The business definition of core process is a “key activity or cluster of activities which must be performed in an exemplary manner to ensure a firm’s continued competitiveness because it adds primary value to an output.” (http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/core-process.html) For a nonprofit organization, that definition would be modified to reflect those activities which must be performed in an exemplary manner to ensure an organization’s effective accomplishment of its mission.
A “Core Process Plan” is strategic planning which is focused on the core processes of an organization. For a camp or conference retreat center, those processes include: Mission and Vision, Program and Marketing, and Organizational Capacity (funding, staffing, and governance). These are the structures, processes, and systems which must be fulfilled in a functional and purposeful manner for the organization to effectively accomplish its mission.
A Core Process Plan references site and facility development as necessary for the accomplishment of ministry objectives, but does not result in a strategic plan for facility development.
A Core Process plan is right for your organization if: 1) you have a site plan, but lack the details of a fully integrated strategic plan for your ministry, or 2) you are not quite ready for a Master site plan, but need to move forward decisively in a strategic way.