Strategic Planning for a Non-Profit Seminary Organization

Introduction and Organizational Overview

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (OLMC) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide seminary training in a learning environment where young men can gain knowledge of the pre-Vatican II teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. Acting as an independent mission from the diocese in which it is situated, the leaders of OLMC depend entirely on contributions from their own supporters, as they receive no assistance from the local diocese, with which they have no affiliation. The leaders of OLMC are independent priests.

Stakeholders and Goals

The stakeholders of OLMC include the priests in the administration, the seminarians who are there to receive training, the supporters from within the community who come to the seminary chapel for sacraments, and the teachers, professors, cooks, grounds crew, and other professionals who assist in running the facilities.

Because the seminary of OLMC is relatively new, the short-term or immediate goal is to stabilize the infrastructure and bring the working conditions and environment to a suitable level. This includes an overhaul of the plumbing, the eradication of mold and mildew in the seminary rooms, the solidification of an acceptable curriculum that provides the necessary foundational education for first- and second-year seminarians, and the reinforcement of its financial support system. That support system has recently come under serious stress as a result of scandals circulating throughout the international traditional community — from which supporters are generally drawn — regarding inappropriate actions on the part of OLMC staff and unorthodox representations made by OLMC's own leaders.

The mid-term goal is to fill a perceived gap in the supply-and-demand chain within the traditional community, which is continually seeking priests adequately trained in the pre-Vatican II catechism. This mid-term goal focuses on developing a complete seminary program with proper training grounds and establishing the connections necessary to meet the social and economic needs of the facility.

The long-term goal is to establish a working-order seminary that produces the next generation of traditional priests, who can then establish parishes around the world where education and sacraments are offered in schools and chapels, and where new religious communities can be built up. The overall long-term objective of OLMC, in short, is to serve as a seeding ground for traditional Catholic life.

My Role and Why the Organization Matters

My role as a stakeholder is to facilitate the process by which these goals may be achieved. As a part-time volunteer teacher at the seminary, I provide material support to the infrastructure and have access to the leaders of OLMC, who respect my perspective on setting and achieving organizational goals. I also work closely with the staff, which gives me a thorough understanding of how OLMC operates and what kind of strategy should be adopted to smooth out current difficulties and reassure the international community, which is concerned about the seminary's direction and its prospects of becoming a viable option for seminarians seeking traditional formation.

This organization is important to me both personally and professionally. On a personal level, I have invested time and energy into the enterprise and wish to see it succeed; the leaders are personal friends whose growth I want to support. Professionally, if the seminary grows and establishes itself as authentic within the traditional community, it could offer long-term employment or strengthen my résumé with credentials such as consultant, professor, or administrator.

Conclusion

OLMC is a struggling non-profit that is trying to establish its niche, and with the right attitudes and the right strategy it should be able to accomplish the goals laid down herein: to increase the level of control it has over its own image — through online presence and professional presentation — to be more selective in its admissions, and to repair its relationship with influential figures such as the bishop of the traditional community. These goals can and should be attained through a "cleansing policy" strategy that emphasizes returning to basics: repairing the building structure, resolving maintenance issues, accepting only suitable candidates, removing from the support network individuals who generate controversy, and adopting a more professional posture so as to convey the impression of legitimacy that OLMC so urgently needs in the eyes of the wider world.

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