2023- 24 APA FLORIDA CHAPTER STRATEGIC PLAN
Proposed updates as July 19, 2024 for member vote on Sept. 3, 2024 at Annual Member Meeting
MISSION STATEMENT:
The Florida Chapter of APA provides statewide leadership in the development of sustainable communities by advocating excellence in planning, providing professional development for its members, and working to protect and enhance the natural and built environments.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
I. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND CONTINUING EDUCATION
Goal: Expand and diversify opportunities for the development of skills and professional growth for planners at all levels.
Objective 1: Maximize the use of technology to increase affordable access, awareness, and participation in professional development opportunities.
Objective 2: Increase the number of AICP certified planners in the Chapter by making sure students understand AICP process
Objective 3: Expand professional development opportunities to include the practical application of planning and enhance leadership skills.
Objective 4: Add a higher level of advanced learning opportunities to members level.
Objective 5: Training for planners that do not have a planning background.
Objective 6: Over next 5 years develop at least 2 more staple events at the chapter
Task 1: Continue an annual statewide webinar on a relevant Florida planning topic.
Task 2: Maintain support resources for AICP exam applicants.
Task 3: Promote and educate membership about the AICP Certification Program.
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Broaden the scope and level of planning topics at Chapter and section professional development events, including the practical application of planning.
Identify Florida’s most critical planning issues and develop educational/training programs to address them.
Research alternative technology to provide both non‐CM and CM professional development.
Partner with universities to identify CM opportunities based on their research, with keeping opportunities for co‐events with allied professions in mind.
Develop and distribute a diverse speakers library to ensure a diversity of presenters in the provision of Chapter and section professional development programs.
Reach out to allied professional organizations to explore joint continuing education opportunities, and offer at least two joint events with allied organizations each year.
Develop webinars and other tools to assist the Section PDOs in their professional development activities.
Explore the development of a Chapter sponsored AICP Exam scholarship in addition to the national Chapter Diversity scholarships that are currently awarded.
Develop and evaluate new programs that are a higher level of advanced learning to provide members.
Evaluate programs that would be best as chapter level programs based on content, need, ability to produce across the state.
II. MEMBERSHIP GROWTH AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Goal 1:
Goal 2:
Objective 1: Objective 2:
Objective 3:
Attract new and diverse members, retain current members and increase community engagement through participation in the Association.
Inform and educate with our communities about the planning profession and the value of planning.
Foster dialogue and provide planning information, training, and resources to the general public, allied professionals, elected representatives, schools, planning officials, and other decision makers, agencies, associations, and organizations that interact in the planning arena.
Maintain and enhance an interactive online presence that is relevant, dynamic and includes timely information about the organization and valuable planning resources.
Use action‐oriented and community‐based projects to advance and promote equity within the planning profession
Objective 4: Increase Chapter membership value.
Objective 5: Transition students to full time paid membership.
Objective 6: Target planning commissioners, allied professionals (non‐members/non‐planners), students and interested citizens as members and active participants in APA Florida activities.
Objective 7: Collaborate with other organizations.
Task 1
Develop a marketing tool to tell the AICP story.
Task 2 Identify opportunities at the annual conference to create video and other web content for marketing purposes.
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Update the chapter‐only membership marketing material and target employers and other organizations; distribute to section chairs for distribution at all events.
Develop ongoing communication opportunities with Emerging Planners to promote the membership and benefits.
Develop a list of alternative strategies for recruiting and involving students in Executive Committee and Section activities and promoting the Chapter’s minority scholarship.
Task 6 Promote University‐sponsored mentoring programs throughout the state.
Task 7 Send the APA Florida newsletter to other organizations and explore sending it to legislators.
Task 8 Cross promote events and activities to other sections and other organization.
Task 9 Reach out to non‐participating section members to find ways to reengage them.
Task 10 Pursue outreach to both elected and appointed officials to engage them in the organization.
Task 11 Create opportunities for micro level casual community conversations that planners offer in their communities.
