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Strategic Plan and Action Items : December 5, 2001

Washington Chapter American Planning Association

Strategic Plan and Action Items
Adopted by Chapter Board on December 5, 2001

Goals

Visibility / "Bully Pulpit" / "Thought Leader":

  • Increase visibility and recognition for APA as an organization and its members.
  • Support and strengthen local sections.
  • Maintain response levels to state legislation and increase influence in initiating legislation.

Education / Training:

  • Provide training for APA members and encourage members to achieve AICP.
  • Provide educational opportunities on planning for planning students, elected officials and the general public.

Oganization Building/Increase Revenue:

  • Encourage links to National APA and other professional organizations
  • Increase the Chapter's income base to reduce reliance on volunteers for operations
  • Respond to current events affecting planning and increase APA's role as a thought leader
  • Expand number of state APA members
  • Ensure communication with the membership and provide opportunities for feedback on Board activities.

General Objectives

  • Support mandatory continuing education for planners - goal #2
  • Program more and smaller gatherings so more people can attend - goal #2
  • Foster increased citizen involvement in planning activities - goal #3
  • Continue/increase relationship between APA and PAW - goal #4
  • Make APA's voice as strong as AWC and WACS - goal #6
  • Maintain strength of legislative Committee (4) - goal #8
  • Develop new sources of revenue and profit centers for better financial stability - goal #5

 

  • Encourage APA members on speaking engagements to mention APAMembership
    • Promote the availability of "chapter only" memberships, especially for other allied disciplines and neighborhood groups
    • >Encourage students to participate in APA activities
    • Broaden APA membership through outreach to include other fields involved in community development (engineers, city administrators, etc.)
    • Provide "free trial" copy of newsletters for other organizations and include applications for chapter memberships
  • Professional Development
    • Identify AICP credit levels on all program announcements
    • Identify continuing education credits for training provided by other organizations
    • Assist local sections in providing local continuing education training so that AICP credits can be obtained locally
  • Continuing Education
    • Send flyers on events to mailing lists from other professional organizations
  • State Conference
    • Coordinate conference tracks with other organizations, such as historic preservation, transportation, etc
  • General
    • Hold a joint APA/PAW Board meeting to discuss ways to link the two organizations

New Actions Under Board Direction

  • President
    • Define ways to use Estep Gray & Associates more effectively
  • Vice President
    • Develop a relationship with the press - make an appointment with key press members to get acquainted
    • >
  • Secretary
    • Increase connections to the Planning Director's conference and coordinate with them on the Planner's Roundtable
  • Continuing Education
    • Provide education to political candidates and elected officials on planner's activities and the planning process
    • Coordinate with other organizations (AIA, etc.) on continuing education programs
  • Legislative
    • Develop a seminar or guidelines for members on when it is OK to advocate legislation
    • Publicize legislative activities
  • Chapter Historian
    • Develop a history of the Chapter
  • Webpage
    • Use Chapter web site to inform members on training opportunities provided by other organizations or agencies
    • Provide web page links with other organizations
    • Use Chapter website to announce continuing education opportunities from other organizations

Focus Areas for Action in 2002

  • FOCUS: Visibility/"Thought Leader"- Jill Sterrett, Mark Personius, & Mary Lynn Evans
    • Develop white papers on topics related to proposed legislation
    • Hold a "Planner's Roundtable" on major issues (such as GMA at 10 years) leading to a white paper for publication
    • Establish follow-up forums to educate APA members on "white paper" topics developed by the Round Table
    • Develop Chapter positions on issues to be released to press
    • Post5 "white paper" on APA web page
  • FOCUS: Changes in State Conference and Training - Deborah Monkberg
    • Provide training for members on organizational and management skills (personnel, budgeting, etc.)
    • Provide a workshop for planners on working with the press
    • Offer more continuing education seminars/classes
    • Educate planners and planning departments in management techniques
    • Continue support for the Planning Law Conference (planned for 15 to 18 month schedule)
    • Re-institute the auction at the State conference

Actions For Sections To Undertake

  • Send letters to elected officials and Planning Directors on suggested APA speakers
  • Market Brown Bag presentations to other organizations, such as Fire Marshals, City Managers, etc
  • Use speakers at planning "Brown Bag" presentations to present to other organization or to Planning Commissioners
  • Provide presentation on APA at student orientation at EWU, Western WA, and UW.

Desired Actions Which Need An Individual Or Group Champion To Undertake

  • Coordinate with EDC of Snohomish County on their "good development" tour
  • Establish a State APA Speaker's Bureau
  • Provide outreach program on planning for local elementary and high schools
  • Coordinate with Bellevue Community College's program on non-traditional roles for women to talk about planning careers
  • Develop training sessions for pay from other groups, such as developers, builders on topics such as mediation of natural resource issues, public powers & eminent domain
  • Provide programs addressing current events affecting planning and establish links to other organizations, and possible workshop, on Homeless issues.
  • Sponsorship Committee (New)
    • Increase outside agency support of the Annual State conference
    • Promote sponsorships of events by private firms
    • Research ideas from other APA chapters to identify income producing programs