Published below is the final draft of the Global Alliance strategic plan for year 2005-08. This is the result of months of work which began with member feedback as to what should constitute our priorities.

Below is the draft that we wish to move for adoption at our Annual General Meeting in Quebec city on June 9th. We have devoted a half day to go over the plan with you in Quebec (visit http://www.quebec2004.ca). Should you wish to send comments ahead of time, particularly if you are not planning to attend the meeting in person, you may do so by sending me any comments directly by email at jean.valin@justice.gc.ca
 

FINAL DRAFT - 2005-2008 STRATEGIC PLAN

Vision

• ‘One profession - one voice’

Mission

• To unify the profession by linking together all the national public relations and communication management associations as well as regional, specialty and international associations.
• To provide a framework for the discussion and consensus based definition of professional standards and to share resources for the benefit of the professional community.
• To leverage the work of associations and institutes for the benefit and growth of our member associations and institutes and their members.
• To become the authoritative global voice on public relations matters and to work in the public interest for the benefit of the profession.

Guiding principles

• Common principles/country-specific applications

  - The Global Alliance is a service organisation to its members. We believe that there are universal values and behaviours such as ethics and honesty to be promoted for our profession. We will suggest flexible approaches to universal standards that reflect cultural differences in the interpretation, adaptation and implementation of our work.
   

• Seamless membership approach

  - We support each other and commit to assist members in the growth of national associations by encouraging membership in professional associations and institutes.
  - We sustain a framework that creates a sense of ‘global community’ within the profession by creating reciprocal arrangements that, for example extend access to ‘members-only’ rates and products to participating members of different countries. We will encourage sharing of national resources for the benefit of our 160,000 members.
   

Our priorities:

• Setting standards

  Ethics
  - Complete by the end of 2006 the ratification process so that all active members conform to the protocol which achieves a level ‘playing field’ concerning codes of ethics.
  - Continue to apply the requirement that new members ratify the protocol within one year of entry.
  - Re-launch and reinforce the web-based ethics service also by creating a data base of specific cases of application to a wide variety of practice.
  
  Professional Credentials for Individuals
  - We will finalise a benchmark study of accreditation and other professional credential schemes
  - Explore the possibility of a standard global platform for those who offer professional credentials to individuals.
  
  Curriculum standards
  - Conduct a benchmarking study to determine what is being used as a basis to teach public relations at various levels (from community college to post graduate as well as Professional Development programs offered by institutes and associations).
  - Examine what forms part of the body of knowledge in each area of the world; share this information widely with our members and assess the feasibility of establishing a global approach based on the core findings common to all.
  
  Industry tools
  - Explore the establishment of best practices in measuring the economic impact of the profession which involves how we measure effectiveness and performance.
  - Explore the possibility of promoting a set of work aids (templates and searchable database of case studies) that promote consistency, improve productivity, and support best practices in planning, execution and evaluation/measurement of public relations activities.
  - Support and facilitate the work of the XPRL* project.
  
  * XPRL is a not-for-profit initiative designed to articulate common definitions and metadata about the manner in which information about public relations information becomes searchable on the internet
   

Sharing information and resources

• Provide a central web portal for relevant and timely information about the profession. Provide linkages to, or offer searchable databases of case studies.
• Establish knowledge centres ,or link to partner sites and case studies on different topics in order to provide best advice to practitioners (ethics, measurement and evaluation, corporate social responsibility, etc)
• Undertake to ‘build bridges’ between practice and academia by achieving a standard platform definition and involvement by senior academics and professionals in every country.
• Establishing a web-based information base on how public relations is practised around the world – PR Landscape- with a view to complete country profiles of all members of the Alliance by 2007.
• Publicise the policy adopted by the GA national members to offer each other’s members the ‘member’s rate’ for products and conferences.
• Explore ways to link together our senior professionals and Fellows and involve them in our work.

Advocacy

• Publicise the three-country regulation study. Extend to at least ten other countries by 2005 with a view to examine a common position to be advocated. Provide consensus based global answers to the different questions emerging from the preliminary three country regulation study and advocating them in relevant countries.
• Support our members with issues of significant national and regional interest which have or may have implications in other countries or regions ( e.g. Nike Vs Kasky* case in the United States; European Union directives and guidelines, proposed law regulating the profession in Russia)
• Explore membership in United Nations structure as an NGO.

* Nike VS Kasky refers to a case in the United States concerning the freedom of speech.

Outreach

• By 2007, Increase membership in the GA so that 75% of all national associations and institutes are members. Mobilise and engage 100% of our partner organisations in the work of the GA standing and ad hoc committees.
• Establish an electronic newsletter to be published on the web site on a quarterly basis as well as the development of a basic printed handout on the work of the GA.
• Offer organisational support and assistance to emerging and developing associations by sharing our expertise and knowledge.
• Obtain a high level of visibility for GA projects and mission by issuing GA news to our respective media; being present at major conferences and seeking key opportunities to address the public relations community.
• Explore the feasibility of no or low cost qualitative representation in global and regional major public policy centres.
• Establish a mentoring and assistance program to assist smaller and developing associations and institutes.

Internal management issues

• Review our basic financing model including the possibility of a scaleable fee structure.
• Explore other financial options including sponsorship, foundation and endowment support, and the creation of a participation fund for emerging associations.
• Establish new permanent standing committees and appoint chairpersons as well as an assigned executive board liaison to work with Chairpersons.

Key priority projects/tasks for 2004/05

• Promoting and completing the regulation study
• Adding more case studies on the web site and make them searchable
• Launching the first series of PR Landscape profiles
• Pursue the benchmark study on accreditation
• Consolidate our membership base and presence
• Developing a more diversified financial base for the Global Alliance
  
  
  Global Alliance Executive Committee
  19 April 2004