Task 12 Develop on‐demand presentations on common planning topics for Planning Commissioners and elected officials to watch at their leisure.
Task 13
Provide fun opportunities to retain and attract members.
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Expand the content of the online presence and increase the frequency of updates to provide resources and tools that highlight the profession, help form partnerships with other organizations, and amplify the community‐building work of planners and organizations working on equity and social justice.
Develop and disseminate a community engagement toolkit.
Use Community Planning Month to engage communities and allied organizations on the relevance of planning and equity‐based projects
Expand the Annual Great Places Award to comprehensively showcase the relevance of planning throughout Florida.
Task 18 Utilize Florida‐based education modules to help K‐12 students learn about the planning profession and what planning does in their communities.
Task 19 Continue and enhance Develop and implement a Community Planning Action Teams (CPAT) program for Florida.
Task 20 Develop and implement method to collect, monitor, and share community driven content.
Task 21 Promote the APA Ambassador program and facilitate the formation of teams to expand efforts within Florida.
Task 22 Implement the Chapter’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Strategy.
Task 23 Build relationships with like‐minded community partners
Task 24 Create events such as webinars, or live events in partnership with local associations and other community partners
III. SECTION SUPPORT
Goal 1: Engage our members and communities at the local level.
Goal 2: Provide the tools and resources to support thriving sections.
Objective 1: Increase collaboration and communications with allied organizations at the local level.
Objective 2: Advocate the relevancy and value of planning and membership.
Objective 3: Standardize outreach techniques and platform use.
Objective 4: Create standard operating procedures and provide additional support to sections.
Task 1 Build relationships with allied organizations within the section.
Task 2 Pursue opportunities to partner and promote events with allied organizations.
Task 3 Create minimum standards for Local Planning Officials training template.
Task 4 Host Planning Commission training at the section level.
Task 5 Schedule annual legislative engagement events.
Task 6 Provide training and implementation of the communications plan to the sections.
Task 7 Develop and implement a succession plan for section leadership.
Task 8 Create a centralized repository for Section materials.
IV. COMMUNICATION
Goal 1: Revisit the chapter’s mission statement and create an organizational voice.
Goal 2: Explore and establish a brand identity of planners to help educate non-planners on the benefits that planners bring to their communities.
Goal 3. Define and share the value of APA Florida & AICP Certification through educational products and advocacy efforts.
Goal 4. Establish a more cohesive communications calendar that includes shareable content for sections. (This is a beta test in 2023. Roll out by Nov. 1 to sections to review before Jan. 1.)
Objective 1: Craft a communication strategy that leverages chapter goals, better defines the organizational mission through communication products and events, and establishes achievable goals to elevate the chapter’s voice.
Objective 2: Update the APA Florida Mission Statement to reflect newer planning challenges and planners’ roles in creating communities.
Objective 3: Establish a brand voice through internal and external communications.
Objective 4: Craft communication products targeting non‐planners, elected officials, decision‐makers, and like‐minded partners that explain community planning challenges and planners’ roles in resolving them.
Objective 5: Define different types of planning to better explain specialization.
Objective 6: Promote planners and what we do.
Objective 7: Identify replicable educational products and opportunities for AICP and non‐AICP members.
Objective 8: Illustrate member value through routine communication.
Objective 9: Explain the career benefits and status of AICP Certification to non‐certified and public agency leadership.
Objective 10: Craft a fluid communications calendar for sections to adopt content‐sharing ideas.
Objective 11: Create an intake process for sections to request content creation help.
Task 1: Develop a communications strategy:
→ Identify target audiences (members, elected officials, students, non‐planners, etc.)
→ Identify optimal platforms (website, social media, eblasts, podcast, traditional media, etc.)
→ Elevate Section communications efforts.
→ Develop external communication products.
→ Develop methods to collect member‐generated and community‐driven content.
→ Establish cobranded content sharing with community partners.
