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By Nick Koerbin
Have we completed our Annual General Meeting?
Have we inducted our new Board members? So what is next?
Heading into a new financial/year, the Board should now be scheduling some time to review your strategic plan?
As an association leader, you probably have a strategic plan for your organisation. But have you fully articulated why this plan is
important? And have you done all of the necessary work to properly develop one?
A comprehensive strategic plan is key to your association’s ability to thrive and grow in a competitive, complex landscape. A strategic
plan's purpose is to create an association's direction. Without this sense of direction, it is easy for an association to fall into the trap
of simply moving from one “priority” task to the next, without any sense of how this activity is contributing to a greater goal.
There are four key reasons why a strategic plan is vital for an association.
1. Outlines a roadmap towards success. No business can achieve great things without having a plan in place to
reach these outcomes.
2. Adds clarity and focus. It assists in ensuring that you target key actions and priorities, without getting
distracted by other things.
3. Builds awareness of strengths and weaknesses. Taking the time to consider what has worked well before, and
what hasn’t, is important for any organisation.
4. Creates a sense of purpose and unity. It shows everyone – from the President to the volunteers – what you
are striving for and the role that each individual can play.
One of the main revenue streams for many associations is their annual or biannual conference. Anyone who has planned one knows that securing sponsorship is often the most time-consuming and frustrating task.
Hiring a consultant for a specific task is fundamentally different from engaging one to drive organisational transformation.
Boards often recognise the need for change when membership stagnates, governance weakens, strategy stalls, or momentum declines. Engaging a
consultant at this point is a sound decision.
We’re seeing a growing trend. More and more groups are reaching out to start new associations.
In most cases, the reason is the same: "Our current association isn’t delivering."
That may well be true. Starting a new association is a serious commitment, not just a reaction. Let me be clear:
How we help membership based, not-for-profit associations now and into the future.
