MSA 2016 – 2019 Strategic Plan

Dear MSA Members and Friends,

The Board of Directors is very pleased to share MSA’s 2016-2019 Strategic Plan — a focused set of goals surrounding Young Professionals, Education, Advocacy, and Conference/Expo, that were developed to revitalize and refocus the Museum Store Association on representing you, the membership, and increasing its relevance in a changing environment.

The plan is based on a strategic plan survey, along with member, stakeholder and board interviews, and data gathered prior to our work. Clear themes that you told us were most important to our industry emerged regarding the future direction of MSA , leading us to the establishment of four key strategic focus goals as follows:

1. Create a dynamic program initiated and driven by young professionals that inspires industry members and creates new initiatives that advance MSA.
2. Develop essential, relevant and engaging MSA programming that includes:
   • Professionalized programming overall
   • Advanced sessions scaled for all levels of attendees
   • Content for younger members on appropriate platforms
   • Assessing a pathway to meaningful credentialing
3. Develop a strategic program to communicate to the world, the value and importance of non-profit retail with its curated products and unique experiences.
4. Reframe the MSA conference/expo as the event to inspire, delight, and connect our stakeholders.

The key objectives in support of our four strategic focus goals are detailed in the plan, which also highlights key areas of operational focus necessary for MSA to improve its service and value to you, our members. In this plan, we embrace and encourage active participation from all of you, our members, both young and not so young, novice and veteran, in order to achieve our shared goals. We have already heard from many of you who have stated their willingness and desire to become involved in our effort to advance MSA. We look forward to your active and enthusiastic participation in MSA’s future!

We are excited about the potential of this plan to challenge and inspire us and to move our association and industry forward. We hope you are excited too, because we are going to need your help! Please continue to talk and reach out to us, sharing your suggestions, ideas and even disappointments so together, in partnership with our collaborators and advocates, we can better champion the importance of non-profit retail and nurture excellence in our profession.

Thank you for your trust and belief in the Museum Store Association.

Sincerely,
The 2016 MSA Board of Directors