In early November, the National Order of the Arrow Committee approved a new Business Plan to guide the national organization’s strategy from 2025 through 2027. The Business Plan outlines four major pillars – partnerships, supporting lodges, member experience, and governance – to guide the national committee’s overall work. Under each pillar, numerous objectives articulate specific goals. The whole plan is thematically aligned to the Order of the Arrow’s updated Mission, Vision, and Purpose and intended to guide how the national committee “ignites limitless Scouting journeys” in the coming years. The organization has completed the Business Plan established for 2022-2023 (and then extended into 2024).
The first pillar captures the OA’s renewed purpose in seeking positive partnerships across Scouting America. This pillar will animate new opportunities for collaboration between the Order of the Arrow and other programs and groups that deliver the Scouting experience to young people. This pillar also contemplates greater integration of the Order of the Arrow within the Scouting America curriculum, including in the training provided to Scouting learners and in the ways youth and adults can be recognized for their participation in OA leadership, adventure, and service components.
The second pillar is focused on helping lodges drive positive membership retention outcomes in their councils. This pillar contains many “nuts and bolts” objectives designed to focus how the national organization empowers lodges to create meaningful communities at the local level. This work envisions the development of new tools and resources that ultimately make it easier for lodges to connect with their members and keep them engaged in the program.
The third pillar drives major thematic and experiential change in the Order of the Arrow’s member journey. The work under this pillar will result in a new story for the organization to tell during inductions and ceremonial events, given the OA’s new policy on American Indian Activities. It also will push the Order to consider the induction sequence in the first instance and whether a new model may more effectively welcome new members.
The fourth pillar ensures the national organization can sustain itself through positive governance and financial management practices. It also calls on the national committee to invest in the next generation of communications content and digital platforms in recognition of recent changes in how young people communicate with each other.
The Business Plan defines the major lines of effort to be pursued by members of the national committee and other stakeholders who support national operations. The national committee has historically worked under an overarching strategy document, in some years called a “Strategic Plan” and in other years captured a time horizon of up to five years. The 2025-2027 Business Plan continues recent trends of packing action-oriented goals into a shorter duration of time. These features should sustain the organization’s momentum toward transformation in furtherance of the new Mission, Vision, and Purpose.