Progress Update on the 2005-2010 Strategic Plan
April 15, 2008
Two and a half down, two and a half to go… or in other words, 2008 marked the halfway point for the Association’s current five-year strategic plan. As such, the AFA Executive Board has taken significant time during its last two board meetings (November 2007, March 2008) to assess progress on our initial action plans and to now identify those areas upon which we would like to begin focusing our new initiatives, programs, and services.
As volunteers, you have played key roles in our progress to date and will continue to do so as we work to complete the plan. Therefore, it is important to provide you the following information about completed, in progress, and newly-identified action plans. All of these are geared toward the realization of our five strategic goals:
1. Advocacy and Influence
2. Convener, Facilitator, and Partner
3. Governance and Infrastructure
4. Inclusiveness and Community
5. Information, Knowledge, and Learning
Successful Projects
For the purposes of assessing our progress on the Strategic Plan, we first identified projects agreed by all to have been “completed.” A little background: to say that a plan or project has been completed means that either it was a one-time project with a definitive start and end that has been finished; or it is a new process, procedure, program, or partnership that has been established and now falls under the category of an on-going initiative of the Association. The following actions plans, first identified and prioritized for immediate attention back in June 2005, have been completed:
- Create a “1st 90 Days” Program for New Fraternity/Sorority Advisors
- Develop a More Engaged Relationship with Associate Members
- Diversify and Enhance Revenue Streams
- Develop a Long Term Plan for Investment/Reserve Funds and a 5-Year Financial Plan
Ongoing/Evolving Projects:
Though many specific things have been accomplished related to some programs and initiatives in the original action plans, work is still ongoing with the following:
- Design Member Categories to Reflect Resource and Information Needs
- Develop a Comprehensive Communications Plan
- Integrate the Core Competencies into all Association Resources and Services
- Conduct Research on the Fraternity/Sorority Advising Profession and Disseminate to Constituents
- Develop an Advocacy Campaign to Increase Funding, Support, and Status of those Advising Fraternities and Sororities
- Develop/Plan a Forum that Unifies the Movement
- Identify and Address Critical Issues Facing the Fraternal Movement that Require Collaborative Efforts
- Evaluate the Structure/Effectiveness of Existing Partnerships and Develop a Framework to Guide Future Partnership Decisions
- Diversify the Pool of those Nominated/Elected for Association Leadership Positions
Newly-Identified Projects:
In the creation of the Strategic Plan, the Executive Board identified a large number of additional objectives related to each of the five strategic goal areas that were not initially prioritized or slated as action plan projects. After conducting a general assessment of our current standing/performance in the five strategic goal areas, board members reviewed this list of remaining objectives and discussed which were most pertinent and should be added to our current list of action plans. Discussion centered on the potential for the initiative to positively impact our standing/performance; the extent to which the task was within our ability to complete; and how the task compared to other possible initiatives in terms of importance or urgency.
In no particular priority order, the following objectives were chosen for addition to our
current list of action plans; which now stands at thirteen.
- Develop a Recruitment and Retention Plan that Addresses Mid-Level and Senior-Level Professionals Committed to the Fraternal Movement
- Create/expand professional development efforts targeted for specific member segments (10+ years, new professionals, etc.)
- Assess Members’ Perceived Value/Return on Investment of Membership and Use this Data in Association Recruitment and Retention Efforts
- Examine Board/Association Governance Models and Identify Necessary Adjustments to Association Operations
- Enhance the Rigor and Quality of Information/Content in Association Programs and Services.
Finally, the following initiatives were identified as additional steps to be taken the completion of previously identified action plans:
- Create ongoing communication vehicles with higher education partners (Action Plan #2: Develop a Comprehensive Communications Plan)
- Work with partners to collect data/information on the fraternal movement and create publications to help members engage in advocacy (Action Plan #5: Develop an Advocacy Campaign to Increase Funding, Support and Status of those Advising Fraternities and Sororities)
- Ensure appropriate fraternity and sorority content is included in higher education/student affairs graduate programs (Action Plan #5: Develop an Advocacy Campaign to Increase Funding, Support and Status of those Advising Fraternities and Sororities)
- Examine efforts of other associations and identify areas where AFA should provide support (Action Plan #8: Evaluate Structure/Effectiveness of Existing Partnerships and Develop Framework to Guide Future Partnership Decisions)
Over the next few months, the Executive Board will begin to identify the specific tasks and programs through which these action plans will be completed. Once this process begins, you can expect the possible appointment of volunteer workgroups; directives to existing volunteer positions and committees as well as staff members; and the specific allocation of funding for the 2008-2009 fiscal year. We encourage all volunteers to consider how to best utilize their current positions or committees to contribute to the successful completion of these action plans. As mentioned previously, the ability for the Association to do so rests upon the ongoing contributions of all AFA volunteers.
The Executive Board and Central Office Staff are extremely grateful for your ongoing commitment.