Strategic Plan 2025-2028

Integrity  |  Growth  |  Engagement 

CONTENTS  

Executive Summary

About Us

2024 Chapter Situation Analysis

Strategic Planning Methodology

Strategic Plan 2025-2028

STRATEGIC PLANNING COMMITTEE 

Chantal Boeckman – vice president, marketing and membership, 2024

Linda Goelzer, APR – director at large, 2023-2024

Greg Miller – director at large, 2023-2024

Heath Montgomery – director at large, 2024-2025

John Ponzio – director at large, 2024-2025

Christopher Ruth, APR – president-elect, 2024

Red Team Review:  

Kenn Dixon, APR – president, 2024

Brooke Traister, APR – past president, 2019

Lisa Vasquez, APR – past president, 2023

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

Since our chapter’s founding in 1950, PRSA Dallas has maintained its status as one of the country’s most active Public Relations Society of America chapters with a membership that includes committed professionals in and around North Texas. To best serve these members and ensure strategic alignment between each new board of directors, members of the 2024 board drafted a plan to guide the chapter from 2025 through 2028.

We set out to develop a strategic plan that empowers volunteers and leadership with the authority to launch initiatives, develop the next generation of leaders, and advance the industry. The makeup of our chapter’s board should represent North Texas’ diverse professional and cultural demographics by engaging our vast community of counselors, corporate communicators, agency leaders, marketers, and creatives.

Along with our leadership, our membership must continue to diversify as it pertains to members’ personal and professional backgrounds, and our approach must reflect that effort. Emerging business sectors help keep those in marketing, creative, and communications fields essential to the industry, and we must ensure our messaging and programming make room for different perspectives, ideas, and values to attract a fair mix of ideas and voices to the chapter.

As a chapter, we cannot get caught up in a membership numbers game. While growth is a priority, our focus should be on providing quality service and value to our members. When done correctly, growth will be an outcome. Having a membership growth objective of 5-8% per year provides us with metrics to work toward, but we must remember whether we are the largest chapter, third-largest, or twentieth, we need to be good stewards of our dues and income to serve our members.

To update the strategic plan, we set four new priorities to direct our efforts through 2028: Advancing Learning, Building Community, Fostering Career Development & Advancing the Profession, and Maintaining Leadership & Organizational Excellence. Our shared dedication to nurturing public relations and communications professionals has not changed despite how we approach our business. As a team, we set out to create a more robust and transparent institution that serves the interests of the whole profession.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) were purposely excluded as a priority because we believe it is like air to our chapter. DEI is part of the strategies we use to execute our objectives, as it is a philosophy essential to expanding the publics we engage.

We will continue to build on student-focused initiatives by developing a solid pipeline for the next generation of members and industry leaders. We will focus on all career stages and on meeting people where they are in their career journeys. We are committed to a membership organization that is more agile and robust – one that benefits the entire profession by providing opportunities for engagement with an ease-of-use approach at all touch points.

Moving forward together,

The Strategic Planning Committee

CORE VALUES 

PRSA DALLAS CORE VALUES:

PRSA DALLAS MISSION 

We are the Public Relations Society of America, Dallas Chapter. As such, we serve the public relations, communications, and marketing community at all career stages, from students to retirees. We also advocate for industry excellence and ethical conduct. 

OBJECTIVES:

 In accordance with the purposes of the Society as set forth in the Society’s articles of incorporation and bylaws, the objectives of this Chapter shall be to serve a diverse community of professionals, empowering them to excel in effective, ethical and respectful communications on behalf of the organizations they represent and the constituencies they serve, and advance the careers of its members by providing:

Further, the Chapter and its Board, officers, and members shall support and adhere to the bylaws, purposes, code of ethics, and all applicable policies and procedures established by the Society.

MISSION: PRSA NATIONAL 

The mission of PRSA is to empower its members to succeed at every stage of their careers through professional development programs, networking events, and leadership opportunities.  

VISION PRSA NATIONAL 

PRSA provides an exceptional member experience that educates, inspires, guides and galvanizes a diverse community of ethical and strategic communications professionals.

2024 SITUATION ANALYSIS 

PRSA Dallas features strong membership, leadership, and programming. According to a recent survey, based on the engaged members that responded, our members report satisfaction, reflected by a high Net Promoter Score.  Despite recent moderate membership growth, retaining members has always been difficult. Programming’s 2024 revival proves its pre-pandemic relevance and will help us build the path to membership growth and sustainability.

PRSA Dallas works tirelessly to retain members, but our former practice of issuing many supplementary complimentary memberships as an incentive to attract members has made historical measurement difficult. Communication on brand voice, event follow-up, sponsorship, and membership value has been updated and remains a steady focus. We need to rely on data through member surveys—including the most valued benefits, networking, webinars and virtual learning, social events, and access to the latest public relations trends via PRSA publications—and obtain additional data to compete with Dallas-based groups for members, programming, and professional development.

