Welcome to the Strategic Planning Center at the National Recreation and Park Association. The association has a long history of evaulating, developing and implementing strategic operations; however, since 2004, NRPA has provided laser-like focus on the collaborative development and execution of a three-year, rolling strategic plan for the association.
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The NRPA Board of Trustees will participate in a facilitated roundtable discussion during their spring meetings in Portland on May 8.
Facilitated by NRPA Strategic Planning Consultant, Cate Bower, Board members will review the association’s strategic plan, the charge of the 2008 Strategic Planning Committee and will then engage in a participatory dialogue about the two “mega issues” posed for consideration by the Committee later this summer.
The Board will contemplate and provide the committee with input on the following two "Mega Issues."
1. How does NRPA become a national organization and still maintain relevance to the stakeholders who comprise NRPA at the local level? And how do we know this vision is congruent with the desires of members? How do we address both citizen and professional needs?
2. How do we raise the level of public awareness to seek park and recreation opportunities as essential to quality of life, leading to increased funding sources for the public and recreation opportunities?
Board members will contemplate the characteristics of a national association and how NRPA meets those characteristics….the types of programs and initiatives relevant to a national association…and balancing a portfolio of products and services that meet the needs of a social mission/advocacy association with those that are designed to serve professional members.
Input received from the Board will be provided to the Strategic Planning Committee for use in their summer work sessions.
Download FY08/09 Strategies and Tactics With Budget Implications 04-29-2008.pdf
The NRPA Board of Trustees will hold their Annual Spring Meeting May 7 - 9, 2008 in Portland, OR.
On Thursday, May 7, Board members will receive an informative briefing on Strategy, Performance, and Finances. This session will provide board members with a retrospective and future-looking overview of the association’s strategic and financial profile, including the proposed fiscal year 2008-2009 budget and corresponding strategies and tactics. The NRPA Finance and Executive Committees reviewed and endorsed the proposed budget and related strategies and tactics prior to it being sent to the full Board for consideration at their May meeting.
Strategies and tactics previously submitted to the NRPA National Forum and Executive Committee were considered, along with ongoing programs, products, services and initiatives in developing the proposed budget. In crafting a budget to support the strategic plan, careful evaluation was also given to a three year financial plan for the association that depicts incremental organization growth and an anticipated leveling off of the growth in 2011. Assuming an organizational stance to ensure continued growth and not settle with a “leveling off” in future years, the proposed budget emphasizes investment in key strategic areas that will leverage the association for sustainable growth in the future.
The attached document outlining the NRPA strategies and tactics also indicates if the proposed strategies and tactics are noted as funded, covered by staff time or not included for funding in the proposed FY08/09 budget. The Board will vote on the budget during their May 9 meeting. The strategies, tactics and budget will be implemented beginning July 1, 2008.
The 2008 NRPA Strategic Planning Committee convened their first meeting on March 14, 2008 in Washington, DC. The committee's charge this year focuses on two primary areas:
2007 NRPA StrategicE nvironmental Analysis.pdf
"Mega Issues" are issues of overriding strategic importance, which reflect fundamental questions the organization must answer and the major challenges the organization will have to address in achieving its vision. They are usually related to industry or professional trends.
The two "Mega Issues" to be explored this year include:
The Committee is working with Cate Bower, Tecker Consultants who facilitated the planning process last year. Bower will facilitate a strategic planning round table discussion with the NRPA Board of Trustees in May during the board's spring meeting. During that session, BOT members will be asked to explore the two mega issues outlined above. Also in May, the Committee will meet to consider the information gained from the Board and develop plans for the Committee's planning retreat that will be held July 25-27 in Chicago, IL. Following the retreat, the Committee will have several conference calls prior to developing a report and recommendations that will be sent to the Board during the Annual Meeting in Baltimore in October.
Throughout the planning process, information will be posted on the Strategic Planning Center. Stay tuned for more information.
The 2008 NRPA Strategic Planning Committee has been named. Committe members include:
This Strategic Plan for the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) covers the three-year period from July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2011. This plan reflects NRPA’s increasing sophistication and skill with strategic planning. It moves the plan 1) to a more strategic and less tactical focus and 2) is the next logical step in the organization’s planning evolution. This document becomes the official plan for work slated to begin July 1, 2008 or later. The portion of the previous strategic plan covering the period July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008 is now the annual operating plan for FY 2007-2008.
The plan provides strategic direction for the work of NRPA as a single, unified Association, in order to advance the important work of member professionals and citizen advocates in public parks, recreation and conservation. It also supports pragmatic decision-making by the Board of Trustees in a manner that reflects the best interests of the Association.
