2018-2020 STRATEGIC PLAN VISION The Greater El Paso Association of REALTORS is the pre-eminent source of real estate information in El Paso for its members, the public, local government, and the media. We focus on stimulating the economic opportunities of our members in part through active participation and involvement in the community. MISSION The Greater El Paso Association of REALTORS defends and protects property rights, influences the local political direction for its members and property owners, facilitates positive public perception, provides education ensuring a high standard of professionalism and ethics, and provides a means to increase the economic viability of all our members. The Greater El Paso Association of REALTORS Strategic Plan is a guide for the organization to develop and implement products, programs and services that enable the association to be a comprehensive source of information, to be a valuable provider of services to its members and to positively contribute to the vitality of the community it serves. This plan should directly influence operational decisions, committee activities, implementation of priority projects and allocation of the association s resources. Monitoring and measurement of progress are essential to the process and should be reviewed quarterly to ensure the viability of the plan. By implementing this plan, the Greater El Paso Association of REALTORS will further establish its relevance and value to the members it serves through consistent delivery of progressive and modern services all in an effort to continually elevate the professionalism and knowledge of a community of engaged REALTORS in El Paso and the surrounding area. The planning process consists of a review of issues, trends, opportunities and challenges that impact the industry and organization. Issues are analyzed to help identify core values for the organization and create strategic initiatives and actionable strategies to enhance the business and service operations of the Greater El Paso Association of REALTORS, its membership and the consumers they serve. A member-wide survey was conducted to help assess member needs and expectations, which helped formulate the identified initiatives and prioritize strategies in the plan. 1
ADVOCACY The Greater El Paso Association of REALTORS will educate, motivate and mobilize REALTORS and the public on issues affecting private property rights, the real estate industry and the economic vitality of the community. Strategy: Increase REALTOR engagement in the advocacy efforts of the Greater El Paso Association of REALTORS. (Executive Committee, Governmental Affairs Committee, Staff) Employ a diverse communication strategy to educate members throughout the year on local, state and national issues of importance, employing strategies such as videos, association meetings, printed materials, and digital communication. Utilize resources, materials and financial assistance available through the Texas Association of REALTORS and the National Association of REALTORS to increase member and public engagement in the association s advocacy efforts, including Issues Mobilization, REALTOR Party, TREPAC and other programs. Utilize all available resources, including RPR and the Texas REALTOR Data Relevance Project, to provide elected officials with market data and information relevant to their districts. Conduct more frequent visits to all local city councilmen and all county commissioners to keep them informed of current issues and concerns of the REALTOR organization at all three levels. Conduct candidate interviews of all city, county and school board candidates and ensure that members serving on the interview panels are prepared by supplying relevant questionnaires and background information on the issues and candidates. Maintain a presence, both staff and member, at city council meetings and have the ability to engage the membership at large to assist with advocacy efforts when necessary. Educate members on the importance of Calls for Action and promote them heavily across diverse communications channels to maximize the response rate for both National Association of REALTORS and Texas Association of REALTORS Calls for Action. Encourage members to serve in elected and appointed positions in local government and community organizations and promote the availability of opportunities to serve in these positions, such as city council, planning and zoning boards, economic development entities, etc. 2
Strategy: Encourage REALTOR members to vote. (Governmental Affairs Committee, GAD, Executive Committee) Promote the importance of voting and consistently educate members on REALTOR supported candidates and issues that are on the ballot. Engage in get-out-the-vote efforts, such as meet-ups and transportation to polling locations, to help maximize REALTOR and public voter turnout during elections. Strategy: Encourage REALTOR members to invest in their industry and community. (TREPAC Chair & Committee, Leadership, GAD) Increase overall TREPAC participation. Promote TREPAC investment at all meetings and events of the Greater El Paso Association of REALTORS. Utilize materials provided by TREPAC to communicate the value of investing to REALTOR members. Encourage leadership to lead by example by investing in TREPAC at significant levels. Consistently recognize members who invest in TREPAC and promote major investors at association functions. Utilize available financial resources from the Texas Association of REALTORS and the National Association of REALTORS to assist with fundraising efforts, such as hosting major donor events, and to promote the importance of TREPAC as it relates to the health and vitality of the real estate market and community as a whole. CONSUMER OUTREACH The Greater El Paso Association of REALTORS is the trusted source of information about private property rights, the real estate market and the continued vitality of the community and is a community partner that will promote and support the community through involvement. 3
