Georgia School Public Relations Association

GSPRA’s Beliefs (revised 3/27/15)

• Effective public relations is a crucial management function essential to the success of schools and the children we serve.
• Honesty, integrity, accuracy, and ethical behavior are paramount
• Building and nurturing relationships is the foundation of effective communication and is the shared duty of all stakeholders in education
• GSPRA is a leader in professional development for school public relations

GSPRA’s Vision (revised 3/27/15)

GSPRA’s vision is to be the leader in effective public relations to support success for all children in Georgia.

GSPRA’s Mission (revised 3/27/15)

GSPRA’s mission is to advocate for public education and to provide expertise, resources and support, empowering school systems to communicate effectively and build strong relationships.

GSPRA leaders are developing specific and timely goals in three broad areas, identifying measurable and achievable objectives for each goal. The planned goals and objectives will be in place for three years (2015-16, 2016-17, and 2017-18 school years) but will be revisited periodically as we determine progress on key indicators. The work to develop goals and objectives was begun at the Strategic Planning Retreat (March 27, 2015), but will be completed by three working groups. (See below.) Work within each group will be coordinated by a group leader. Groups may “meet” in person, by conference call, or via e-mail. The Board will come together again in a face-to-face meeting this winter to review the work of the three groups and finalize GSPRA’s Goals and Objectives for 2015-2018.

• Goal #1 Focus Area: Advocate for Public Education in Georgia
  Examples: SPARK and Georgia Vision Project communications plan, template deliverables, etc.
  Measures: Awareness survey, follow-up feedback survey, analytics on website/toolkit, etc.
  Working Group: GVP Liaison (chair), President, VP of Communications, Newsletter Editor, Social Media Coordinator, GSBA
  
  
• Goal #2 Focus Area: Recruit, Retain, Engage, and Serve GSPRA Members
  Examples: Membership process (for renewals and drive for new members), member services, region activities
  Measures: Member services survey, growth in new members, retention of current members, feedback on region activities, etc.
  Working Group: VP of Member Services (Chair), Region Directors
  
  
• Goal #3 Focus Area: Provide Professional Development for Internal and External Audiences
  Examples: Annual GSPRA conference, drive-in meetings, speakers bureau, GSPRA speakers at other conferences, crisis team training (Internal— GSPRA members; External— districts without PR staff, other educational associations, allied associations)
  Measures: Planned/completed professional development, conference participation (#s, growth), development of speakers bureau and invitations to speak, GSPRA participation in other conferences, growth in accredited members, etc. 
  Working Group: President-Elect (chair), Secretary/Treasurer, Professional Development VP, GaDOE Liaison, Accreditation Chair

The following are previous goals and objectives that were used in the development process.

GSPRA’s 2006-2010 Goals and Objectives

Goal #1: To build greater support for public education through effective communication.

• Offer annual state conferences.
• Offer GSPRA road show to RESAs and individual school systems.
• Identify and implement opportunities for statewide projects.
• Increase numbers of accredited members.
• Provide resources to assist school public relations professionals.

Goal #2: To strengthen GSPRA as a viable organization by increasing membership and participation

• Each year see an increase in membership by 10%.
• Strengthen recruitment and retention process.
• Implement an automatic renewal process.
• Make annual contact with school systems to identify point people in PR, PIE and web development.
• Develop and implement a three-year mentor program for new members (appoint a mentor coordinator and hold training for mentees).
• Send/mail GSPRA materials and fliers to point people.
• Ask current members to distribute conference materials to their internal audiences.
• Identify leaders in point people group to develop materials and presentations
• Promote NSPRA membership.

Goal #3: To expand GSPRA’s visibility and leadership in education public relations.

• Develop and nurture partnerships with other educational organizations.
• Encourage and support members to attain leadership roles in NSPRA and other public relations organizations.
• Promote universal accreditation and assist members through mentors and resources.
• Position GSPRA members as experts in the field of public relations.
• Establish and communicate organizational positions on public education issues.