Prominent Italian historian Niccolo Machiavelli once said, “The one who adapts his policy to the times prospers, and likewise the one whose policy clashes with the demands of the times does not”. The partners of Social Enterprise Development Partnership, Inc. (SEDPI) hold this statement true after participation in Strategic Planning workshops that SEDPI staff organized and facilitated last June.
Progressive Bank, Inc. (PBI), based in Iloilo, held its strategic planning last June 15-16, 2013 at Jaro City. A total of 32 attendees comprising of PBI’s Board of Directors and top and middle management staff participated in crafting the institution’s five-year strategic plan for years 2013-2017.
Vision Bank Inc.’s strategic planning workshop took place last June 22-23 in Virac, Catanduanes, highlighting the need to acclimatize with the changing needs of their current and potential clients while maintaining an edge amongst competitors.
People’s Alternative Livelihood Foundation of Sorsogon, Inc. (PALFSI), SEDPI’s partner in Sorsogon, also recognized the need to change its policies and strategies during their strategic planning last June 25-26.
All three financial institutions successfully fulfilled and participated in SEDPI’s two-day Strategic Planning outlined by the acronym “VMOKRAPISPATRes”. The acronym is drawn in a ribbon diagram and stands for Vision, Mission, Objectives, Key Result Areas, Performance Indicators, Strategies, Programs, Activities, Tasks, and Resources. Each session begins with an introduction and definition of terms, followed by a series of workshops entailing participants to share their insights and opinions.
Included in the discussions are topics on assessing the external and internal environments and institutional values. The new Vision-Mission (VM) statements–core areas in the planning–of the three institutions are summarized in a table below:
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Progressive Bank, Inc. |
Vision Bank |
People’s Alternative Livelihood Foundation of Sorsogon, Inc |
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Vision |
“A progressive, stable and caring financial institution that uplifts the quality of life of the Filipino people.” | “A forerunner in grassroots-led delivery of sustainable development services for the empowerment of the poor in Bicol.” | “A sustainable organization of empowered stewards for the improvement of the lives of poor Filipinos.” |
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Mission |
“To be the leading service provider of innovative financial services and enterprise development support for the economic empowerment of the poor in Visayas.” | “We are a progressive and sustainable bank harnessing the strengths of our stakeholders for the empowerment of the poor in the Philippines.” | “A sustainable organization of empowered stewards offering financial services and client security programs for the improvement of the lives of poor Filipinos.” |
SEDPI received positive feedback from the aforementioned institutions in the conduct of its strategic planning. As Ms. Norina J. Calupit, Finance Administrative Manager of PALFSI commented: “Masaya ako sa kinalabasan sa dalawang araw, at least madami talagang outcome, nakagawa tayo ng vision and mission, objectives. Natapos din natin ‘yung VMOKRAPISPATRes, kabisado na by heart..tapos simple lang at maayos, yung talagang galing sa amin ang mga naisulat na output, hindi tulad ng dati (I’m satisfied with the outcome for two days, we were able to craft our vision, mission and objectives. We also finished VMOKRAPISPATRes, memorized it by heart…and the process was simple yet efficient, with the output coming directly from us unlike before)”.
SEDPI carries out a client-centered approach in the conduct of its workshops, encouraging participants to be fully invested in the creation of their own strategic goals and plans.