ALCTS Financial Plan 2002-2005

Vision

ALCTS’s vision and mission are supported by a sound and responsible financial base that is derived from a broad range of revenue streams.

Mission

ALCTS provides financial planning and management that will ensure the association’s fiscal health.

Environment

• Rapidly changing technology-based environment
• Level/declining membership
• Changing potential membership base due to increased opportunities in non-traditional library fields
• Changing member expectations and types of involvement
• Increased competition for limited membership base
• Increasing number of initiatives requiring sophisticated technology
• Changing attitudes of leaders and potential members about how the association operates
• Evolving staffing patterns, levels, and responsibilities within acquisitions, cataloging, serials, preservation, and collection development areas
• Increased need for practical staff training
• Increased influence of the international environment

Goals and Strategies

Goal 1. General Financial Goal

ENSURE EFFICIENT USE OF ASSOCIATION RESOURCES

Strategy 1. Continue the association’s sound and broad-based financial infrastructure to support its broad-based activities

Strategy 2. Include realistic financial plans within all programmatic plans and initiatives

Strategy 3. Include financial needs/impact statements (costs in terms of staffing and dollars) within tactical sectional/association plans

Strategy 4. Support dynamic and innovative initiatives through the continuance of the association’s New Initiatives Program

Goal 2.  Advocacy

PROVIDE THE NECESSARY REVENUE AND STAFF TO SUPPORT IMPORTANT STANDARDS-DRIVEN PROGRAMS AND COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAMS

Strategy 1. Continue to support ALCTS interests in relevant IFLA programs and initiatives

Strategy 2. Continue to support the representation for the American Library Association on the AACR2 Joint Steering Committee

Strategy 3. Support, as feasible, other standards-based activities, particularly with NISO, that are relevant to ALCTS’s evolving interests

Strategy 4. Support ALA and ALCTS programs and initiatives related to diversity

Strategy 5. Support, as appropriate and feasible, efforts to promote affordable access to information

Goal 3. Membership

INCREASE MEMBERSHIP REVENUE AND MEMBERSHIP BASE

Strategy 1. Investigate different membership opportunities and definitions with specific attention to:

• Increases in members who have paraprofessional library positions
• Incentives for retirees to maintain their memberships
• Increases in members who are in non-library information management professions

Strategy 2. Investigate new potential definitions for core members vis-a-vis value added services

Strategy 3. Review the membership dues program at each midwinter meeting (ALCTS Budget and Finance Committee and Board of Directors) using an agreed-upon set of review indicators and trend data coupled with the role of membership dues income as part of the overall ALCTS revenue stream

Strategy 4. Focus membership campaigns with emphases on ALCTS program areas and new programs.

Strategy 5. Investigate and implement additional members-only benefits to underscore advantages of ALCTS membership in order to encourage the retention and growth of members

Strategy 6. Provide funds to support the membership business plan

Goal 4. Continuing Education and Conferences

ENSURE A RELIABLE AND APPROPRIATE REVENUE STREAM FROM CONTINUING EDUCATION (CE) AND PROESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS THAT BENEFIT THE ALCTS MEMBERSHIP

Strategy 1. Hold at least two preconferences for each annual conference

Strategy 2. Hold at least three major CE and/or professional development programs during the fiscal year

Strategy 3. Ensure adequate ALCTS staff support for event planning and actual events

Strategy 4. Require the integration of financial planning with programmatic planning with the general expectation that continuing education (including preconferences, institutes, workshops, etc.) should be both self-supporting and overall revenue generating.

Strategy 5. Find mechanisms for individuals to attend preconferences and conference programs through virtual means and with appropriate registration fees

Strategy 6. Increase the level of virtual programming thereby increasing potential “attendees.”

Goal 5. Publishing

ENSURE THAT THE ALCTS PUBLISHING PROGRAM IS SELF-SUFFICIENT AND IS A POTENTIALLY POSITIVE OVERALL REVENUE STREAM

Strategy 1. Continue to generate revenues and services to members through quality publications

Strategy 2. Determine if the current subscription “price” of LRTS reflects a fair cost

Strategy 3. Increase advertising revenue for LRTS

Strategy 4. Investigate and determine whether or not the ALCTS newsletter should be a benefit of ALCTS membership

Strategy 5. Promote and support monographic publications

Strategy 6. Maintain the frequency rate of association publications

Strategy 7. Advertise association publications in the publications of other ALA associations

Strategy 8. Pursue web-based publications to increase overall publication revenues and affordable access

Goal 6. Endowment and Fund Raising

EXPAND FUNDRAISING FOR SPECIFIC HIGH-PROFILE ONE-TIME OR CONTINUING PROGAMS AND INCREASES IN THE ALCTS ENDOWMENT

Strategy 1. Determine which programs should be supported by endowed and/or one-time funds obtained through fund raising efforts (e.g., the New Initiatives Program, the ALCTS President’s annual program, and ALCTS awards) and conduct the necessary fund-raising campaigns

Strategy 2. Continue to carry out appropriate fund-raising campaigns through aggressive public relations programs

Strategy 3. Recognize sponsors and donors in appropriate ways

Strategy 4. Underscore the policy that the purpose of the ALCTS endowment is to support the development and enhancement of association programs and activities and not to support core association operations

Strategy 5. Reinvest income generated by the ALCTS endowment back into the endowment.

Goal 7. Association Staff Operations and Infrastructure

MAINTAIN THE NECESSARY RESOURCES TO ENSURE A STRONG ASSOCIATION STAFF, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE AND PLANNING PROCESSES

Strategy 1. Ensure a staff organization that meets the needs of the association

Strategy 2. Attract and retain the best staff through competitive salary and salary increase programs as well as good staff development programs

Strategy 3. Hire temporary staff, when necessary, to ensure continuance of association operations and programming as well as to support one-time staffing requirements

Strategy 4. As salary savings exist though empty positions, use to ensure continuance of association operations, support, and programs. Salary savings should not be seen as a way to balance the core association budget

Strategy 5. Ensure the necessary information technology infrastructure to support rapidly changing information technology requirements and innovative methods for meeting communication and information needs

Strategy 6. Review progress towards meeting the goals and strategies of the financial plan at each annual conference (ALCTS Budget and Finance Committee and Board of Directors)

Strategy 7. Maintain a strong working relationship between the ALCTS Budget and Finance Committee and the ALCTS Planning Committee in order to interface and monitor programmatic and financial planning and assessment processes for the association’s financial and strategic plans.