Chamber Leadership: SWOT analysis

I’ve read a lot about this recently and I think I’ve finally put my head around the difference.

ASAE has a website dedicated to the subject matter and it is a term that has surfaced, at least in my association management reading, in the last 5 plus years.

For me, in a nutshell, foresight is an exercise in trying to identify what the future will look like for your organization.

Many chambers are doing the 2025 or 2030 scenarios with interesting results. In other words, think what could it be?

Strategic Planning is the process of analyzing the current landscape, through and environmental scan, a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis, and determining a set of goals, strategies and tactics, usually 1-3 or 3-5 years out, on achieving those goals.

Most of us are just trying to get through the day with the limited resources we have but I would suggest that if you spent the time, with a facilitated board retreat, you too would benefit of looking to the future.

I’m sure by now you’ve all read the ACCE’s Horizon Initiative: Chambers 2025? Well that’s just around the corner. It’s time to do the 2050 exercise.

For more information on the Foresight work by ASAE go HERE.

A SWOT analysis is a very good way to periodically gauge whether your chamber is on the right path.

Done right, it’s a valuable tool that should be used during your strategic planning process.

Strengths – what you do well, the best part of your programs.

Weaknesses – what you don’t do well, areas where you can improve on your programs.

Opportunities – where you can make incremental or wholesale improvements to your programs to increase member value and possible growth.

Threats – what outside forces are having on the success or failure of your programs.

Hire a third party (current or former chamber executive you trust) to conduct a planning retreat for your board and then do the following:

Conduct a SWOT analysis on each of your programs (i.e., annual meeting, monthly luncheon, afterhours networking and Leadership Program to name a few;
Identify what you should keep doing and what you should stop doing;
Prioritize what you have identified that you should keep doing;
Assign the resources to be successful; and
Create a review process (scorecard) to measure how you’re doing as you move forward.

Remember, a SWOT analysis is just one tool in a comprehensive review of your programs, albeit, a very important tool!

For tips on conducting a successful SWOT analysis go HERE.