Strategy: The Greater El Paso Association of REALTORS is the Voice for Real Estate in El Paso and surrounding areas. (Executive Committee, Governmental Affairs Committee, PR Task Force, Staff) Utilize diverse media outlets to communicate with the public about a broad spectrum of issues and market trends related to real estate and private property rights, including: o Monthly market statistics and trends; o Legislative issues affecting private property rights and homeownership; o New subdivisions that have been developed; o New businesses opening in the community; o Commercial projects; o City projects; o Trends in the rental market; and o Interest rate trends. Expand media outlets through which news and information can be communicated, including: o Earned and paid news media; o An expanded social media presence; o Opportunities for public service announcements; o Quarterly editorial articles; o Live social media video feeds at monthly meetings. Identify and utilize a permanent or long-term association spokesperson or spokespersons who will be recognized by the community as speaking on behalf of the industry. Establish a speaker s bureau through which designated members would be available to speak at community events upon request in an effort to not only provide reliable and valuable information to the public, but also to communicate the value of REALTORS in the buying, renting and selling process and in protecting private property rights. Host town hall meetings to promote the real estate industry as well as the vitality of and investment in the future of El Paso and to ultimately contribute to bringing in new and quality jobs to the community. Consistently build and foster relationships with all local media and be available to provide real time accurate market information upon request. Consider establishing a Public Relations Committee to manage the delivery of consistent messaging to the public on relevant and timely topics. 4
Strategy: The Greater El Paso Association of REALTORS gives back to the community and demonstrates that REALTORS care about the well-being of the community and its people. (Community Investment Committee, Leadership, Staff) The Greater El Paso Association of REALTORS will actively engage in the education community and provide learning opportunities for underserved and disadvantaged children to help develop them into productive members of the community through initiatives such as: o Reading programs that assist children who have fallen behind in reading skills; o Game Salad an educational program aimed at developing coding skills; and o Programs that provide for direct engagement with parents to encourage parental skills and engagement. Utilize grants available from the National Association of REALTORS to help enhance the community, such as Smart Growth, Placemaking and Diversity grants. Actively engage in fundraising efforts for various community-related entities throughout the year. MEMBER ENGAGEMENT The Greater El Paso Association of REALTORS will communicate the value of membership and develop long-term relationships with its members through a culture of engagement. Strategy: Engage new members to help the association understand their expectations and educate them on the opportunities to be involved. (Leadership, Executive Committee, All Chairs, All Vice-Chairs, Staff) Develop a new member survey to be completed by new members 45 days after the new member completes orientation. Deliver a roster to new members to each committee chairs and co-chairs and encourage those leaders to contact new members personally to invite them to their committee meetings. 5
Attend new member orientations and provide information on the value of the National Association of REALTORS, the Texas Association of REALTORS, and the Greater El Paso Association of REALTORS and opportunities and value of involvement within the REALTOR organization. Create a new mentoring program for new members to promote the value of involvement early in members careers. Strategy: Actively recruit new and emerging leaders for the association. (TRLP Facilitator, YPN Chairman, Leadership, Staff) Continue to support the Texas REALTOR Leadership Program and encourage participation in the program. Host periodic reunion events for graduates of the Texas REALTOR Leadership Program and provide opportunities for graduates to be engaged in the association s governance structure. Host periodic broker engagement parties and other networking opportunities for brokers to establish closer relationships with the association and one another. Develop a path to leadership program to teach emerging leaders how to become leaders in the association and what it takes to be successful in that role. Utilize