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COA Strategic Plan, 2021-2026

The COA Strategic Plan for 2021-26, available here, includes four priority areas: Grow, Engage, Serve, and Advocate.

1. GROW: COA will grow its membership by 2026 by:

  • Revising COA’s mission and vision to emphasize what is most important to members, concisely, clearly, and inspirationally
  • Reconsidering membership categories and dues pricing as well as analyzing membership benefits (tangible and intangible) and offerings to nonmembers to enhance the member value proposition
  • Setting goals and timeline for membership retention and growth by category, mindful of the total universe of possible members
  • Surveying members regularly about membership value and interests
  • Rebranding COA
  • Personalizing messaging to different member groups including those at different career stages
  • Experimenting with diverse marketing approaches
  • Tracking response to outreach
  • Reshaping outreach based on analysis (tweak, continue or sunset)
  • Helping members be COA ambassadors

2. ENGAGE: COA will further membership engagement, collegiality, networking, and participation in COA activities to promote unity, support members’ well-being and success, share resources, and collaborate to achieve COA goals by:

  • Publicizing COA’s new mission, goals, and vision to emphasize COA’s commitment to supporting, empowering, and advocating for its membership
  • Enhancing media experience by discussing and highlighting COA values and membership experiences
  • Surveying members regularly about Local Branch experiences and wishes
  • Encouraging and supporting Local Branch structure, initiations, maintenance, and membership
  • Providing more Local Branch assistance to encourage consistency, viability, value, and connection to COA
  • Reconsidering/reshaping networking opportunities
  • Enhancing media presence by highlighting COA values and member experiences
  • Tracking opportunities available to members for participation in COA activities and numbers of members who volunteer to participate, and developing new opportunities if needed
  • Growing virtual networking events, e.g., lunches, happy hours, etc., recognizing time differences and what members value most
  • Encouraging mentorship efforts
  • Enlisting COA members in COA’s advocacy efforts at local and federal levels

3. SERVE: COA will expand/reshape its programs to strengthen its value proposition for COA active duty and retired officers and ready reserve officers by:

  • Surveying members regularly regarding interests, needs, and hopes, as well as preferred venues for information/assistance
  • Reimagining the structure of Local Branches to better serve COA members
  • Offering members and partners regular virtual and written resources addressing vital/popular topics such as career development, handling multiple deployments, disability, retirement, second careers, etc.
  • Offering one-on-one support as needed
  • Expanding leadership development programs in conjunction with the Foundation
  • Surveying membership about the Newsletter and revising if indicated
  • Offering Q&A sessions live and recorded, mindful of time differences

4. ADVOCATE: COA will strengthen and amplify its voice advocating for Public Health Service Commissioned Corps officers by:

  • Expanding resources for training members in advocacy (e.g., letter-writing, Capitol Hill or local representative visits)
  • Simplifying lobbying/educating local and national representatives through provision of tools
  • Increasing outreach to members to encourage participation in advocacy
  • Highlighting inspiring case histories of activities, goals, and outcomes
  • Increasing involvement in The Military Coalition
  • Measuring and reporting on activities and outcomes monthly through updates and social media, including hash tagging ongoing efforts
  • Increasing media presence regarding advocacy efforts through outreach to media

 

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