Case Study
Crete-Monee School District 201-U (IL) 2024 Strategic Planning
The Opportunity
As the district’s previous strategic plan concluded, leaders recognized the need to engage their entire school community in shaping a new vision for the future. Over the past several years, the district had achieved meaningful progress in several key areas, and it was essential to build on that momentum.
The next phase of planning presented an opportunity to collaborate with students, staff, families, and community members to identify the priorities that would continue to challenge and advance the district in the service of all learners.
Our Solution
Building on a long-standing partnership that began with a marketing audit and evolved into comprehensive annual communications support, the Donovan Group served as the district’s one-stop resource for community engagement and strategic planning. Together with district leadership, the Donovan Group developed and implemented a collaborative process designed to capture a wide range of perspectives from across the school community.
The process began with a thorough assessment of the district’s current state and progress in existing priority areas. This included conducting focus groups with students and staff, administering a community-wide survey, and facilitating structured discussions to gather input from all school community groups.
Through regular collaboration, weekly check-ins with the superintendent and district staff, and monthly planning sessions with the District Lead Team, the Donovan Group facilitated a Strategic Planning Workgroup. This diverse team of school community members worked together to define the district’s new mission, vision, and core values, and to identify strengths, growth opportunities, and key goals with measurable indicators of success.
At every step, the process emphasized inclusion and transparency, ensuring that every voice had a role in shaping the district’s path forward.
Expertise Applied
The Results
Throughout the project, the Donovan Group provided comprehensive communication, facilitation, and design support to ensure a transparent and engaging strategic planning process.
In the early stages, the team helped the district announce the project and invite participation through website content, a workgroup interest form, social media posts, and a news release.
During the planning phase, we supported communication and engagement by developing staff and family email messages, ongoing social media content, and media outreach, as well as administering the district’s community-wide planning survey. The Donovan Group also coordinated and facilitated meeting logistics and follow-up for the Strategic Planning Workgroup.
Following the completion of the plan, the Donovan Group created a suite of branded materials to communicate the results, including a presentation slide deck, fact sheet, poster, and trifold brochure, along with social media graphics and a launch news release to introduce the plan to the community.
