20/20 News - 02/27/09

Welcome to the March Edition of 20/20 News, our e-newsletter about the American Camp Association's vision for the future. ACA's 20/20 Vision: 20 million campers and 20,000 participants engaged in ACA by the year 2020.

This e-newsletter is intended to keep you informed about your association's plans and actions toward reaching this vision and to update you on how we're doing. In this issue, we will be looking at the 20/20 Vision information presented at the Council of Delegates meeting.

Please note that additional information from the Council of Delegates meeting can be found at

http://www.acacamps.org/volunteers/delegates/ and that additional information on the 20/20 Vision can be found on the 20/20 Vision site http://www.acacamps.org/2020/.

A Progressive Future
The ACA Board of Directors adopted a progressive preferred future for ACA and the camp community: the 20/20 Vision. This is an exciting, and robust vision critical to the future of the camp community, youth development, and families! This vision acknowledges that in order for ACA to survive and to be a viable and useful association, we need to move forward with the times and get noticed! The 20/20 Vision is a goal for all of us — to serve 20 million children in camps and 20,000 participants engaged in ACA by the year 2020. This will almost double the impact we have on campers, which are currently at 11 million, with only 1 million in ACA camps.

In early 2008, the National Board began implementing changes in order to help ACA reach its full potential. No longer will National Board members simply be leaders in the camp industry; they will also be leaders from other areas where ACA can benefit from an increased reach and from new resources. By expanding our leadership, we will expand our audience. These new voices will help us to speak louder and more often; they will help us better communicate the value of a camp experience and why it is — and should be — an essential part of every child's year-round education.

The next step in the 20/20 plan is a proposed reorganization of the association's operational infrastructure.

In order to meet the 20/20 goals, we recognize that ACA, as a national nonprofit association, must look, and act, differently. Our existing section structure will not serve us well in the future, as evidenced by our history and current realities. We have numerous liabilities in our current infrastructure, including lack of consistency of services to ACA members and the public, duplication of efforts and wasting resources, competition between sections for limited resources, being under resourced, a weak competitive position, low market penetration, and an antiquated structure and delivery system.

The infrastructure of ACA as a whole must change if we are to be successful. We must have a shared vision, mission, and ends. We must maximize efficiencies and eliminate redundancies and internal competition because resources are limited. We must maximize nationwide potential in the areas of public awareness, fund raising, business development, cause marketing, and research and educational development based on promising practices. We must use technology to inspire new forms of networking, education, and affiliation, and have clearly defined and consistent organizational systems.

We must develop organizational systems that can achieve maximum potential at the local level in the areas of membership development, delivery of educational services, and local collaborations designed to enhance and expand influence and growth in the marketplace with parents, legislators, youth organizations, funders, customers, as well as ACA members and non-members.

And, we must not let comfort with the familiar and fear of change obstruct our preferred future.

The Strength of One
The new proposed infrastructure model is for one association, with one consistent mission, one vision, one governing board, and one management structure, led by the National CEO.

• One Staff: The new system would consolidate the association's employment function to create one staff that is employed by one office — ACA National. These staff would be dispersed throughout the country (as they are now), with some assigned to functional areas of service (public awareness, fundraising, technology, accreditation, research, etc), and will provide staff support at all levels — local, regional, and national.
   
• One Board: The new infrastructure will consist of one board that is responsible for the association's governance — the ACA National Board. Local section boards will no longer have governance functions; however, there will still be program operational functions and leadership opportunities at the local level where current section board members — and others — could continue to serve.
   
• The 24 sections will be consolidated into five to seven geographic service delivery areas. Association staff will be assigned to each area.
   
• For consistency in public policy and legislation, states will no longer be split by section geographic boundaries.  Each state will retain autonomy for legislative and regulatory purposes.
   
• Recognition of the importance of community through the use of both technology and face-to-face encounters will be essential. There will be enhanced technology providing for increased, and intentional, social networking, in addition to in-person opportunities to build and sustain professional relationships.
   
• There will be focused intentionality for the creation of affinity groups, at all levels, with association staff assigned to support these efforts as needed.

So what doesn't change with the proposed new infrastructure?

