Mainstreeter Staff
It has been said that the place of newspapers is to report the news, and not to make it. On occasion though, the place where other people’s news stories are told may also have a story of its own to tell.
For the first time in its 39-year history, The Mainstreeter has undertaken a strategic planning exercise that sets out a governance framework for the community newspaper, a mission statement, an organization-wide vision and a lengthy list of strategic objectives for its volunteer Board of Directors and editorial team to pursue over the next three years.
Entitled “In Our Next Issue,” the new strategic plan for the community newspaper of Old Ottawa East (OOE) builds upon foundational work done by the previous Board, the recent editorial success of the paper and some ground-breaking community-building initiatives that have helped OOE and its residents transition through significant changes brought on by COVID, intensive development and explosive growth, says Dianne Wing, Chairperson of The Mainstreeter.
The Mainstreeter’s Board Chairperson Dianne Wing. Photo by Lorne Abugov
“I became Chair this February at the same time that four new directors joined the Board. It was a time of change for the paper after the steady leadership of our past Chair, Ron Rose. All of us believed that The Mainstreeter was a fine community newspaper, and that we had done well to champion A Walk of Art, our outdoor exhibit of local artists, and the annual OOE Community Calendar featuring Tim Hunt’s fantastic sketches of Old Ottawa East,” Wing recalls.
“But there was no consensus on what we should and should not be doing going forward. The Mainstreeter was founded in 1985 and incorporated in 2016, so we had a constitution and bylaws, but we had no strategic plan. It made sense for this new board to take some time to figure out our Mission and our Vision. We needed to ensure that all of us were on the same page, and a strategic plan was the clear path we had to take.”
For the Chairperson, her fellow board members and The Mainstreeter’s key volunteer staffers, the strategic planning experience kicked into high gear at a Saturday afternoon session in June at the Atelier Mauril-Bélanger that was facilitated by governance consultant, Claudia Newman.
Wing credits Newman’s extensive experience helping non-profit organizations develop strategic planning and governance policies for much of the success of The Mainstreeter’s recent planning initiative.
“Claudia’s north star is striving to set a solid governance and policy foundation that supports excellence in the work the organization undertakes.
“In the case of The Mainstreeter, she helped us envision an organization that was respectful, trustworthy, transparent and accountable to the community we serve. And we all agreed that was exactly what we needed to be.”
During the meeting, Wing outlined some of the objectives that she and the rest of the board will pursue to improve the organization’s governance. First and foremost, the board will undertake a review of all of its governance documents, and update or develop a range of key policies.
The Mainstreeter’s new Mission and Vision statements and Core Values will guide the governance and editorial operations of the organization into the future, according to Dianne Wing,
Chairperson of The Mainstreeter.
Likewise, Lorne Abugov, the editor of The Mainstreeter, briefed attendees at the planning session on the strategic objectives that will shape editorial operations between now and 2027. In an effort to reach a broader and younger readership demographic, Abugov plans to work with the board to revamp The Mainstreeter’s website with a mobile format, introduce an e-newsletter and recruit a cadre of younger reporters.
Also at the planning session, The Mainstreeter board pledged to continue developing and promoting community-building events and initiatives like A Walk of Art to enhance the newspaper’s visibility and credibility within OOE.
“It is an exciting time to live in Old Ottawa East,” Wing noted. Our overriding objective over the next three years is to do whatever we can to reflect, enhance and build this community
