Strategic Planning
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is the largest LGBT civil rights advocacy group and political lobbying organization in the United States. According to the HRC, it has more than 1.5 million members and supporters. HRC is an umbrella group of two separate non-profit organizations and a political action committee: the HRC Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization that focuses on research, advocacy and education; the Human Rights Campaign, a 501(c)(4) organization that focuses on promoting the social welfare of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people through lobbying Congress and state and local officials for support of pro-LGBT bills, and mobilizing grassroots action amongst its members; and the HRC Political Action Committee, which supports candidates that adhere to its positions on LGBT rights. Local activities are carried out by local steering committees, of which there are over 30 located throughout the United States.
Using the HRC as an organization in which to create a strategic plan for, there are many interesting issues and developments that can be considered. In 2013 alone, at least seven more states have become marriage equality states that have allowed same sex marriages (Morn, 2013). These states include Rhode Island, Delaware, Minnesota, New Jersey, Hawaii, Illinois, and...
Another major achievement that occurred in 2013 for the LGTB community was the overturning of the Defense of Marriage Act that prohibited same sex couples from receiving federal benefits if they were employed by the federal government. "The federal statute is invalid, for no legitimate purpose overcomes the purpose and effect to disparage and to injure those whom the State, by its marriage laws, sought to protect in personhood and dignity," Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the majority opinion (Reilly & Sibbiqui, 2013).
These two examples, among others, represent a changing external landscape for the LGBT community. One of the first questions that should be asked is "what external changes could effect the organization (McNamara, N.d.)?" The major victories that the community won over the last year can certainly help illustrate the changing external environment. Although there are many internal considerations that should also serve as the basis of the strategic plan, the primary focus of the strategic plan should the changes in the external landscape. The external landscape and the publicity generated in just the last year make significant changes in the industry that make this industry particularly interesting.
Of all the external considerations, in my opinion, the most important…
