Strategies

Objectives

AER
Operational Plan 3/13/08
Action
Items

Status

Goal I: Improve
communication, internally
and externally
A. Improve AER's effectiveness in
dealing with professional issues

1. Align the goals of AER and Divisions

a. Create an AER forum for the Division discussion of professional issues and formulation of AER
action plans to address those issues.
b. Discuss and get consensus with Divisions on what professional issues should be addressed at the
AER level vs the Division level
c. Ensure AER and divisions speak with one voice on professional issues
d. Ensure that AER represents the imnterests of all our divisions, and that AER is the main liaison
with other professional organizations.

B. Improve AER's organizational

effectiveness

1. Enhance communication of AER

strategic goals to Divisions and Chapters

a. Use AERLift to support communication of new strategic plan

b. Develop communication tools for leaders in Divisions and Chapters

2. Improve AER services to Divisions and

Chapters

a. Redesign AER website, adding new capabilities to consolidate links with Division and Chapter
sites
b. Offer enhanced speakers bureau for leadership
c. Fuffill requests for information, mailing lists, etc more quickly

3. Develop proactive communication with

Division and Chapter leadership

a. Increase contact with Council of Chapter Presidents and Council of Division Chairs
b. Develop communication tools for leaders in Divisions and Chapters
c. Develop newsletter for Chapter and Division leaders
d. Review current materials for Division/Chapter leadership and revise as necessary.

C. Provide effective legislative

advocacy for the profession

1. Partner with other organizations to

effectively track legislation

a Work with the Legeslative Working Group (LWG) to advance common legeslative agenda with
sister organizations

2. Improve support for legislative activity at a. Include Chapter-level support in Legislative Committee charge
Chapter level
b. Develop legislative action kit for Chapters
c. Support licensure efforts at state level
d. Communication with Chapter Legesltaive groups on a quarterly
e. Support state agencies by helping retain current funding and organizational structure

Operational Plan

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Strategies

Objectives

AER
Operational Plan 3/13/08
Action
Items

Status

3. Prepare for significant advocacy effort at a. Assist in nationwide implementation of demonstration project
end of CMS demonstration project
b. Advocate to increase reimbursement rate for LVT, VRT, O&M and others

Goal II: Ensure financial

stability and a balanced
budget
A. Increase revenue per member

1.Increase sales of CE, books and meeting

registration to members

a. Cross-market secondary product lines using existing member communications

b. Develop effective prices strategies for; books, shipping/handling, etc

2. Increase member dues revenue

B. Increase international
conference revenue

a. Restructure corporate membership pricing

b. Increase individual member dues by small amounts regularly

1. Increase conference registration revenue a. Increase conference registration fees

b. Sell registration "add-on" items
c. Make it easy to register
2. Increase exhibit/sponsorship/advertising a. Develop effective pricing strategies for exhibit booths, advertising and sponsorships
revenue
b. Develop effective marketing materials
c. Up-sell exhibits with sponsorship offers
d. Expand exhibit prospect list
e. Up-sell exhibitors with advertising
f. Establish personal relationships with sponsors
3. Boost conference attendance

Operational Plan

a. Ensure content meets attendee needs by surveying members and attendees

b. Increase number of MD, OD, OT and PT attendees
c. Effectively market the conference to members and other external audiences
d. Increase conference brand awareness and prestige
e. Offer incentives for members to attend
f. Explore changing confeernce length

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4. Increase revenue from Macfarland
seminar

AER
Operational Plan 3/13/08
Action
Items

Status

a. Effectively market the pre-conference

b. Seek sponsors for the pre-conference
c. Seek external markets for pre-conference registration
d. Explore changing meeting structure

C. Increase frequency of
conferences

1. Offer an Annual Conference or Regional a. Explore meeting partnership with AER Chapters
Conferences in 2009
b. Explore meeting partnerships with other pre-existing successful meetings (COMA, SOMA,
Literacy, etc)
c. Create annual meeting content infrastructure (program committee, etc)
d. Select site/sites for 2009 conferences) to maximize net revenue
e. Implement annual meeting logistics and marketing
f. Create a business plan to implement annual meetings

D. Increase revenue from product 1. Expand product line

sales

a. Work with AER Divisions to publish their content

b. Find cost-effective ways to resell third party products of interest to AER members
c. Update existing AER products that are dated

E. Increase revenue from

advertising

2. Make it easier to buy from AER

a. Offer on-line book store

b. Include product info in regular member communications
c. Improve customer service

3. Sell more of existing products

a. Increase visibility of products for AER membership

b. Create cost-effective marketing materials
c. Offer incentives for members to buy AER products

1. Maximize revenue from Job Exchange

a. Develop cost-effective marketing to: 1. employers, and 2. employees

b. Discourage free job advertising on list serves
c. Persue large accounts (VA and school districts) aggressively
d. Brand JobExchange as "The Place" to advertsise for vision professionals

