Adopting a new strategic plan: a new strategic plan offers NRPA a more focused direction.

NRPA's Board of Trustees reviewed, discussed and approved an NRPA Strategic Plan for the association covering the FY 2006 to FY planning 2008 period (July 1, 2005 to June 30, 2008) at the annual meeting in Reno-Tahoe in October. This action represents an important step to ensure that NRPA's resources and energies are focused in the most productive and cost-effective manner possible. It presents strategic priorities designed to provide a clear and unified direction for the entire association, with enhancement and expansion of service to NRPA members--practitioners, educators, consultants, students and citizen leaders of park, recreation and conservation agencies.

Among the initiatives in the Strategic Plan that deserve particular attention are an advocacy and legislative affairs agenda, establishment of a research capacity at NRPA, the introduction of distance learning, a focused membership recruitment effort, design of a public awareness campaign, formation of a standing Strategic Planning Committee, and steps to strengthen and clarify the NRPA governance structure.

The impetus for the development of this document began with a realization by the NRPA Board of Trustees that previous planning documents deserved to be both revisited and updated to ensure timeliness, relevancy and value to the association. Under the auspices of the board-appointed Strategic Planning Committee, work began in earnest in June 2004 to develop the Strategic Plan on an accelerated timetable. The committee met for focused work sessions in June, August and September prior to circulating the draft document to the leadership for feedback.

The identification of organizational priorities for NRPA was a major focus of the committee's work. This included a deliberate effort to designate those critical activities the national association is best equipped to pursue during the planning period, supported by the focused and coordinated involvement of branches, sections, regions, councils, committees and affiliates.

The committee acknowledged the important role that these entities play in the work of NRPA, but also identified the need for the entities to move into an "alignment" of purpose, direction and efforts as articulated by the national association. This particular step is viewed as essential if NRPA is to move forward and effectively mobilize efforts related to advocacy, education and training on a truly national scale.

NRPA's commitment to diversity and inclusion was discussed and reinforced as a core value reflected in the entire Strategic Plan. The Plan institutionalizes strategic planning as an ongoing component of the board's work. It is coordinated with both the planning discussions of the National Forum, currently held in February, and with the annual workplan "tactics" (or action steps) that are developed from the National Forum discussions for the board's review and approval.

Between November and January, branches, sections, regions, councils, committees, and affiliates--as well as individual members--are invited to propose specific tactics for the upcoming fiscal year workplan, which will move the Board of Trustee-approved Strategic Plan forward.

The proposed tactics will be presented to the National Forum at its mid-year meeting. Based on the Forum's recommendations, staff will prepare detailed tactics and/or tasks, and the budget necessary to carry out the goals and objectives contained in the Strategic Plan. These will be incorporated in the annual workplan adopted by the Board of Trustees for the subsequent fiscal year beginning July 1.

The success of any strategic planning initiative is measured by the quality and impact of the organization's performance during the planning period. The Strategic Planning Committee worked diligently to identify where the greatest service and value could be provided to both professional and citizen members, and to the public park and recreation community-at-large. This required the communities to make critical and strategic choices, a candid evaluation of organizational capacity, and an acknowledgement that the association simply cannot "be everything to everybody."

I want to publicly thank all members of the NIRPA Strategic Planning Committee for their timely and hard work; and the Board of Trustees adoption of the plan that identifies the organizational priorities for NRPA. It is now time for the entities of NIRPA, branches, sections, regions, councils, committees, affiliates--and individual NIRPA members--to move into an "alignment" of purpose, direction and effort as articulated by the national association. This is essential if NIRPA is to move forward and effectively mobilize efforts related to advocacy, education, training and other areas on a national scale. Share your input and workplan priorities with your respective governing body leadership, John Thorner, executive director at [e-mail], Ron Lehman, chairman of the board at [e-mail], and/or myself, [e-mail]. View the Strategic Plan in its entirety at www.nrpa.org.

Happy holiday season to all--I am looking forward to a focused and productive New Year for NRPA and its members!

Lori Daniel, CPRP NRPA President