ECD Chair’s June 2026 Message

STAY THE COURSE, OR CORRECT? JUNE IS TIME FOR STRATEGIC PLANNING REVIEW

There is so much to celebrate about the arrival of June – School is out! Summer is here! But it’s also a critical month for the timely work of strategic planning. June is “Strategic Planning/360 Survey Month” on the PRSA East Central District calendar because it is our mid-year point for evaluating the progress toward our district and chapter goals and correcting course where needed.

As EDC Chair, my vision for 2026 has been “The ECD Dividend: Elevating Chapter Development.” Our key objectives are to provide measurable support services, including guidance in the form of educational toolkits on improving membership, navigating leadership transitions, and maintaining strong financial practices. This includes exploring opportunities for shared services among ECD chapters.

Additional key objectives include enhancing communication channels between ECD Chapters and PRSA National, and the continued transformation of our former ECD QuickStart Leadership Rally into a full ECD Conference, with a new home in Detroit and a goal of at least 100 attendees.

We have been busy in the first half of this year researching chapter needs and ways to assist, communicating through Chapter liaisons and representatives, and collaborating with PRSA Detroit on building the ECD Conference “Built on Hustle: Communicating in an Age of Change” Sept. 17-18 at The Corner Ballpark in Detroit.

It’s important to understand how the ECD Dividend goals and objectives align with our ECD Strategic Plan 2024-2027. The pillars of the Strategic Plan are to “Build, Influence, and Evolve.”

I’m pleased to note our progress this year toward specific objectives of the ECD Strategic Plan 2024-2027. Our Leadership Forums, Roundtables, and Coffee Chats have been useful platforms for the exchange of ideas. Our monthly ECD Chapter Spotlight profiles showcase the success stories of our chapters. The ECD Conference committee has made outstanding strides toward our sponsorship goals. We have adopted a key advocacy area in our now annual Week of Caring and have demonstrated attentiveness to other advocacy issues of concern, including PRSA National solvency, PRSA membership, mental health awareness, and district and chapter autonomy in how they choose to advocate.

June is both Strategic Planning Month and 360 Survey Month because the 360 Survey tops the list of key measurement tools in the Strategic Plan. The survey has been evolving in recent years with a concerted effort to make it a more precise and useful tool.  Chapter leaders recently received a pre-360 questionnaire to help guide construction of this year’s 360 – yes, a survey about a survey!  We want to get it right, so we will have the best data to review when the ECD board convenes for its annual retreat in September on the first day of the ECD Conference in Detroit.

We encourage ECD chapters to review the ECD Strategic Plan. Consider it a resource for building or developing your chapter’s roadmap.  Below is a quick look at the goals and objectives. Click here to review the full ECD Strategic Plan 2024-2027.

Many, many thanks to all of you for your dedication to your chapters and our East Central District! Have a strategic and productive month of June – and make sure to leave time for some summer fun!

PRSA ECD Strategic Plan – Goals:

• Elevate PRSA East Central District as the foremost hub for cultivating leadership skills across PRSA and PRSSA chapters within the district. (BUILD)
• Guarantee organizational excellence through a commitment to the highest standards of operational and administrative practices.
• Fearlessly champion policies and reforms that serve the interests of both current and prospective PRSA and PRSSA members. (INFLUENCE)
• Boost involvement and enrich the experience of district chapter leaders within the district. (EVOLVE)

Strategic Plan – Objectives:

• To increase the number of lifelong leadership programs by 10 percent YOY, ensuring that at least one program is offered annually at each career level
• To showcase success stories from 100% of PRSA chapters and 30 percent of PRSSA chapters within two years to inspire and motivate leaders, enhancing leadership development, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEI&A), and succession planning
• To raise a minimum of $4,000 in sponsorships for PRSA ECD each year from 2024 to 2027, while conducting an annual audit of the financials, the bylaws, and policy and procedures manuals to ensure compliance with all internal and national procedures.
• To identify and champion through communication efforts at least one key advocacy area annually that directly impacts the interests of PRSA and PRSSA members.
• To increase membership engagement overall by 20 percent in year one and aim for an additional 5 percent engagement annually each year through 2027.