Dear friends,
The NPC Board of Directors met in June in Louisville to conduct business, including a robust discussion of a new strategic framework to guide NPC’s work during the next two years.
In setting our future direction, the board approached strategic planning in a slightly different way. We began by reviewing our strategic priorities as identified last fall:
Growth in Panhellenic communities
Champion the sorority experience
We then discussed the Conference's current strategic goals and our renewed focus on growth in recruitment. We also noted that our previous strategic plan was very complex, with many layers, and more challenging to measure.
As the outcome of our discussion, we determined we should streamline our approach and incorporate the prior two strategic priorities into a new strategic framework that the board and staff will build upon and monitor on an ongoing basis. Moving forward, we are focusing on the priorities that matter the most to our constituents. The board plans to communicate our objectives, initiatives, and measurable outcomes from our workforce on these initiatives to our wider Panhellenic community on an ongoing basis. We plan to do that by using a simplified reporting format for all to clearly see progress.
Following is a high-level look at our new strategic framework and the two priorities in it.
PRIORITY 1: GROW PANHELLENIC COMMUNITIES
Through dedicated coaching and resource sharing, NPC personnel will assist College Panhellenic Associations in increasing recruitment participation and, as a result, collegiate membership.
Stimulating the growth of our collegiate Panhellenic communities is of utmost importance, and we will do that by leveraging a number of recruitment-focused strategies. Specifically, this includes the digital marketing campaign already underway with our College Panhellenics to increase promotion of the sorority experience and stimulate recruitment registration numbers so NPC organizations see increases in membership. A top priority also includes reducing the barriers for potential new members to participate in recruitment and join a sorority as these barriers hinder our membership growth capabilities. NPC staff and volunteers will continue to look at innovative opportunities for our College Panhellenics to reduce restrictions and barriers for potential new members and recruit more women to our organizations.
Data collection and analysis is another critical area that NPC is investing in so the entire Conference can have important information available to everyone as we look to make crucial decisions regarding how to best support growth within our Panhellenic communities.
PRIORITY 2: CHAMPION THE SORORITY EXPERIENCE
Through marketing and community engagement, NPC will improve the public perception of the sorority experience.
Continued advocacy for our sorority experience is critical for our broader publics—potential new members, parents/caregivers, guidance counselors and coaches, college/university personnel and administrators, among others—to support and engage with us. National and campus-based advocacy initiatives within our new strategic framework will provide further positive messages and images to promote the modern sorority experience, improve public perception and, ultimately foster new member interest in recruitment and sorority membership.
The board recognizes that we need to stay agile and flexible with whatever may happen within our community in the future. Continuous review and oversight, along with the possibility of shifting and changing objectives and initiatives, is critical to the success of this strategic framework.
Interfraternally,
Cheri M. De Jong
2021-23 NPC Chair
