CSFA Five-Year Strategic Objectives July 2009 - June 2014

Build and diversify CSFA's financial base to assure greater revenue stability:

• Overall revenues - increase CSFA's annual gross revenues from $2.25 to $3.25 million.
• Non-dues revenue - grow by $100,000 annually (50% of total revenue increase).
• Membership dues - develop a tiered dues system adding two extra benefit levels effective January 2011. Implement a dues increase effective January 1, 2012.
• Event pricing - starting in 2011, price event registration fees to assure that events are budgeted to be 90% self-supporting.
• Corporate sponsorships - add two new corporate sponsorship per year starting in 2010; eight active corporate sponsorships by July 2014.
• Fundraising - Appoint a new, member-driven CSFA Fundraising and Development Working Group to identify and monitor fundraising to secure public and private donations and grants for CSFA, FSTI, PAC, the Valor Awards Dinner, scholarships and the Historical Society.
• Fegles Annual Fund - in 2010 launch a new Annual Fund named after Marjorie Fegles, a significant CSFA donor to CSFA in 2009. The Fegles Annual Fund will be the centerpiece for donations designated meet ongoing CSFA operational expenses.
• Merchandising - expand the on-line merchandise offering, improve visibility and establish a gross annual sales goal.
• Xentel - explore new fundraising capabilities with Xentel including PAC related contacts and a "Friends of California Firefighters" concept to deepen our relationship with individual donors.

Increase membership retention, recruitment, categories and benefits:

• Membership increase - boost membership to 30,000.
• International membership - add a new international membership category in 2011.
• Billing consistency - continue membership teamwork to deepen and strengthen our communication with members and local associations, including being consistent with our 30/60/90 day billing notifications and building relationships with association contacts.
• Bay Area membership initiative - support The Redden Group initiative with CSFA staff and leadership assistance to build membership in the Bay Area. Secure 1000 new members by December 2011.
• Volunteer PSA media/SAFER grant - build volunteer membership through the additional visibility CSFA will receive by placing PSA's in selected rural California media markets using the $200,000 annual grant. Tie effort to the Volunteer Length of Service Award program.
• Insurance-based trust - continue to explore feasibility of launching a new life insurance - based trust to provide CSFA members with $50,000 life insurance policies and with additional longer term care options through the accumulation of insurance proceeds into a new CSFA trust.
• Develop our relationship with Chapman-Brandman University - to meet the advanced education needs of CSFA members; building upon member's associate's degrees to offer bachelor's and master's degrees statewide and on-line in a manner that accommodates the unique scheduling requirements for CSFA members.
• Lifestyle benefits - Build up to sixteen ongoing lifestyle membership benefits that provide recognized discounts to members.
• Fire Services Training Institute - continue to enhance FSTI's capability to serve as CSFA's primary training organization. Assure continued CSFA governance presence on the FSTI Board of Directors.
• Regional Membership Representatives (RMR's) - continue the 75/25 cost split with CSFEWBC on RMR's and work to add in 2011 one new RMR in the Bay Area and another one in northern California.

Accommodate generational change but respect diversity in our membership:

• Social media - review and select one or more social media electronic technologies that can be integrated into CSFA website and other electronic CSFA communication outlets.
• Member survey - continue bi-annual survey to identify member training needs, consumer preferences and professional trends. Link CSFA offering to membership needs and preferences in insurance, entertainment, recreational and travel.
• Retiree programs - reflecting a huge potential retiree base - develop new outreach and benefit programs and build a 10,000 retiree base. Phase out new lifetime memberships by Dec 2010 if and when a new $50,000 life policy is offered through a new insurance trust.