2. Boost newsletter advertising

Operational Plan

a. Expand advertising prospect list

b. Develop effective marketing materials
c. Stick to marketing deadlines
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Strategies

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AER
Operational Plan 3/13/08
Action
Items

Status

d. Increase advertising revenue from Division newsletters

e. Increase newsletter (AER) brand awareness of possible advertisers
3. Increase advertising revenue from AER
website

a. Explore sponsorships and paid links

b. Explore electronic advertising

F. Increase revenue from

professional development

1. Increase revenue from On-Line CE

a. Expand on-line CE offerings

b. Develop effective pricing strategies
c. Sell on-line CE as part of meeting registration
d. Increase market potential by offering many CE Unit options (ACVREP, AOTA, etc)

2. Offer approval of university personnel

prep programs

a. Restructure approval process

b. Develop cost-effective pricing and marketing strategies

G. Seek outside funding sources,

including project grant funding

3. Create short CE seminars

a. Explore opportunities to offer additional seminars and pre-conference events

1. Develop relationships with outside

funders

a. Create Fundraising Master Plan for AER

b. Approach likely funding sources identified by AER Fundraising Master Plan
c. Seek grants that advance AER's goals and help fund the office overhead

H. Effectively manage costs and

overhead

1. Regularly review office procedures for

efficiency
2. Improve tracking of Division
expenditures

a. Conduct a comprehensive quarterly review of the budget with the Finance Committee
a. Improve financial communication with Divisions
b. Incorporate Division budgets into AER budget

Goal III: Grow membership

numbers significantly

Operational Plan

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Strategies

Objectives

AER
Operational Plan 3/13/08
Action
Items

A. Improve member benefits to

draw new members

1. Improve member benefits at AER level

a. Perform member needs assessment survey

Status

b. Enhance perceived value by improving benefit communication

c. Evaluate feasibility of offering affinity benefits
d. Increase value of AER Report
e. Create new AER Journal of high quality and ensure four issues are mailed annually
f. Ensure member benefits are valued by marketing them to members
2. Improve member benefits at Division
level

a. Provide assistance to Divisions w/communication, e.g. list serves, newsletters, websites

b. Encourage tangible benefits (i.e. printed newsletters)
c. Publish Division books
d. Encourage Divisions to become better AER Member benefits by restricting access to nonmembers
e. Assist Divisions implementing new member benefits - Mentoring Programs
f. Foster development of Division best practices and standards

3. Improve member benefits at Chapter

level

a. Seek better balance between rehab and education professionals in Chapters

b. Provide assistance with Chapter communications, e.g. list serves, newsletters, websites
c. Encourage Chapters to become better AER Member benefits by restricting access to nonmembers

B. Increase number of individual

members

1. Increase member retention

a. Offer new and easier ways to renew membership

b. Improve administration of renewal process
c. Set up campaign for courtesy calls to members up for renewal
d. Implement new-member communication plan

2. Expand membership in non-traditional

groups

a. Market AER membership to other professional groups, such as MDs, ODs, OT, etc.
b. Increase marketing to international professionals (opportunity to take advantage of low relative
value of US dollar)
c. Create program to cost effectively bring London Rehab Workers into AER membership.
d. Explore cost effective advertsing that reaches non-traditional groups

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Strategies

Objectives

AER
Operational Plan 3/13/08
Action
Items

Status

3. Leverage current relationships to

a. Enlist Chapters in boosting membership through a Chapter-Get-A-Member (CGAM) program
improve member recruitment and retention
b. Create an effective Member-Get-A-Member (MGAM) program for individual members
c. Devlop PR materials for State Agency Commissioners to improve relations and build support for
AER activities among state agencies
d. Partner with AER Chapters to recruit non-member chapter meeting attendees.
e. Cross market membership to non-member prodect and meeting customers.
f. Through the Canadian Support Professional increase CA membership 15%
4. Improve response from Direct Response a. Evaluate current marketing materials and techniques
membership marketing
b. Develop more effective marketing packages - seek a Return on Investment (ROI) of 1.
c. Conduct two direct response campagns annually.
d. Conduct statistically valid tests in order to improve results of key marketing elements: mailing
lists, campagn timing, and market segmentation.
e. Leverage International Conference in recruiting new members
f. Increase non-member prospect list.

C. Increase number of corporate

members

5. Boost student memberships

a. Develop communication plan targeting student members

b. Establish cost effective student benefits
c. Approach university programs for co-marketing opportunities

1. Ensure AER member benefits are

attractive to corporate members

a. Survey corporate members to find out if AER is meeting their important needs
b. Evaluate need for new corporate benefit structure

2. Improve marketing and communication

to corporate members

a.. Evaluate current corporate marketing plan

b. Increase number of Canadian corporate members
c. Develop new outreach plan to corporate members

Operational Plan

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