The ARRL Board of Directors has adopted an updated Strategic Plan that defines the League’s vision and guides its direction over the next 5 years. ARRL COO Harold Kramer, WJ1B, a member of the Strategic Planning Working Group, said the revised plan represents more than 8 months of work on the part of the group’s seven members. Now-Honorary ARRL Vice President Jim Fenstermaker, K9JF, chaired the panel, which met some 2 dozen times, mostly via webinar. Kramer said input to the Strategic Plan was considerable and comprehensive.

“It will let the members know what to expect from their association,” he said. Kramer stressed that the updated plan “was not developed in a vacuum” but includes survey input from ARRL members, the Board of Directors, the Field Organization, advertisers, Headquarters staff, and similar strategic plans that we could find. “We really tried to take into account what all of these different constituencies thought were the main issues, concerns, and direction of the League for the future,” he added.

When it adopted the Strategic Plan at its Annual Meeting in mid-January, the Board said in its resolution, “Further, the ARRL Board recognizes the Strategic Plan presented is the beginning of a more formal process for the ARRL and requires establishing priorities, resources, monitoring, review and modification and/or addition of goals, initiatives, and tactics supporting the Strategic Plan as future conditions and the environment change.”

Kramer said the Strategic Plan’s mission statement — To advance the art, science, and enjoyment of Amateur Radio — describes “what we are supposed to do as an association,” while its vision statement spells out “what we want to be.”

The meat of the plan is its six strategic goals, each of which includes a list of initiatives to further differentiate those goals. The goals are:

• Grow Amateur Radio worldwide.

• Increase the vitality of Amateur Radio.

• Keep Amateur Radio accessible to all.

• Advance Amateur Radio science and technology.

• Organize and train volunteers to serve their communities by providing public service and emergency communications.

• Practice good governance and organizational management.

“Tactics will be developed to define what must be done to support the goals and initiatives as well as to prioritize activities and programs for development,” Fenstermaker explained. “ARRL management is responsible for implementing and managing the process with the Board of Directors’ oversight.”

As the Strategic Plan states in its Preamble, “This plan is a starting point to assure that ARRL continues its leading role in the Amateur Radio community.”