How to Build a Strategy Plan That Actually Works: Lessons from the RevUP Summit 2025

For association professionals, building a strategy plan that truly drives impact can feel daunting. How do you align your mission with revenue goals? How do you create a plan that empowers staff, engages members, and withstands change? The RevUP Summit 2025 will provide a blueprint for association leaders to develop actionable strategies that actually work — moving beyond plans to purposeful, winning strategy.

What Is Strategy — and Why It Matters for Associations

It’s easy to confuse planning with strategy. As renowned strategy adviser Roger Martin explains, “Strategy is the act of making an integrated set of choices, which positions the organization to win; while planning is the act of laying out projects with timelines, deliverables, budgets, and responsibilities.”

For associations, this distinction is essential. Planning organizes events, webinars, and membership campaigns. Strategy, by contrast, defines how your association will win in its market. Sean Soth, Chair of the Professionals for Association Revenue (PAR) Leadership Advisory Board, reminds associations that a commitment to strategy isn’t always easy but worthwhile:

“When we're committed to a strategy, that also means that we're going to take some steps that may be challenging and painful. You will have peaks and valleys, but as association leaders, we need to understand how to get our teams and our organizations out of those valleys more quickly,” Soth says. “If you want to have the best member experience, you can, but it will require trial, error, and evolution. If your non-dues revenue programs aspire to be the best options in the market, know that this will require constant change and improvement and even some failures to get there.”

A strong strategy plan ensures that every department—from education to marketing to membership—makes nimble decisions aligned with the organization’s overarching goals. Without it, even the most well-executed plans can fail to deliver meaningful results.

Why Strategy Drives Both Revenue and Mission

A well-crafted strategy plan does more than organize initiatives—it creates a clear path for associations to achieve both their mission and financial goals. For example, developing non-dues revenue programs without a strategic framework can lead to missed opportunities or initiatives that don’t align with member needs. When revenue efforts are guided by strategy, every program, partnership, and educational offering directly supports the association’s mission while creating sustainable financial growth.

At the 2025 RevUP Summit, attendees will see this in action from associations that are providing member value and advancing their missions, all while building revenue with strategic approaches. Here’s a look at three can’t miss sessions that will help attendees focus on strategy that drives revenue and mission.

Winning Strategies in Action

The RevUP Summit 2025 will showcase sessions focused on using data to drive strategic decisions, improving both member value and non-dues revenue.

Combining Forces: Leveraging Relationships to Design Courses That Sell
Featured associations: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (David Sensenig), Sustainable Forestry Initiative (Ana Leirner)

Too often, educational programs are developed in isolation, moving from department to department without meaningful input from end users. This session highlights how associations are using strategic collaboration to design programs that truly meet member and institutional needs—while also creating revenue opportunities. By involving clients early in the course development process, associations can test ideas, gather actionable feedback, and ensure educational offerings are both valuable and market-ready. Attendees will gain practical tools for front-end analysis, stakeholder engagement, and course design, learning how strategy can align program quality with revenue potential.

Grow Sponsorship Revenue and Avoid the “Ick” From Next-Gen Members
Featured association: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (Alexis Redmond, Pauline Roa)

Next-generation members expect authenticity and value, making traditional sponsorship approaches less effective. This session demonstrates how associations are strategically rethinking sponsorship to integrate it seamlessly into member experiences. By aligning sponsor partnerships with member priorities and values, associations not only enhance engagement and trust but also drive measurable revenue growth. Participants will explore frameworks for building strategic sponsorship programs that balance member experience with financial outcomes—turning what could feel intrusive into a source of shared value and sustainable revenue.

Main Stage: Taking Care of Business—Find Your Association’s Competitive Advantage
Featuring PAR Leadership Advisory Board members: Dan Cole, John Bacon, Letty Klutz

Thriving associations don’t just react—they leverage strategy to identify and amplify their unique strengths. This main stage session shows how organizations are strategically using their mission alignment, community engagement, innovative programming, and operational agility to create programs that resonate with members while generating revenue. Attendees will learn how to evaluate and activate core assets, align teams and resources around strategic priorities, and apply real-world examples to build stronger programs that also fuel financial growth. Strategy here is the bridge between delivering exceptional member value and sustaining long-term organizational success.

Key Takeaways for Association Professionals

Creating a strategy plan that works is more than checking off tasks—it requires intentionality, collaboration, and adaptability. Associations should focus on:

1. Defining a clear vision for winning in their market. Understanding your unique strengths guides decisions across departments.
2. Aligning teams around strategy. When staff and volunteers share the same goals, they can make independent decisions that support organizational priorities.
3. Using data to inform action. Metrics should guide strategic decisions, not just validate completed projects.
4. Balancing revenue with mission. Successful non-dues programs add member value while generating sustainable revenue.
5. Embracing trial, error, and evolution. Continuous improvement and experimentation are essential for long-term success.

The RevUP Summit will focus on these takeaways and more, all while reinforcing a central truth: a strategy plan is most effective when it is data-informed, mission-driven and actionable for the entire team.

By attending, association leaders will gain tools, frameworks, and examples that help translate strategy into action. They’ll leave ready to experiment, iterate, and implement with confidence, keeping their organizations adaptive and competitive.

The difference between planning and strategy is profound. While plans organize resources, strategy ensures that associations win in their market, deliver value to members, and achieve their mission.

The RevUP Summit 2025 offers association professionals the insights, tools, and peer learning needed to build strategy plans that deliver measurable results. Don’t settle for plans that simply check boxes—develop a strategy plan that drives meaningful outcomes for your members, your stakeholders, and your organization’s long-term success.