Plenty of Associations have a strategic plan.
But how many are actually using it?
According to the 2025 WAV Group Association Governance Effectiveness Study, fewer than 40% of Associations include specific action plans or key performance indicators in their strategy. More than half say their strategic plan does not help the organization evolve or succeed long-term.
If your plan doesn’t articulate specific action items, and ways to quantitatively measure progress, it is not a strategic plan. It’s a poster. Posters do not evolve organizations. Well thought out strategic objectives with specific deliverables, milestones, budgets, responsibilities and a simple visual way to monitor progress, your organization is likely not moving forward.
Given the cynicism about the value of being a REALTOR(R), an Association that is not aggressively focused on identifying and communicating their value proposition could be on a collision course heading toward membership loss or worse.
Download the 2025 WAV Group Association Governance Effectiveness Study to compare your approach with today’s top-performing Associations.
Vague goals don’t move the needle
Let’s call it out: “Be the voice of real estate” isn’t a strategy. It’s a slogan. Yet too many Associations put abstract ideas on paper, skip the metrics, and check the strategic planning box once every three years.
Without clear objectives and measurable outcomes, board meetings drift. Commissions take on their own pet projects regardless of their connections to the company’s strategic objectives. Budgets bloat. Staff gets pulled in different directions. And members? They do not recognize or appreciate the important role Associations play in enabling them to operate in a business and consumer-friendly real estate environment. They stop seeing the value and may wander away.
Planning without execution isn’t leadership
Strategic planning isn’t only about the session itself. It’s about the follow-through. That means:
- Clear, measurable goals tied to real member needs
- Action plans with timelines and owners
- Regular check-ins by the board to monitor progress
- A commitment to adjusting when needed – not just waiting three years for the next planning session
- Enabling and rewarding the CEO and staff to drive execution on time and within budget
- Center CEO Performance Reviews about the specific deliverables agreed to by the Board of Directors
Download the 2025 WAV Group Association Governance Effectiveness Study to compare your approach with today’s top-performing Associations. [Insert link]
And here’s the kicker. Even the most well thought-out plan is useless if no one takes it seriously. Too often, board members forget the plan even exists. Staff might know it better than volunteers. In some cases, core standards seem to drive more activity than the strategic plan.
Make it a working document – or stop pretending
If your board isn’t reviewing the results of the planned deliverables quarterly, it’s not a plan. It’s decor. Here’s how to fix that:
- Build a real accountability framework that ties back to strategic goals.
- Incorporate strategic updates into every board agenda.
- Link staff evaluations and budgets to strategic initiatives.
- Treat the plan like a living document – not a final destination.
The Associations that are growing and evolving right now aren’t the ones with the prettiest plans. They’re the ones using those plans to make bold moves.
Want to see where your organization stands?
Download the 2025 WAV Group Association Governance Effectiveness Study to compare your approach with today’s top-performing Associations. [Insert link]
Need help to ensure your Strategic Planning is not an exercise in futility? Marilyn Wilson, Founder and CEO WAV Group is the most well-respected Strategic Planning facilitator in the industry today. As the former SVP Strategic Planning for a Fortune 500 company, she knows how to help Associations deliver.
