A Variety of Professional Societies and Associations

Problems Solved: Overcoming Ineffective Strategic Planning, Misalignment of People, Resources, and Programs with Customer Needs.		Strategic Focus: Leading/Navigating Change, Crafting/Executing Strategy, Developing Staff and Organizational Capacity.
Project Team:  Donald Norris, Rhea Blanken, Jon Gunn, and Phil Taylor

Strategic Initiatives has been providing strategic planning/marketing services to over 60 professional societies and associations over the past 15 years. Over time, the scope and nature of these services have evolved.  Since 2000, we have focused on planning and executing strategy in a variety of strategic initiatives for these organizations. 

An excellent example of our strategy and execution work is the National Apartment Association (NAA), a trade association serving over 30,000 members who are the owners and managers of residential rental properties.  In 2004, Donald Norris facilitated a participatory visioning/strategic planning activity that engaged NAA staff, member leaders, and invited practitioners.  The strategy-setting exercise was grounded on a value-mapping process that articulated NAA’s value propositions and mapped how NAA products, services, and experiences achieved the desired value.  This 1.5-day planning exercise led to a prototype vision, strategic plan, and identification of the expeditionary initiatives that would be executed by NAA.  These plans were then fleshed out over a two-month period by Strategic Initiatives and NAA staff to create the tactical/operational plans for NAA for a five-year period.

From our planning activities, education and professional programs emerged as one of NAA’s greatest opportunities.  In 2005, Strategic Initiatives was commissioned to facilitate an educational summit that clarified the nature of the professional development/training needs of the industry and refined the educational initiatives already launched by the strategic plan.

In 2006-2007, Strategic Initiatives conducted another round of strategic planning for the NAA and for the NAA Educational Institute (NAAEI). This included substantial recommendations for organizational development and change management.