New Initiatives for a New Future

BY DON MEYER, CAE, NJCPA CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER

During the past year, the NJCPA Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) and Society staff reviewed the organization's strategic plan to ensure that it is agile and adaptive. After careful analysis, the SPC affirmed that the Society’s vision, mission and strategic pillars remain relevant but the four directional initiatives approved by the Board in 2016 need updating.

The proposed directional initiatives build on the Society’s work of association modernization and image evolution and focus on the NJCPA’s vision: To equip and empower New Jersey’s accounting and finance professionals to thrive in their careers.

The initiatives were designed to maximize impact in core areas such as education, advocacy and member service, while stretching the Society’s thinking to ensure that the organization attracts and engages the next generation of professionals.

Much has been accomplished in the past six years, including:

> Approval of the new Affiliate membership category

> The Membership+ program, providing 20 free CPE credits to all members

> Transitioning education programs and Society meetings to digital platforms

> Heightened awareness of the NJCPA and CPA profession among lawmakers and media

> Transitioning the Society’s phone and communication systems to Microsoft Teams, which was essential to internal and external communication at the outset of the pandemic

In developing new directional initiatives, the SPC identified areas that need improvement; practices that the NJCPA should continue or increase/emphasize; practices that the Society should stop doing or direct resources away to higher priorities; and areas where there is a gap in knowledge and further research is needed. Looking forward, the SPC examined the key challenges for the organization, including the retirement and loss of seasoned members and the shifting needs and behaviors of members and prospective members. To address these challenges, the NJCPA needs to foster the growth of the next generation of accounting and finance professionals and raise awareness of accounting as an appealing career option among students.

The three proposed directional initiatives are:

> Sustain Market Share. The NJCPA will create and implement a model to sustain market share that assures it is recognized as the leading voice and preeminent membership association for accounting and finance professionals who live and/or work in New Jersey. Qualified professionals will recognize the NJCPA’s professional development and advocacy strength and view Society membership as fundamental to professional success.

> Improve the Member Experience. The NJCPA will provide members with a high-quality, inclusive and innovative member experience throughout their career journey. The member experience will be personalized yet consistent across member groups and will include opportunities to engage in professional development, networking, advocacy and community outreach. NJCPA membership will deliver consistent, high-level value for members and the communities they serve.

> Amplify the NJCPA Brand. The NJCPA will take its brand identity that projects integrity, strength and value and amplify it to the population of accounting and finance professionals who live and/or work in New Jersey. The brand will resonate with members, nonmembers, accounting firms, companies, organizations, the media, legislators, regulators and other stakeholders. The Society’s brand will generate feelings of pride and unity for members and volunteer leaders across the organization.

These initiatives will work in concert with each other to build the pipeline, membership, engagement and the Society’s professional image to grow our community and bolster the pride that New Jersey CPAs have in their membership organization. By championing these initiatives, as well as programs such as the Member-Get-a-Member campaign (njcpa.org/mgm), individual leaders and members can play a key role in driving membership recruitment, engagement and retention.

A strategic plan defines what will constitute success — a roadmap for where the NJCPA plans to go — but it is also a dynamic document. Time, circumstances and outside forces will likely require periodic adjustments to ensure that the plan is meeting member needs and positioning the NJCPA for organizational success.

What do you think of the proposed directional initiatives? Let us know at feedback@njcpa.org.