FUTURE SUSTAINABILITY:

Organizations generally share three objectives: attracting new members, increasing engagement with existing members, and retaining loyal members. Shared interests and values motivate organization members more than they do consumers in traditional loyalty programs because, unlike consumers, members share a sense of belonging.

Recruitment & Retention: The chapter must consider professional-level recruitment and retention. We must rely on data and reduce the risks of losing institutional memory, experience, and lessons from the past. We also must evaluate future leader value propositions. Dallas is a competitive market when it comes to membership associations and organizations. As a result, the decision for current members to renew or for new communications professionals to join us is based on the opportunity to build on a strategic value proposition. In addition, professionals entering the field value having a trusted mentor or colleague, so we must emphasize that participating in PRSA is a means to that end. Other factors that contribute to changes in membership include the impact of job changes on membership retention. For instance, memberships may lapse due to a change in employer or group memberships due to changes in company leadership.

Value: We also must adjust to rapid professional change, including value propositions for specialists who consult or work independently. We need reliable programming, and company CEOs and leaders who act as sponsors or who join PRSA Dallas represent valuable opportunities for such programming. Sponsorships improve future project funding. Our leadership constantly evaluates policies and practices and strengthens relationships with essential members and recruits to ensure our survival into the next decade.

Awareness: Like many associations, PRSA has a critical mission, but it needs help in raising awareness among professionals as they decide which organizations to join. That’s why PRSA needs to spread the word and develop a pipeline of future leaders. We need to encourage more undergraduate and graduate students to be involved, and we need to engage underrepresented groups and promote excitement about the industry. In consultation with the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, PRSA revised its personal and professional demographic questions in September 2020. This initiative aims to engage various groups better. The collected information is shared on our chapter portal to develop strategies for engaging underrepresented groups.

Engagement: Volunteering can further an association’s goals and enable members to become more involved. We need to take full advantage of those opportunities. One of the most crucial measures of a professional business association’s performance is its member engagement rate, and offering volunteer opportunities is a great way to raise those numbers. By using a comprehensive strategy, associations may optimize the influence of our volunteers.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES & INSIGHTS:

STRATEGIC PLANNING METHODOLOGY  

The PRSA Dallas Board of Directors aims to revise and update its strategic plan every three years with an annual review process to ensure it is still aligned with the chapter’s needs. Due to the pandemic, the Board voted to extend the 2020-2023 Strategic Plan into 2024, believing many of the initiatives were still valid.

The 2024 PRSA Dallas Board of Directors revised and modified the organization’s strategic vision with the following methodology:

The ensuing section comprises the strategic priorities along with their corresponding approaches:

The 2025–2028 plan is a living document, and as the profession and organizational demands change, the PRSA Dallas Board of Directors will adjust priorities and strategies accordingly.

PRSA 2025-2028 STRATEGIC PRIORITIES  

Each PRSA Dallas board over the next four years should use the following strategic priorities and objectives to guide their annual plans while customizing their plans to meet their unique situations and needs.

While the priorities are a framework for each year of the plan, we do not expect objectives to be achieved after a single year. Each year’s board should build upon the previous year's work through communication and alignment, which includes documenting and sharing the details of proper research, planning, implementation, and evaluation (RPIE) processes for each strategic priority to ensure continuity.

Four-Year Plan Goal: To engage PR professionals across the various stages of their careers to help them learn, network, advance, and give back.

Strategic Priority 1: Advancing Learning

Strategic Priority 2: Building Community

Strategic Priority 3: Fostering Career Development & Advancing the Profession

Strategic Priority 4: Maintaining Leadership & Organizational Excellence

Each new board of directors must understand that DEI is a foundational element to the strategies we use to execute our objectives. By actively embracing and supporting people of all backgrounds, we are better engaging more publics and building stronger relationships. The vice president of diversity and inclusion will play an important role each year in helping ensure DEI strategies are used throughout programming and marketing and not relegated only to specific awareness month campaigns.

STRATEGIC PRIORITY 1: ADVANCING LEARNING

Continual education of facts, concepts, and theories is fundamental for an individual’s excellence in public relations. In a technological revolution that has no future expectations of slowing down, innovations in technology affect how we share information with each other—images, words, and sounds. Communicators who stop learning and growing risk becoming stale and ineffective in the practice of public relations.

Objective 1: Create relevant programming to reflect in-demand skills and competencies in public relations.

Strategies: Use the core curriculum of the Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) requirements as a guideline in developing annual educational programming. Monitor membership industries and specialities to align learning opportunities with relevancy and need.

Objective 2: Recruitment and growth for members with APR.

Strategies: Establish a baseline of understanding about the meaning and purpose of obtaining APR. Obtaining the accreditation accomplishes: support for chapter growth (certain board positions require APR), increases integrity within chapter membership, and increases the likelihood of a member remaining engaged during that learning process.

Objective 3: Early career growth opportunities and mentorship opportunities.