→ Use results from the 2023 Member Survey and conduct a focus group of students, emerging planners, and EDI committee members for content ideas.
Task 2: Assign a Communications Committee ad hoc committee to craft a new mission statement.
Task 3: Assign a Communications Committee ad hoc committee to research and establish branding best practices to help establish internal and external voices.
Task 4: Localize APA’s “It Takes a Planner” campaign.
Task 5: Illustrate what is planning and why it’s valuable.
Task 6: Review 2023 Member Survey for member ideas and workshop top ideas.
Task 7: Focus on success of CPAT and explain how planners connected the dots.
Task 8: Target students, emerging planners, and planners who didn’t go to planning school.
→ Expand Planning Officials Training and Planning Academy 101.
→ Craft student marketing products for online AICP Exam Prep Course and benefits of taking the exam while in school or immediately after graduation.
Task 9: Partner with schools to educate AICP and ACSP members.
→ Working group with university liaisons and chairs.
Task 10: Create standard programming to ensure CM opportunities outside Florida Planning Conference.
→ Use results from the 2023 Member Survey to identify gaps and needs of members’ continuing education.
Task 11: Explain that certified planners are one of the few that require a code of ethics.
Task 12: Push findings of AICP Recognition and Planning Services Procurement Study Group.
Task 13: Work with the VP of Section Affairs and section chairs to outline the calendar and best‐sharing ideas.
Task 14: Work with the VP of Section Affairs and section chairs to create a form flexible enough to capture information to assist with events, social graphics, communications products, and other marketing needs.
V. GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS
Goal: Lead, advocate, collaborate & educate on planning issues in the government decision-making process.
Goal: Perform Legislative Audit
Objective 1:
Objective 2:
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Task 1:
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Adopt and advocate a Legislative Program that is responsive to current issues and specifically supports good planning principles and procedures before the legislature and other governing bodies.
Maintain a professional policy presence that establishes the Chapter as the lead resource in the state on issues related to planning and growth management.
Inform members of legislative activities and solicit member input in developing and implementing the legislative program.
Evaluate legislative consultant to ensure that APA FL initiatives are well represented during session.
Continue to develop the legislative program and produce legislative reporters for members during session.
Develop a measure for evaluating the current legislative consultant and what is needed moving forward.
VI. CHAPTER OFFICE AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE SUPPORT
Goal 1: Advance the goals and mission of APA Florida.
Goal 2: Support and strengthen each section.
Objective 1: Undertake the activities of the organization in a way that provides tangible benefits to the members.
Objective 2: Establish the framework for a seamless leadership succession plan for the APA Florida Executive Committee.
Objective 3: Build capacity for volunteer leaders of the organization.
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Host regular trainings for Section officers on their APA Florida roles (beyond the Chair position) and develop process to network across Sections.
Develop a Chapter Leadership training series for Chapter and Section volunteers (e.g., fundraising, reading financial sheets, volunteer recruitment).
Evaluate employee/contractor staffing levels, funding & roles to ensure we have adequate staff to achieve chapter goals (including communications, legislative, section support, etc.).
Assess the list of allied organizations with whom APA Florida is partnering to maximize collaboration opportunities.
Evaluate the Executive Committee meeting structure (frequency, virtual vs in‐person, & content).
Meet with Section affairs VP at least every other month to establish what is needed for sections to grow and thrive. How can the chapter office support them?
VII. FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY
Goal: Create more detailed and diverse sponsorship opportunities
Objective 1: Differentiate between chapter and section sponsorship opportunities.
Objective 2: Establish Sponsorship Committee
Objective 3: Establish an APA FL foundation.
Task 1: Evaluate current sponsorship packet and update according to needs
Task 2: Reach out to members to develop a small sponsorship committee
Task 3: Develop a new sponsorship packet for the section level sponsorships
Task 4: Develop sponsorship guidelines and disseminate them to sections for use at the section level.
(Approved at the EC Meeting on July 19, 2024 for a vote at the Annual Members Meeting at FPC24.)
