Strategic Pillar 3 - Engaging Our Community & Increasing Mutually Beneficial Partnerships

Introduction

Atlanta Metropolitan State College is an integral part of the greater Atlanta community. Being in Atlanta and serving the citizens of Atlanta, we, as an educational institution, have a responsibility of place - to our students and the greater community. Bringing the two together with intentionality will benefit the students, the College, and the greater Metro Atlanta region.

Objective

Increase community interactions, engagement activities, and mutually beneficial partnerships (IEPs) to enrich educational opportunities for our students, increase external awareness of the College, and positively impact enrollment.

Goals

Goal #1:

In year one, establish an infrastructure for Interactions, Engagement Activities, and Partnerships (IEPs).

Action Steps:

  • Establish definitions for key terms and concepts by October 2024.
  • Create an inventory of current community IEPs to serve as baseline that can be used to enhance current activities, restart previous activities, or create new ones by May 2025
  • Evaluate IEPs to ensure that they support strategic plan pillar and enrollment goals by May 2025.
  • Develop a checklist and provide instructions for developing and maintaining IEPs by May 2025.
  • Use the strategic plan as a framework to identify and prioritize opportunities for IEPs while involving the campus community by May 2025.

Metrics and/or Deliverables:

  • Glossary of terms and concepts.
  • Active database of current, past, and potential IEPs.
  • Checklist and training materials for development and maintaining IEPs.
  • List of prioritized opportunities for future IEPs.

Goal #2:

Raise $1.974 million in support of scholarships through the "It Always Means More" Scholarship Initiative over the next 3-5 years.

Action Steps:

  • Develop and launch a five-year fundraising plan (FP) in January 2025 that includes a gift chart, yearly fundraising targets, annual giving strategy, giving levels, priority menus, budget, and communications strategy.
  • Develop and launch in February 2025 a quarterly "It Always Means More" electronic communication for constituents: donors, alumni, board members, and friends who support the college.
  • Establish philanthropic partnerships or engagements with twenty new corporations, organizations, and foundations by the end of 2028.
  • Increase the total number of annual donors to 500 or more by the end of the year 2029.
  • Secure at least one $1 million gift by the end of 2029.

Metrics:

  • Execute multiple educational sessions for all AMSC constituents about the plan during Spring 2025.
  • Review constituents' engagement with the inaugural email using data such as open rates, clickthrough, and online gifts made using links in the communication.
  • Add a minimum of five corporate, foundation, and organization donors annually in 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028, 2029.
  • Add one hundred annual donors annually in 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028, 2029.
  • Execute a new $1M scholarship fund from a strategic partner by the end of 2029.

Goal #3:

Increase engagement activities by 10% and add at least two new partnerships annually during years two through five. (Engagement activities and Partnerships to be defined in goal 1)

Action Steps:

  • Using the prioritized list of IEP opportunities, work to identify and assign campus contacts for each prospective engagement activity and partnership by December 2025.
  • Train campus contacts in proper methods of establishing engagement activities and creating partnerships. Provide committee support as needed. Training to begin August of 2025 and done annually.
  • Track progress annually.

Metrics and/or Deliverables:

  • 10% increase in the number of engagement activities annually.
  • Two new partnerships annually.

Goal #4:

Communicate with the campus community and external stakeholders consistently and create an environment that encourages members to share information on activities related to IEPs.

Action Steps:

  • Create and execute an internal and external communications plan by January 2025.
  • Assess the effectiveness of the communications plan annually.
  • Create a team responsible for achieving pillar goals, maintaining the database, and supporting IEP activities by May 2025.
  • Conduct an annual IEP event on campus, beginning FY2026

Metrics and/or Deliverables:

  • Communications plan
  • Established team
  • Using a survey tool, demonstrate that at least 70% of faculty/staff have knowledge of IEP concepts and activities annually beginning May 2025.
  • Using database information, show that at least 75% of the new IEPs were created using instructions and checklist developed in Goal 1 annually beginning May 2026.

Strategic Plan Survey and QR Code

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AMSC_Strategic_Plan_Survey