Enhance communications with members:

• Monthly on-line newsletter - re-introduce this Executive Director information product to keep CSFA leadership informed about key association developments.
• Next generation website - re-launch the website in 2011 with enhanced features including social media, webcasts and other-line line interactive features.
• Membership email contact - From current email database of 8500 to 10,000 by December 2010 and 12,000 by December 2012.
• On-line membership, class and event registration - continue to promote on-line contact for membership renewal, class and event registration.
• Magazine publishing - continue to focus coverage on all aspects of California firefighting and EMS and develop a business plan to make the magazine a breakeven operation in 2011.
• Post Board minutes and financials - in the "members-only" section of the website.

Market CSFA events as integrated and complimentary to one another:

• Annual Conference/Committee Meeting Day - continue to improve Annual Conference relevance moving the event every other year between Sacramento and San Diego with the San Diego event co-located with Firehouse World. The San Diego Annual Conference will have a strong training flavor with some focus on local politics. The Sacramento Annual Conference will have a strong emphasis state-level political action with presentations by elected officials. Fresno in 2012 will be the Annual Conference exception as CSFA has historically held this event in years ending in a "2" since 1922.
• Annual Legislative Reception - an ongoing event held each spring and held in conjunction with the Annual Conference every other year. Timing of the Legislative Reception should not conflict with the Annual Conference dates when that event is held in San Diego.
• Annual E/E Seminar - ongoing marketing for Seminar similar to the marketing provided in 2009 and 2010. CSFA should price the Seminar closer to seminar market rates to cover 90% of the costs of the event. Also the Board and staff need to work to assure that the leadership of the seminar transitions to the next generation of E/E presentation professionals.

Revitalize state and local government relations as a primary CSFA member service:

• Contract lobbying - continue to employ a Capitol-based contract lobbyist who oversees legislative advocacy and administrative agency contacts. The lobbyist should be responsible, too, for 1) the annual legislative reception, 2) PAC donation requests, 3) general oversight of the work of any local CSFA endorsed political consultant, 4) reporting activities and results to the Executive Director and to the PAC Chair, and 5) providing regular written material for inclusion in CSFA member communications.
• Local political consulting - should be offered and marketed to CSFA member departments. Results should be published for CSFA members as short case studies in political action.
• PAC fundraising - explore PAC fundraising opportunities, beyond dues check off. Options may include direct mail solicitation, Civic Development calls or PAC fundraisings events around the state. This program should kick- off in 2010.

Develop stronger alliances with other fire-related organizations:

• Alliance development - obvious organizations include CPF, the Fire Chiefs and the Fire Districts. Opportunities should be identified in 2010 for hosting joint events, creating web site links and identifying other strategic means of sharing joint resources. In particular CSFA and CPF should together promote the legitimacy of their respective long term disability programs.
• Multi-state alliances - search for opportunities to develop strategic alliances with adjacent state fire organizations including examining the advisability of a Pacific Rim Fire Roundtable Alliance to include state and provincial jurisdictions Baja, Mexico, California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Yukon, Alaska and Hawaii.

Re-invigorate CSFA governance structure:

• Expand the number of CSFA Board positions - to provide 1) two new Board seats for the Bay Area, or 2) automatic Board seats for jurisdictions with more than 400 CSFA members. This option, for discussion only, would include adding seats for the City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, the City of San Diego, Orange County, the City of Long Beach and the City of Fresno, 3) or develop some other arrangement to assure adequate representation statewide. To be voted on by delegates at the Annual Conference 2011.
• Establish a formal Executive Committee of the Board - if the Board size expands, to include three or four Board members and the Executive Director to identify items for full Board consideration and to conduct any conference calls as may be necessary between Board meetings. With more frequent Executive Committee conference calls Board meetings could be reduced to three per year as each meeting will include a greater number of individuals.
• Enhance committee structure - to assure that committees are active and accountable and are focused on member priority needs.

Conclude on-going legal projects:

• Close out frozen, employee defined benefit pension plan - borrow necessary funds, make distribution to eligible vested participants and close out the plan. Pay off will be based on a fifteen-year loan term with the goal of fully paying off the loan prior to 2022 - CSFA's 100th anniversary.