Case Study: Strategic Planning for Association Success

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A newly established manufacturing industry association determined that it needed to develop direction and strategy to ensure that it could deliver value-added services to its membership in order to continue member participation and association growth.  It retained Dechert-Hampe & Company to design and facilitate a strategy planning session for its board of directors and key members.

DHC developed an agenda for a two-day workshop that guided the group through refinement of its mission statement and vision, identification of member needs and expectations, and determination of industry issues the membership wished the association to address.

DHC forwarded pre-workshop materials to the attendees to prompt thought and gather initial input which DHC tabulated and distributed back to the respondents before the workshop.  This allowed the workshop time to be used for valuable discussion and resolution of areas of disagreement rather than lengthy issue identification.

DHC facilitated discussion and structured activities designed to help the group identify enablers and barriers to attaining their vision and mission and the issues identified as critical to continuing success of the members.

DHC also worked with the board to establish a structure and procedures that would allow effective management of the association and its membership in a way deemed fair and equitable to all members.

The organization was able to reach consensus on the course and direction of the association over the next three to five years.  It also developed a detailed action plan for addressing issues critical to its membership, thereby adding significant value to association involvement.  A contingency plan was designed to allow the association to adjust the strategies and plans as the marketplace and economic climate changed for its membership.

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