In February of 2024, CSAR’s directors met in Evergreen and Gunnison for a strategic visioning kick-off retreat. Strategic visioning is the process of asking big, challenging questions about the very existence and purpose of an organization: Who do we ultimately serve? How should we best serve them? What would happen if we ceased to exist?
The effort continued throughout the year with a small group of directors and program managers who met on a weekly basis, generously donating a great deal of their time to produce these results. We’re pleased to share this final draft with our members and supporters.
Colorado Search and Rescue Association (CSAR) – A safer Colorado backcountry since 1973
MISSION STATEMENT
We bring organizations together to find, rescue, and recover those in need in the Colorado backcountry. Composed of volunteers from our member teams, CSAR assists and empowers through public education, advocacy, coordination, collaboration, and continuous skill development.
VISION STATEMENT
A Colorado where backcountry adventurers are informed and our world-class backcountry search & rescue services save lives and serve our communities.
VALUE STATEMENT
CSAR is the backcountry SAR team of teams that believes in:
- Safety of all in the Colorado backcountry, especially the BSAR responders
- Support and Respect for BSAR Responders and their Service: Unwavering support for the unpaid BSAR professionals to empower them to be of the highest service to those in need in backcountry incidents and their community.
- Collaboration and Coordination with our partners in public safety and emergency response to promote maximal teamwork and safety across the community.
- Innovation: Leveraging experience, critical thought, and education to enhance and advance BSAR services we provide to those in need, for today’s incident and the future.
- Advocacy: We amplify the voice of the Colorado BSAR community and we tirelessly pursue the best and most sustainable BSAR system for Colorado.
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
CSAR is aligned on the following strategic priorities:
- Maintain focus on the big-picture sustainability and adaptability of the BSAR system and help our member teams to elevate their perspective too.
- Listen intently to member organizations. Constantly experiment with forums for association-wide communication, collaboration and organizational learning so we can say with confidence that we know how to serve our members.
- Amplify the collective voice of the association for funding, public awareness and education, and advocacy.
- Collaboratively develop an association brand that stands for and engenders humble pride and camaraderie among the responders, and brings respect and collaboration from and with other emergency response and land management organizations. Leverage this brand to gain public recognition and familiarity, increase access to funding, and to engage individual BSAR responders such that they feel they have a stake in CSAR and that CSAR truly serves them.
- Model, and collaborate with members on, best practices for nonprofit sustainability and responder safety in our succession planning, board engagement, continuous learning and the seeking of outside perspectives.
- Create a leadership culture in which every CSAR director and program member feels they are an ambassador for the organization and understands it is their role to tell compelling stories about our mission and open doors for engaging donors and supporters.
- Develop a statewide data collection and decision-making system to support and inform all of CSAR’s strategic priorities, programs, and projects.
- Create and support a culture of continuous topical think-tanks to identify future trends, conduct risk analyses, and propose new initiatives on an ongoing basis.