Sail Nova Scotia’s 2025–2029 Strategic Plan sets a clear roadmap for strengthening the organization’s operations, supporting member clubs, expanding participation, and elevating the sport across the province. Built on analysis of internal strengths and weaknesses, environmental scans, and alignment with Sport Nova Scotia’s Sport Development Tool, the plan outlines priorities that will guide Sail Nova Scotia toward enhanced effectiveness, sustainability, and community impact.
Strategic planning is essential within the provincial sport system to ensure that Provincial Sport Organizations (PSOs) remain focused, adaptable, and aligned with evolving expectations. For Sail Nova Scotia, this means clarifying organizational processes, improving governance, expanding participation, and enhancing coaching and officiating pathways—while positioning the organization to optimize performance and funding under the Sport Development Tool.
The plan focuses on three pillars: Organizational Effectiveness, Participation & Officiating, and Coaching. Each pillar includes targeted initiatives with SMART goals, assigned accountability, and timelines extending through 2029.
Key Organizational Effectiveness initiatives include refining internal and external communication strategies, establishing structured board orientation and development materials, implementing a formal staff performance review system, and creating both proactive and reactive succession plans for the Executive Director role. These initiatives aim to strengthen governance, clarity, and operational capacity across the organization.
Within Participation & Officiating, the plan emphasizes supporting clubs through knowledge-sharing and capacity-building sessions, deepening EDIA (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Accessibility) engagement to broaden participation, and leveraging the SailGP event to grow the sport, enhance partnerships, and promote long-term opportunities.
In Coaching, the plan commits to developing six professional development opportunities for coaches and instructors, helping to align provincial programming with national standards and improve athlete development.
Implementation will be supported by ongoing communication with Sport Nova Scotia’s Organizational Effectiveness team and continuous tracking of progress through board meetings, annual general meetings, and engagement with pillar leads. Regular evaluation will ensure that Sail Nova Scotia remains responsive to emerging needs while maintaining alignment with funding and performance criteria.
Overall, the 2025–2029 Strategic Plan provides Sail Nova Scotia with a structured, actionable framework to strengthen organizational capacity, advance inclusion, support clubs and coaches, and grow the sport sustainably across the province. It positions the organization for improved performance in the Sport Development Tool 3.0 cycle beginning in 2027 and ensures that the sailing community in Nova Scotia is equipped for long-term success.