The Association for Strategic Planning has never been more active. I'm sending this brief report to our members so you will have an up-to-date appreciation of some of the most significant activities within the Association, and to help you make best use of your membership.

Our Association has grown significantly in the past year. Our membership has grown over 60%, and we now have members in 35 states and several foreign countries. We have chapters operating in twelve metropolitan areas, with others in formation. And we recently added the U.S. Army's Research, Development and Engineering Command as our newest Corporate Member.

Our primary goal is to deliver increased value to all our members. As you have seen on our web site, we provide a wide range of tangible and intangible benefits to our members, and additional benefits and program offerings are in work. In the process, we are building a strong community of strategic planning professionals. And this year we are expanding our awards program to recognize outstanding contributions. You can find more details of the awards program on the ASP web site.

We are intent on strengthening and promoting strategic planning as an important discipline for all organizations. Our repository of significant strategic planning presentations and articles is becoming a major focus for thinking about strategic planning. Each month, our chapters are spotlighting key developments in strategic planning and providing significant opportunities for learning and networking.

Our next Annual Conference, to be held in the Los Angeles area February 24-26, 2008, will be the best ever. We have a strong lineup of keynote speakers and focused presentations planned, as well as several opportunities for deep dives into specific interest areas. Put it on your calendar and register as soon as possible.

Underlying these and many other initiatives, we have significantly strengthened the Association itself. Our new back office systems have streamlined our ability to conduct our operations. And we are making innovative uses of the Internet to facilitate communications among our leaders throughout the country. We are steadily becoming more integrated as an effective national organization.

I'm pleased to announce that we are now using a new, modern logo for the Association. The new logo retains some of the motifs from our legacy logo, but more strongly represents our focus on strategic thinking, planning and action as inseparable elements of effective strategic planning.

Your board of directors has developed a comprehensive plan for the Association, as you would expect, with highest priorities on supporting benefits and programs for our members and chapters, and improving our communication with our members and with the rest of the world. You can expect to see several significant new initiatives rolled out over the next few months, all of which are in alignment with our strategic plan.

Of course, as in any volunteer organization, there are many opportunities for you to participate. In fact, we cannot function without your help. All the items I mentioned above are the result of the efforts of dedicated and talented volunteers. As you know, what you get from an activity is proportional to what you give. Please contact me, any board member or chapter leader, or our Executive Director if you can lend a hand.

We strongly believe that effective strategic planning has never been more important to all organizations. The world is changing rapidly, and we all have opportunities to create the future. Your participation in this Association will improve your effectiveness, strengthen your organization, and help make this a better world for us all.

As always, I welcome your feedback.

On behalf of the ASP Board of Directors, all the best to you and your family at Thanksgiving and during the upcoming holiday season!

Best regards,

Stan Rosen

Dr. Stanley G. Rosen
President
Association for Strategic Planning
president@strategyplus.org