Practical Strategic Planning For The Post-Pandemic Organization

In the late 90’s as we approached the height of the dot-com boom, dire predictions about the future of associations were being made. Silicon Valley start-ups proudly proclaimed that online communities for special interest groups would replace the need for in-person professional interaction and networking, and individuals would no longer be forced to incur the time and expense of travel to interact with others in their profession. The association industry would be decimated. This of course never came to pass, but at the time the threat certainly showed up in the competitive scans conducted by associations and professional societies engaged in serious strategic planning.

“No one plans to fail, they just fail to plan”, as the saying goes. Those committed to a solid strategic planning process can survive and thrive in the face of adversity because they anticipate threats of all kinds (known, and unknown) and incorporate them into their planning processes. Although the ‘virtual community’ threat did not materialize in the way the dot-com challengers may have hoped, it served as a wake-up call for many membership organizations who had not previously engaged in formal planning efforts.

If the pandemic has raised questions about your organization’s ability to weather future storms, it may be time to review or update your process. What should be included as you prepare? What recent global and societal changes will likely have lasting impacts on how your organization operates and thus should be evaluated as part of your strategic planning process, post-pandemic?

Choosing a Framework

The popularity of various planning methodologies and time horizons have waxed and waned over the years. At one point, long-term goals (5 or more years) were considered essential products of a proper strategic planning effort. This was followed by a shift to only working on short-term goals and plans (1-2 years). Predictions about the future are often wrong, so the thinking went, so why engage in developing plans that will be obsolete before they are completed? Of course, most well-managed organizations use both these days.

There are several popular frameworks for competitive analysis, and although most of them can be adapted to work for associations, SWOT analysis is perhaps the best and easiest to apply in an association context.

SWOT analysis originated with a research project at Stanford University in the 1960s and 1970s using data from many of the top companies of the day. Researchers charged with identifying causes for the failure of corporate planning identified many key areas, and the tool used to explore each of the critical areas became known as SOFT analysis: “What is good in the present is Satisfactory, good in the future is an Opportunity; bad in the present is a Fault and bad in the future is a Threat.” SOFT was subsequently adapted by others to SWOT – Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.

SWOT for Associations in 2021

Consider each of the key trends and questions presented below as your organization makes plans for 2021 and beyond, and where each of them lines up in the SWOT framework. Does it represent a Strength of your organization? Weakness? Opportunity? Threat? When analyzing Threats, consider both likelihood of occurrence (from unlikely to certain) and potential impact (low, medium, or high). This will help as you consider the allocation of available resources and how seriously you should prepare to respond in each area.

Remote Work, Your Employees, and the Labor Market

Remote work technologies have made it possible to work virtually anywhere for several years. This trend accelerated over the past 18 months to the point of ubiquity, with simultaneous rises in both demands driven by the pandemic as well as rapid roll-out and improvement of new software offerings such as Microsoft Teams. A whole new world of potential employees is now available to your organization, unrestricted by geography if you are willing and able to capitalize on it. Unfortunately, this also means potential competition for talent with other employers outside your geographic area, too.

Jobs that can be done remotely are not escaping the attention of cities across the country interested in attracting new residents and the economic opportunities that come along with them. The “Go Topeka” initiative recently offered up to $15,000 for qualified individuals to relocate there. In 2021, the website www.MakeMyMove.com launched with offers from 40 cities and municipalities around the country - cash incentives for those willing and able to work remotely to relocate away from larger cities and traditional business centers.

What is your organization doing to preserve its culture and cohesion in the remote work environment? What makes people stay? Why might they leave? Are there skillsets and talent that have been outside your reach in the past, that may be available now? Ask these tough questions as part of your planning process and strive to take advantage of the opportunities this post-pandemic shift in “how work gets done” presents for your organization.

Volunteers and Remote Engagement

Although the basic human drive to serve others remains steady, opportunities for individuals to reach and support associations and other not-for-profits have changed significantly. As with remote workers, it is now possible to engage volunteers beyond an in-person experience – to remotely serve on boards and committees, act as mentors, and deliver presentations to your membership. Are you providing meaningful remote opportunities for volunteer engagement with your organization? Are you acknowledging them in new and different ways? Recognition in electronic member communications, physical thank-you’s delivered to volunteers’ homes, and taking time to collect feedback from them will each go a long way toward improving the post-pandemic volunteer experience.

Changing Demands on Non-Profit Leaders

Along with the rise in remote work, we are experiencing an increase in virtual and hybrid events, reliance on technologies such as cloud computing, online marketing, virtual meeting platforms, and a sharp increase in the number and severity of cyber-security threats.

All of this may be quite challenging for volunteer leaders, particularly those lacking knowledge in any of these areas. Make this an ‘Opportunity’ for your organization by conducting a frank assessment and board-level discussion about continuing education as part of your strategic planning effort if it is not already. Develop a plan to incorporate ongoing learning accountabilities for senior leaders into your organization’s DNA. Responding effectively to the next pandemic-level event will require leaders who are competent, confident, and well-prepared to lead in times of crisis.

Delivering Value in Education

Although online education was already experiencing tremendous growth pre-pandemic, many adults have taken their first steps into the world of online professional education over the past 18 months. If your organization simply suspended all member education activities during the pandemic because it was not prepared or not willing to make the shift to online delivery, it’s not too late.

Are your members turning to other sources for continuing education and networking? What is their comfort level with online learning? If education is a core part of your organization’s mission and ongoing value proposition, gaining a better understanding of how you can attain or maintain a leadership role in this area should be a high priority of your planning efforts this year.

The industry has witnessed explosive growth in the number and quality of new entrants into the virtual event and online learning markets. Competition among industry rivals will drive better features and lower prices, so remaining open to evaluating options for technology platforms, as well as presenters who may have been previously unavailable will be smart moves for 2021 and beyond.

The Changing Face of Advocacy

The pandemic essentially shut down in-person member meetings for associations and professional societies for many months. However, for some associations, virtual opportunities for engagement with policymakers resulted in higher numbers of members getting involved during the same period. Travel to Washington or the state capitol can be expensive and taxing on members.

Virtual meetings, coordinated with government representatives, may be a way to achieve greater grassroots involvement from your membership. Consider the opportunity to create video presentations that can be replayed in place of, or as a complement to traditional meetings with policymakers. Hopefully “We are canceling the fly-in” can be replaced by “We are increasing opportunities for members to meet directly with policymakers.”

Conclusion

These are just a few of the trends that have recently emerged. There are of course many more, including some unique to your organization and its members, without a doubt. While we are already seeing positive signs of a return to normal in many areas, we must never forget the lessons of the pandemic. Experts tell us it is not a question of “if” but “when” a similar event occurs again.

The good news is that the right planning framework works just as well in times of crisis and uncertainty as it does when the world seems more stable and predictable. We can be confident that many, many lessons have been learned and that the world will be better prepared to adapt and respond quickly next time. Will your organization?

Michael Ulmer, MBA, CAE is the founder of Eagle Creek Partners (www.eaglecreekpartners.co), an Indiana-based consulting practice focused on helping non-profit organizations and individuals set and achieve meaningful objectives for growth and prosperity. He can be reached at 317-563-0414 or mulmer@eaglecreekpartners.co