READ-FIRST Toolkit Guide: Council Build Back Plan + Build Back Stronger Plan

Aug 31, 2026

“Council Build Back Plan + Build Back Stronger Plan” is a comprehensive planning toolkit supporting councils to define achievable goals, develop strategies, and monitor progress at the council level with staff and board. “Build back” focuses on restoring 2019 girls served numbers and revenue, while “building back stronger” guides the next priorities beyond 2019 restoration. The toolkit includes council goal guidance, a reflection activity for 2020 adaptation, and a structured workflow covering data collection, SWOT and action planning, budgeting, and ongoing monitoring and evaluation.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatDOCX

Pages4

Reading Time2 min

AccessFree to download

Review (getting started)

Step 1: Council Goals & Where to Start with Planning

Step 2 and 2A: Start to Finish Check List & Timeline

Pre-Work (collecting data to inform plan)

Step 3: Data Collection List

Step 4: Essential Activities Check List

Step 5: PowerPoint Template: Council Build Back Plan Overview

Step 6 and 6A: 2020 Reflection Activity, SWOT Analysis Instructions and SWOT Template

Creation (incorporating SWOT analysis into a strategy)

Step 7: Template Action Plan

Step 8: Budget

Monitoring & Evaluation (ensures ongoing assessment)

Step 9: Action Plan and Timeline (updates to board)

Introduction The “Council Build Back Plan + Build Back Stronger Plan” is a comprehensive planning toolkit designed to support councils with creating achievable goals and planning strategies that can be created, executed, and monitored at a council level with staff and board. The term “build back” refers to 2019 girls served numbers and revenue. Once a council “builds back” to 2019 girls served and 2019 revenue, “building back stronger” is the next goal. This will look different for each council and the resources in this planning toolkit will help councils determine which initiatives to focus on beyond 2019 girls served and 2019 revenue restoration. The chart below called Council Goals provides guidance on targets to set around girl served numbers for the upcoming seasons. It is important to note that while GOTRI and the council network were seriously challenged during this past year, there have been “silver linings”, innovations, and adjustments that have created new opportunities and opened new doors, and “building back” to everything pre-pandemic may not be the goal. Included in this toolkit is a reflection activity to support councils in recognizing how they adapted and persevered in 2020, and what to carry forward and what to eliminate/adjust. Is the Council Build Back Plan a Strategic Plan? While there is certainly “strategy” involved, a traditional strategic plan is usually a mid to long-term plan (ie: three-year plan). The Council Build Back Plan + Build Back Stronger Plan is a one- or two-year implementation plan that will allow the foundation to be built for future long-term planning. Overview of Toolkit Resources All documents are located on the Council Portal under “Operations” on a new page called “Planning and Mission Advancement Markers”. Review (getting started) Step 1: Council Goals & Where to Start with Planning Step 2 and 2A: Start to Finish Check List & Timeline Pre-Work (collecting data to inform plan) Step 3: Data Collection List Step 4: Essential Activities Check List Step 5: PowerPoint Template: Council Build Back Plan Overview Step 6 and 6A: HYPERLINK "https://blog.joangarry.com/important-conversations/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=3%2BImportant%2BConversations%2BYou%2BNeed%2Bto%2BHave%2BRight%2BNow&utm_campaign=Blog%3A%2B3%2BConversations" \h 2020 Reflection Activity & SWOT Analysis Instructions and SWOT Template Creation (incorporating SWOT analysis into a strategy) Step 7: Template Action Plan Step 8: HYPERLINK "https://gotr.sharepoint.com/sites/Council-Portal/SitePages/Finance.aspx" \h Budget Monitoring & Evaluation (ensures ongoing assessment of goals, objectives, and outcomes) Step 9: Action Plan (captures status/updates) and Timeline (guidance on when to provide updates to board) REVIEW Step 1: Council Goals & Where to Start with Planning There are three potential phases in this process and each council will need to assess where to start based on their 2020-2021 girls served number and revenue. These percentage targets are based off council surveys and council reported numbers from the fall 2020 and spring 2021 season. The below phases give councils a goal for “building back” to 2019 girls served and 2019 revenue over the next few seasons. Step 2 and 2A: Start to Finish Check List & Timeline Creating an implementation plan is a process and should be thoughtful. If your council is familiar with strategic planning, you may already be in the planning process or adjusting your current framework or plan. The check list does not have a start or end date to allow councils to start the process when ready and at your own pace. However, the Timeline document does provide guidance on a kick-off timeline to start now and a standard timeline to prepare for FY23 and beyond. PRE-WORK Step 3: Data Collection List The Data Collection List is a comprehensive list of important council data (historical and current) that you can collect and analyze to help inform your upcoming planni

FAQs

What does “Build Back” mean in the toolkit?

“Build back” refers to restoring 2019 girls served numbers and 2019 revenue. Once those targets are restored, councils move to the next goal of “building back stronger.”

Is the Council Build Back Plan a strategic plan?

It includes strategy elements, but it is designed as a one- or two-year implementation plan. It builds the foundation for future longer-term planning instead of replacing a traditional multi-year strategic plan.

What key resources and steps does the toolkit include?

The toolkit provides council goal guidance, a review checklist with timeline, a data collection list, an essential activities checklist tied to the GOTR Keys to Sustainability, a PowerPoint template, and tools for 2020 reflection and SWOT analysis, followed by an action plan, budgeting, and ongoing monitoring updates.

Aug 31, 2026

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