The document attached below outlines the NRPA Board approved mission, vision, values, goals, objectives and organizational metrics and incorporates the staff recommended strategies and tactics for fiscal year 2009 (July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009). The recommended tactics were presented to the NRPA leadership in advance of formal presentation and comment at the National Forum meeting on March 15, 2008 in Washington, DC.
Final consideration of strategies, tactics and a corresponding budget for fiscal year 2009 will take place at the Board of Trustees meeting in May 2008 during their meeting in Portland, OR.
To review the staff recommended strategies and tactics, download this document.
On Saturday, March 16th the NRPA Interim Executive Director, Katie Grove Coffroad presented to the NRPA National Forum, an update on performance against current year strategic tactics.
Attached below you will find a report on performance against the current year tactics, as of March 2008.
This week NRPA staff sent component leaders information, tools and instruction on collecting and submitting recommendations on strategic initiatives (tactics) for fiscal year 2009 (beginning July 1, 2008 and ending June 30, 2009.)
The tactic setting process involves soliciting input from NRPA’s branches, sections, regional councils, BOT committees, National Forum Committees, credentialing bodies and also the program committees/boards of regents of our schools and conferences. To assist in collecting this input, staff created a narrated slide presentation that serves as an excellent tutorial on NRPA’s strategic planning process and detailed guidelines on how/when component leaders may submit recommendations for tactics…and the path those recommendations will take to ultimately reach to Board in May (in the form of recommended tactics and budget).
A tactic recommendation form (MS Word Document Template) was also been created and a designated staff person identified to assist the leaders as they work their way through the process.
Component leaders have been asked to communicate with their board/commission, council, etc. to solicit input and ultimately consolidate any recommendations for FY09 strategic tactics that are in line with achieving the goals and objectives of the strategic plan. Using the tactic recommendation form, they will submit their group’s recommendation by January 7th, 2008.
Staff will collect the input and provide a preliminary report to the Executive Committee during their January 14th meeting and subsequently work with the tactics to draft a set of recommended tactics for review and discussion by the National Forum during their meeting in March 2008. Recommendations from the National Forum will be considered immediately by the Executive Committee who will, in turn, provide direction to staff on formulating a final set of draft tactics and corresponding budget for consideration by the BOT during their meeting in May 2008. Input on the budget will also be solicited as this process moves along.
During its annual meeting on September 29, 2007 the National Recreation and Park Association Board of Trustees approved a revised strategic plan for the period beginning July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2011.
A copy of the plan is attached below.
In the coming weeks more information will be provided on the development of strategic tactics, annual work initiatives and a supporting budget to achieve the first year of the plan.
STRATEGIC PLANNING BRIEFING SESSION
Friday, September 28, 2007
2:00 - 3:30 PM
Indiana Convention Center, Room 207
While attending the Annual Congress and Exhibition, you are cordially invited to a briefing session on the proposed FY2009 - FY2011 NRPA Strategic Plan. This is an excellent opportunity to meet the NRPA leadership and members of the NRPA Strategic Planning Committee ... and learn more about the current draft of the plan. Additionally, attendees are encouraged to ask questions and comment on the plan during this interactive session.
The Draft Strategic Plan will be considered for approval by the NRPA Board of Trustees during their Annual Meeting on Saturday, September 29, 2007.
The current draft of the plan is posted below.Download FY09-11DraftStrategicPlanfor_BOTReviewApproval09072007.doc
The NRPA Strategic Planning Committee met July 21-23 in Chicago to draft an updated strategic plan for fiscal years 2009-2011.
In advance of the retreat, committee members reviewed survey data collected from 700 general membership respondents, 85 NRPA leaders, 15 state executive directors, 18 young professionals, 18 staff and nine consultants. The data, coupled with survey responses from the committee members themselves, were used as a foundation for the committee to explore environmental assumptions, organizational purpose, vision, values, goals and conditions indicating priority objectives to achieve the goals across the designated three-year period.
The committee convened again via conference call on Tuesday, July 31, to finalize the first draft of the plan and sent it to NRPA leadership on August 6 for response and input by August 31. The committee will consider the input and finalize the draft of the plan for presentation and consideration by the NRPA Board of Trustees at its Sept. 29 meeting in Indianapolis.
In advance of the board meeting, an open forum will be held on Sept. 28 to present the plan and take questions and comments by the membership. Members are encouraged to attend this meeting, scheduled for 2-3 p.m. at the Indiana Convention Center, Room 207.
