintain additional club owned sailboats if/when member demand warrants doing so.

  Engage competent instructional staff, with compensated instructors readily available to work with prospective and current members.

Youth Training:

  Maintain certified sailing instructors within the CLSA membership.

  Maintain club boats for youth without their own vessels.

  Provide both learn-to-sail and learn-to-race instruction for youth of all ages.

  Provide sailing centered activities that are not strictly race oriented.

  Provide better support, encouragement, and resources to CLSA youth who are interested in participating in competitive regional and national sailing events.

Membership Programs:

            Unfortunately, national participation in sailing has declined significantly over the past two decades, and we now need to launch an enhanced recruitment program to build and maintain a healthy membership.  This program needs to focus on the elements that draw new CLSA members.  These are (1) the pleasures of day-sailing and one-design sailboat racing, (2) camaraderie with CLSA members and guests, and (3) access to our extensive facilities.  Our specific goals include:

  Create a new and exciting promotional brochure.

  Aggressively increase our existing publicity and promotional efforts (more participation in boat shows, more press releases to local and regional media, more open-house events for prospective members at the club, etc.)

  Strongly encourage each CLSA member to bring at least one non-member family, friend, or co-worker to the club sometime during each sailing season.

  Consider new CLSA membership structure.

  Make at least two follow-up personal contacts with anyone who has specifically expressed an interest in CLSA.

  Continue to poll members regularly regarding new ideas and programs in order to ensure that CLSA leadership is meeting member desires as much as possible.

Facilities/Equipment/Vessels:

            All current CLSA facilities/equipment/vessels are located at our 9 acre “campus”, which provides more than adequate space to support all of our existing and contemplated activities.  We own two recently renovated and mortgage-free club buildings and a fleet of power vessels adequate for running races, providing safety/rescue services for our members and other Sunday users of Lake Cowan, and conducting on-the-water training activities.  We also maintain a children’s playground, a dry storage area for members’ vessels, and a camping area with electrical hookups.  We lease a water front facility with over 140 individual dock spaces and 3 dry-sail rack areas from the State of Ohio Department of Natural Resources.  Maintaining and enhancing the quality of these various facilities and vessels is by far our largest budget item.  Our goals are: 

  Maintain the clubhouse, shelter house, main parking lot, and all existing club-owned power vessels to at least their 2006 conditions.  Repair our driveway and maintain it in pothole-free condition.

  Enhance and maintain our camping facilities to provide additional, reliable electric service for vehicle camping and a freshly mown grassy surface every weekend for tent camping.

  Continue our program of landscaping improvements as the annual budget permits.

  Upgrade the dry storage lot surface (the “boneyard”) as the annual budget permits.

  Work actively and co-operatively with the State of Ohio to improve the utility, beauty, and safety of our leased waterfront area.  Emphasize backfilling the seawall, improving the walkway around the shoreline, and minimizing vehicular traffic in known muddy areas. 

  Actively promote CLSA Training, Inc. as a means by which sailors can contribute boats, equipment, and money for the benefit of CLSA -- on a tax deductible basis.

  Commit no CLSA funding to projects for new or greatly expanded facilities or equipment.

External Relations: 

Building and maintaining effective collaborative relationships with external sailing organizations, the State of Ohio Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and the media, is vital to the long-term success of our programs and quality of our facilities.  We have not focused sufficiently on these activities in the past, and we need to begin doing a much better job. Our goals include:

  Appoint a CLSA Liaison Officer, who should serve at least a three year term, to take a leadership role in improving our external relationships, and to enlist other CLSA members in the activities below.

  Monitor DNR activities relevant to Lake Cowan, accurately identify key DNR senior decision makers, and visit them at least once each year to discuss our programs and invite them to our social events.

  Meet with the Park Ranger at least twice each year to promote joint planning and joint maintenance of our leased waterfront area.

  Continue providing our primary Safety vessel (the “Pink Lady’) as a safety/rescue boat for all users of Lake Cowan, whenever she is out on the lake.

  Communicate regularly with other Ohio sailing clubs and with national sailing organizations, and work with them to promote sailing and sailboat racing.

  Meet with, and build collaborative relationships with, other key users of Lake Cowan, including at least the marina operator, fishermen’s organizations, and water pollution authorities, to promote (1) safe boating, (2) providing the best possible programs for all users of Lake Cowan, and (3) equitable sharing of risks/rewards for all parties.

Administration:

            In order to better achieve the various goals outlined above, we need to:

  Re-align our administrative structure to ensure that all CLSA committees report through a member of the Board of Governors who oversees our progress in one of the 7 areas addressed by this plan (the six main program and resource areas above, plus this section regarding more efficient administration.)

  Go to electronic communication whenever possible, both for existing members and potential members (website and mass emails, not regular mail.)

  Continue to enhance the attractiveness and functionality of the CLSA website, including regular publication of our “electronic” newsletter - the Jibsheet.