STRATEGIC PLAN 2023-2028

 

In 2017, the Association developed a five-year strategic plan for the community.

As we approached the end of our current Strategic Plan, the Board of  Directors and Administration felt the need to embark on a new plan to guide Palmetto Dunes’ direction for the next five years. The past few years have brought tremendous change in our world and was an impetus for Palmetto Dunes to evaluate its current mission, vision and values as well as the topics of importance to our community. Additionally, ownership in Palmetto Dunes has changed significantly in the past few years opening the doors for tapping into new ideas and experiences.

The Strategic Planning Team was selected from many applications submitted by members interested in being involved in the process. With assistance from a fantastic facilitator, this team rolled up their sleeves and dedicated many hours of their time both in meetings and homework. They brought energy and enthusiasm to the table all while listening to the desires of their fellow owners for the future of Palmetto Dunes. The team developed a community survey that was then implemented by a local university to gather data on owners’ history, experiences, and desires for Palmetto Dunes. They used information from the survey, community engagement sessions, and input from the board of directors and the team.

Four key areas of focus and 2-3 action items we identified for the core of the plan. Thank you to all those who participated in the planning team, engagement sessions and community survey. Without you we would not have the vision we have for the future of Palmetto Dunes.

The Strategic Planning Team

We invited owners interested in participating in the strategic planning process to apply to the Strategic Planning Team in early 2022. We were looking to have a diverse representation from all facets of the community to include full-time and part-time owners, owners who rent and owners who do not rent, single-family property owners and villa owners, as well as new owners in the community and long-standing property owners. We were pleased to have almost 60 interested owners apply to join the team. Sandy West, the facilitator from the previous strategic planning process was retained again to facilitate, guide and lead the team through the process this year.

The Team was Chaired by Board Member Becky Brumley. Team members included Alice Bettencourt, Jerry Bowling, Lisa Carpenter, Terence Casey, Derek Dalton, Paula Eardley, Daniel Ekberg, Scott Imhoff, Steve Laskowski, Charles LoPresti, Cynde Moss, Kelly Schibler, Dawn Schlich, and Andrew Schumacher.

Facilitator

Sandy West, Principal of Lighthouse Consulting, is an organizational/talent strategy consultant and executive coach with 35+ years of experience working with Fortune-500 companies, start-ups and non-profit organizations. Her practice is focused on driving results through effective talent and business strategies. She believes discovering individual “exceptionality” – unique gifts, strengths and specialties – and developing them are essential to creating high-performing cultures that drive results and exceed goals. She has led over 100 hundred Strategic Planning processes for all types of organizations including the first Strategic Planning process for the Association in 2016-2017.

Engagement Sessions

In order to gather a wide range of opinions, feedback and be inclusive, we invited owners, as well as key stakeholders in the community to attend engagement sessions. Five engagement sessions were hosted; four were held in-person, and one was via Zoom. To ensure a candid dialogue, Sandy West facilitated these important sessions absent of any members from the team.

Each session engaged a different group of important individuals: owners, commercial partners, community leaders, property managers, short-term rental companies, and realtors. They were asked to share their honest and candid opinions about Palmetto Dunes and give their thoughts on what is effective, appealing, and desirable about the community and what could be better. Participants were also asked to offer suggestions on what could make Palmetto Dunes an even more desirable place to live, invest, work and play.

Click here for the 2023-2028 Strategic Plan

Community Survey

The Strategic Planning Team began meeting in March 2022 with the support of a facilitator to gather data in various ways. We have hosted engagement sessions with owners, the Board, community partners and the staff to solicit their feedback to provide input into the strategic planning process. In order for all community members to have an opportunity to give input to the Strategic Planning Team, we conducted a community survey.

Community Survey Results

The survey was conducted from late July through mid-August 2022 as an integral part of this effort. We partnered with the Center for Business Analytics and Economic Research (CBAER) at Georgia Southern University to develop a questionnaire that captures current owners’ views on various topics relevant to our community. Please see the links to the findings from this survey as provided to us in a research memorandum from CBAER, as well as the full survey results.

Quick snapshot of who we are as a community:

  • Approximately 76% of survey participants or their household members vacationed in Palmetto Dunes before buying here.
  • Nearly half (47%) of respondents have owned their property for less than 5 years.
  • A large majority of respondents (84%) believe PD’s image and reputation are more positive than or on par with other HHI gated communities.
  • We have mixed views on some aspects of our community, such as whether we have the right balance of short-term rentals,  sufficient security or are adequately maintaining the common areas.
  • Finally, and certainly no surprise, our beach is very important to us.

Chair, Strategic Planning Team

Mission, Vision & Values

The mission statement, vision statement, and values each have their own distinct function within the strategic planning process. While developing these statements and further defining the PDPOA’s identity, we felt it was important to establish a tagline as well.

Our Mission: To enhance the quality of life, strive to protect the natural environment, and improve the resources of our community for all those who live, invest, work, and play here.

Our Vision: To be the best residential beach resort community in the southeast.

Our Values: Accountable | Collaborative | Integrity |  Respect | Sustainable

Our Values Statement: Palmetto Dunes is accountable to our community, neighbors, visitors, and natural environment. We strive to build sustainable relationships through mutual respect, integrity, and a collaborative spirit.

Our Tagline: Where visitors become locals.

The Results

  1. Build a strong, engaged community
    1. Increase the number of available amenities for owners
    2. Establish a Social Committee
    3. Develop a social media/communications plan to connect owners
  2. Modernize infrastructure and enhance accessibility and safety across the community.
    1. Improve traffic flow and congestion
    2. Safety & Security
    3. Improve and expand leisure trails
  3. Achieve mutually beneficial relationships with community partners to optimize the PD experience.
    1. Build structured & sustainable relationships with partners
    2. Work with Greenwood and commercial partners to explore partnership
      opportunities and to reinvest/improve properties. Find common ground with resort
      partners.
  4. Enhance stewardship to increase sustainability
    1. Trash and Recycling
    2. Educate owners/visitors about the importance of wildlife in Palmetto Dunes
    3. Water conservation

Click here for the 2023-2028 Strategic Plan.