Strategies: Provide opportunities for new graduates and young professionals to learn how to develop professional goals and a career pathway that defines success for them.

STRATEGIC PRIORITY 2: BUILDING COMMUNITY

Build community and provide opportunities to create and maintain long-lasting relationships among members and a strong connection to the chapter.

Objective 1: Establish a programmatic approach to member engagement activities.

Strategies: All PRSA Dallas members need common experiences with the chapter that unite them and create consistent and highly anticipated milestones. During this strategic plan period, we will establish a recognition program and celebrate PRSA Dallas chapter member milestones, giving members a cohort of fellow members, more personal reasons to attend events, and an overall member-first culture.

Objective 2: Gain and share knowledge about the community we serve.

Strategies: To build and serve our community, each year’s Board needs to have a firm understanding of the membership and the larger community we must consistently engage with throughout the year. During this strategic plan period, we will instill a series of activities that will become a cornerstone of annual planning. These activities will help chapter leaders better understand our audiences and determine engagement plans for each year.

Objective 3: Position the PRSA Dallas Chapter as an active community member by participating in key organizations and events on a regular basis.

Strategies: To build a community, we need to walk the talk and actively participate in our local community. PRSA Dallas members are a wealth of resources for businesses and organizations needing counsel and connection in communications. During this strategic plan period, we’ll identify where and how we can be present in the broader business community.

Objective 4: Provide and facilitate creative and consistent networking opportunities that connect members on a more regular basis with activities that help accelerate relationship building.

Strategies: Members consistently say that networking is one of the top benefits they see in PRSA, and building relationships in our local area benefits both members and the chapter. During this strategic plan period, we’ll establish core networking offerings separate from programming that the chapter can run on a regular and consistent basis, focusing on building community and connection among our members.

STRATEGIC PRIORITY 3: FOSTERING CAREER DEVELOPMENT & ADVANCING THE PROFESSION

Provide value to members by supporting their individual career development, which in turn helps advance the overall profession (reputation and relevancy) of public relations. While Strategic Priority #1 focuses on education opportunities, Strategic Priority #3 is about practical applications that may be applied immediately for career and industry growth.

Objective 1: Grow the PRSA Dallas job board (DFWCommunicators.com) so it always maintains a minimum of 10 job listings.

Strategies: Engage communications/PR agencies and large organizations with robust communications/PR departments through various tactics to create awareness of the job board, show value of using it, and offer discounts to begin posting. Educate job seekers of the job board’s existence to ensure employers see a better return. Market our own job board on social media. Coordinate strategies and tactics with PRSA Fort Worth and IABC Dallas, which share the job board with us.

Objective 2: Integrate career development soft skill topics and business acumen and leadership topics into chapter programming and marketing efforts.

Strategies: Ensure our chapter’s programming, learning opportunities, and educational resources go beyond PR hard skills to address soft skills, business acumen, and leadership skills needed for young professionals as well as industry veterans. Creating a wider scope of educational opportunities for members provides increased value.

Objective 3: Promote the PRSA Code of Ethics to chapter members to encourage increased ethical behavior in their daily practice of public relations.

Strategies: Increase awareness and repetition of the PRSA Code of Ethics among members and external publics will ensure increased retention and understanding of a PR professional’s ethical responsibilities. Encourage the chapter board and senior members to set an example of ethical standards through ongoing performance, professionalism, and ethical conduct.

Objective 4: Develop PR thought leadership opportunities within the chapter and for members externally to better promote the value of the profession.

Strategies: Showcase chapter board members and leaders through internal and external thought leadership opportunities to set an example for younger members, provide additional value to those members volunteering their time, and educate external audiences on the value of PR. Provide younger chapter members with thought leadership opportunities so they have opportunities to demonstrate hard and soft skills and knowledge to peers and employers.

STRATEGIC PRIORITY 4: MAINTAINING LEADERSHIP & ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE

Improve our organizational capability, expertise, and effectiveness while ensuring a stronger pipeline for future chapter governance and better stewardship of our finances.

Objective 1: Increase interest in board and committee chair level participation.

Strategies: To make the chapter’s operations self-sustaining, we must work year-round to build a pipeline of interest, foster continued growth, and articulate advancement pathways for those already interested in leadership positions within the chapter. This includes merchandising the work of the board and committee chairs to the entire chapter membership, as well as establishing board member expectations related to volunteer leadership recruitment.

Objective 2: Grow net income to replenish chapter savings.

Strategies: Continuing to (re)strengthen the chapter’s cash position will allow for expanded operations and investments in potential growth or test areas. Net income increases can be achieved by growing existing revenue streams, adding new revenue streams, and finding efficiencies in chapter expenses.

Objective 3: Establish marketing/communications calendar by March 1 of each calendar year.

Strategies: Articulation of an annual marketing/operations calendar including but not limited to targeted number of events/programs, signature program timing, promotions, known email distributions, etc.