• There will still be local delivery of programs and services, such as education, accreditation, etc.
• Opportunities for networking, and affinity groups, will continue at the local level. Face-to-face engagement and social networking at the local level is still a critical component of the association.
• We will continue to have many engaged volunteers and opportunities for relevant engagement, at local, regional, and national levels.
• Public policy and legislation will continue at both the state and national level.
• There will continue to be opportunities for members to give input to the national board.
• There will still be association staff support to camps and members.
• There will still be leadership at the local level, and opportunities for leadership will still be available at the local, regional, and national levels.

And, just as it always has been, the ACA continues to be a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, with a mission to serve the public.

This new infrastructure model:

• Provides for economies of scale and scope and maximizes our resources; time, talent, and money.
• Eliminates duplicative efforts, conserves resources, and allows us to take innovation to scale.
• Creates a system that is based on service delivery and benefit, and frees up local volunteers from governance and administrative tasks in order to focus on education, networking, and services.
• Allows us to develop stronger staff support across the country.
• Allows us to expand our influence with parents.
• Allows us to further customize and facilitate local and regional groups who come together based on need, culture, interest, or affinity.

What's In It for Me?

• A more focused and powerful association, able to use its resources in a more targeted, less duplicative way to maximize the message about the value of the camp experience.
• More meaningful volunteer opportunities, concentrated on education and public awareness.
• More clout with a stronger voice on regulatory and legal issues.
•  More opportunities to connect and network with colleagues who share interests, both in the neighborhood and farther afield.
• More parents aware of the value of ACA's accreditation.
•  Potentially lower dues and fees with more "bang for the buck," a result of a larger membership.
• More services from which to choose.
• The strength of a unified association.

What Else Do We Gain by Making These Changes?
ACA will:

• Be able to better meet the significant challenge of influencing our complex culture and mobilize its collective resources across the country to advance the success of the whole.
• Have stronger delivery systems capable of providing relevant, flexible, and adaptable services to a broad range of users, including camp professionals, parents, and others interested in the camp experience.
• Be better recognized by the public as the authority on the camp experience.
• Utilize contemporary and dynamic strategies designed to maximize and mobilize all appropriate resources (fiscal, human, knowledge, etc.).
• Have a strong brand position to facilitate the brokering of critical relationships.
• Utilize operational processes and procedures to maximize efficacy and desired outcomes and minimize confusion and competition.

As we move to our desired future, ACA will be streamlining its operations, reducing duplication of efforts, and improving communication between staff and volunteers around the country. Most of the immediate infrastructure changes proposed will impact those volunteers who are working in sections at the board governance level, and staff, at the section and national level. While the proposed  plan would remove current Section geographic boundaries,  ACA members will most likely see an increase in services available, including local offerings, from camp fairs and educational events to informal "cracker barrel" conversations for example, as well as more opportunities to volunteer with program initiatives and affinity groups, etc.

The 20/20 Task Force will continue to be working on the details of the proposed infrastructure changes, along with volunteers who are working on other numerous task forces contributing to different "pieces of the 20/20 puzzle." Status reports can always be found on the 20/20 Web site.

The20/20 Task Force has consulted with experts in the field of organizational management and will continue to seek additional professional input as they move forward. Additionally, we will continue to seek input from ACA members around the country, and task force members are available to visit Sections upon request. We welcome input from ACA members, so if you have suggestions or concerns, please pass them on!

20/20 Trivia: Did you know that the first 20/20 News newsletter e-blast was sent to all ACA members October 31? And that subsequent newsletter e-blasts have been sent to all ACA members monthly? If you can't find your prior editions or are interested in looking at the other, numerous, 20/20 communication vehicles we have been using — many of which have been in place since March 2008 — check out the 20/20 Vision Web page at http://www.ACAcamps.org/2020/. This information is available to all ACA members and includes: Camping Magazine, Inside ACA, Peg Smith's BLOG, the 20/20 Vision Web site. We will continue to keep these communication vehicles up to date, and we encourage members to check them out from time to time!

Questions or comments?  E-mail the task force at 2020@ACAcamps.org.

20/20 Task Force