testimonials from past leaders of the association to encourage future leaders. Encourage continued involvement and promotion of our local, state and national YPN committees and communities Enhance and promote YPN activities, including Under 40 promotions, recognition, and awards with public and association-wide recognition. Encourage YPN participation at TREPAC events. Strategy: Increase communication and transparency of the value of the association. (PR Task Force, Staff) Create a Did you know and GEPAR Listens communication initiative through which periodic emails or text message would inform members of specific tools, programs or other resources available to them as member benefits. Develop a kick-off video to communicate the value and educate members on key services and benefits of the association and to ask for involvement. 6
Create a centralized association calendar where members can find all association meetings and events, including meeting agendas. Ensure that members know that board meetings are open to all and that they are welcome to attend. Strategy: Increase member engagement and assimilation through recognition. (President, Chairs, Vice-Chairs, Staff) Take the opportunity to recognize members for attendance at meetings or events as a way to recognize the unrecognized in an effort to help everyone feel that they are part of the culture of the association and are important for simply being engaged. PROFESSIONALISM AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT The Greater El Paso Association of REALTORS will play a key role in developing knowledgeable, prepared and professional REALTORS. Strategy: Promote professionalism and provide resources that elevate the standards of professionalism within the industry. (Leadership, Staff) Clearly communicate through diverse communication platforms, including social media, MLS messaging, video, broker and office meetings, the process for filing professional standards and ethics complaints. Ensure that members understand the option to file complaints anonymously and the ability to utilize the Ombudsman Program to help resolve issues without a formal hearing. Survey members to ascertain the most prevalent professional standards and ethics issues being experienced in the area and created educational and communication collateral focused on addressing the leading issues. 7
Strategy: Diversify and add value to the educational offerings of the Greater El Paso Association of REALTORS. (Committee Chairs and Vice-Chairs, Education; Community Investment; Property Management; Technology and YPN Committees, Leadership, Staff) Utilize member surveys 3 to 4 times annually to determine the value of current educational offerings and to identify demand for courses and topics that are not currently offered. Enhance the current offering of continuing education courses with more specialized training to enhance professionalism, such as designations and certifications, and advanced training in property management, appraisals and CMAs. MARKETING & COMMUNICATION The Greater El Paso Association of REALTORS will communicate effectively with our members and the public. Strategy: Increase the quality of communication to the public to enhance the credibility of the association and the consistency in messaging. (Leadership, PR Task Force) Consider establishing a Public Relations Committee to manage the delivery of consistent messaging to the public on relevant and timely topics. Identify and utilize a permanent or long-term association spokesperson or spokespersons who will be recognized by the community as speaking on behalf of the industry. Focus public messaging on the value proposition of using a REALTOR, the advocacy efforts of the association and related information on issues, information on the real estate market and charitable and community outreach efforts. Utilize resources such as RPR and the Texas REALTOR Data Relevance Project to provide valuable market information to consumers. Position the Greater El Paso Association of REALTORS as the Voice for Real Estate and the trusted resource for Anything and Everything Real Estate. 8
Promote the association s website as a resource for the media and consumers to find relevant and timely information on market data, advocacy issues and information related to ownership of real property. Strategy: Develop an effective and consistent strategy to communicate relevant and reliable information to members of the association in a timely and consistent manner. (Chairs, Vice-Chairs, Leadership, Staff) Diversify methods of communicating to ensure that members receive the information via their preferred platform. In addition to traditional communication methods, the association, through member feedback, should consider the following strategies for expanding communication platforms: o Use of text messaging, including videos; o More consistent use of social media with relevant and compelling content; o More emphasis on video and the association s YouTube channel; o Announcements at all association meetings; and o Centralized calendar of events, including committee meetings and agendas. Engage in a focused effort to encourage members to attend Board of Directors meetings to enhance transparency and engage more members in the governance process of the association. This is particularly relevant to chairpersons of the association s committees. 9