What we’ll accomplish in 2011 and beyond February 1, 2011
To our members,
On Saturday, January 15th, the AIGA Minnesota board of directors spent the day developing, agreeing upon, and ultimately adopting the official strategic goals that will guide the operation, planning, and vision of the board for the duration of 2011 and beyond.
Driven principally by results of the recent AIGA Minnesota annual survey, the strategic goals came down to a concise set of eight statements. Members will begin to see these goals manifest in programming as early as this spring, when key programs like Portfolio 1 on 1, Design Show, and the Insights Lecture Series are already being planned and improved.
Above all, nothing was sacred and everything was questioned; “we’ve always done it that way” was an unacceptable response. And when you get 19 creative minds in a room full of blue sky, working together to tackle the issues raised by the annual survey, the ideas pour out—from what needs to be done in general all the way to specifically how we’re going to attack it. As you’ll see from the photos below, we’ve kept Post-It in business for another year.
We’re proud of the work we do on your behalf, and we’re sure you’ll swiftly begin to see the effort we’ve put in—making AIGA Minnesota work harder and be more relevant than ever to your career, your community, and your profession.
The big-picture strategic goals for AIGA Minnesota in 2011 are to:
Clarify our communication strategies.
Provide better definition of what events are for what interest groups, broaden our communications to include other channels beyond the expected outlets, and make sure our members and other audiences know, further in advance, what AIGA Minnesota is up to.
Enrich and prove the value of AIGA to our members, as well as future members and other external audiences.
Your AIGA membership is an investment in your career and your profession, and it’s our responsibility to provide you with opportunities to take advantage of the value it offers, as well as to be certain everybody who comes in contact with AIGA Minnesota realizes the importance and the value of being a member.
Redefine whom AIGA Minnesota serves and collaborates with, and how we do so.
Design is no longer narrowly defined, and neither is AIGA. We will look outside of our expected areas of discipline to find new areas of inspiration and to broaden our horizons.
Demonstrate the value of design to business.
An evergreen goal that we always seek to further, but we’re looking at new ways of tackling it, including taking a leadership role in the efforts already underway through the national AIGA organization.
Attract, retain, and reward volunteers.
AIGA Minnesota is 100% volunteer-run—the only chapter of its size to be so. Without our volunteers, we’d get nowhere. As such, we’re always seeking new volunteers and we will continue to develop ways to recognize and reward the importance of their dedication.
Enable greater access to our programming.
From broadening our geographic reach to looking at new media, there are any number of ways that our programming can be made available to a wider audience.
Provide programs, resources, and opportunities for professional development.
Developing yourself professionally is a career-long pursuit—there’s a fine line between a groove and a rut, and AIGA Minnesota will be a resource to make sure your career path stays in the former.
Take a leadership role within the national AIGA organization.
We recently became the fourth-largest AIGA chapter. (We’re larger than AIGA Los Angeles!) Whether it’s superlative programming, hard-working volunteers, careful chapter management, or simply good-ol’ midwestern work ethic, AIGA Minnesota knows a thing or two that can help further the organization as a whole, and we intend to share it.
If you have ideas or inspirations that you’d like to share, we welcome your input. If you’d like to volunteer, we’ll welcome your support. More than anything, though, we thank you for your membership, enthusiasm, and for making Minnesota one of the greatest design communities in the world.
—the AIGA Minnesota board of directors
