By Gabrielle Lawrence and Kristin Wiersma
The Bugle board of directors comprises members who are passionate about the newspaper and its role as “a community connector.”
During the past nine months we have worked on a vigorous assessment and planning process that has culminated in a revised mission statement, a re-imagined vision, affirmed core values and produced a thoughtful strategic plan for the next three years.
We are proud of the work we’ve done and excited to share our vision of the Bugle’s future with you. Here are the highlights of what we accomplished:
We listened to the community through a readership survey, a business/advertiser survey and two community listening panels.
We looked at the central purpose or mission of the Bugle, we identified the values guiding the work of the Bugle and we discerned a strong vision for the future. We then created an ambitious strategic plan to more deeply engage and serve this community.
Why does the Bugle exist?
The Bugle’s mission is: to strengthen our community by providing local news and stories that transform readers into neighbors.
What are the Bugle’s core values?
What motivates the work of the Bugle? Our core values are:
• The Bugle is community driven and values “community connections” (that is: providing the news and information that enable people in our area to connect with one another).
• The Bugle is committed to inclusivity, equity and presenting diverse voices in our stories.
• The Bugle is committed to objective reporting.
• The Bugle honors our history and embraces the future.
What is the board’s vision for the Bugle?
Our vision describes what we want the future Bugle, our dream Bugle, to be.
We’re fortunate to live among neighbors who care about the community we live in. We have strong businesses and institutions with long histories.
The Bugle is part of the legacy of our community. For over 40 years we have been sharing the stories of the people who live and work in our community. As the digital age sweeps through our lives, we envision the Bugle combining timely digital content with the timelessness of a newspaper that can be read at one’s leisure.
The Bugle continually shares news and information and seeks opportunities to build partnerships with local resources. The Bugle is the hub where staff and volunteers with a passion for our community work together to create timely, quality journalism with a neighborly voice.
We have an ambitious three-year plan in the works including specific goals for the remainder of this fiscal year and into 2021-2022, which starts in July.
This next year, we will focus our attention on developing innovative strategies to connect with readers, expand board leadership, plan and secure necessary staff resources, fund raise and develop community partnerships. We will work towards understanding our community’s role in perpetuating institutional racism and will pursue stories to explore these issues.
We are thankful for this community that loves and values the Bugle. We look forward to continuing the conversation with you as we move forward into the Bugle’s future.
Gabrielle Lawrence is chairperson of the Bugle board of directors. Kristin Wiersma, who is also on the Bugle board, has been leading the directors’ strategic planning process.
