AN UNPRECEDENTED TWO YEARS

2020 will forever be remembered for the global pandemic that created unprecedented challenges for us all. When reflecting on this time as a member of NFBPA, I hope it will also be remembered for the resilience of our organization's members and its many partners who continued to make a difference in so many lives and communities throughout our nation.

NFBPA members’ swift and collective actions, in the midst of a global pandemic, aided local governments and this organization to survive and thrive. Let us first acknowledge our collective inputs and leadership during unprecedented times as we discuss almost two years together.

This unwavering passion to serve others in difficult times epitomizes the organization's vision of inspiring leadership development and service excellence with integrity and accountability, while transforming the way we govern. Let us acknowledge our concerted efforts and leadership during these unparalleled times. Together, we continue to achieve this organization’s strategic objectives. Over the span of my term, our organization has experienced historic firsts, which have required us to pivot and adjust. This report summarizes our progress towards initiatives identified in the 2015-2019 Strategic Plan, including financial results, and other accomplishments. In addition, we surveyed our members and leadership and asked them to prioritize the goals laid out in the 7-Point-Plan I presented at Forum 2019 in Orlando, Florida. The response was as follows:

1. Fund Development & Revenue Generation
2. Re-Emphasis on Emerging Leaders & the Next Generation of Leaders
3. Close out the 2020 Strategic Plan and Launch Efforts to Create the Vision 2025 Strategic Plan
4. Establish a New Membership Initiative (Membership Growth & Sustainability)
5. Renewed Emphasis on Public Policy
6. Continued Commitment to Members in Job Transition & Retirements
7. International Focus

This interactive report will not only cover the 7 Point Plan, but it will also update you on our Strategic Plan progress. In addition, the report will convey how our organization has shown resilience in surviving the pandemic and communicate to you our vision for the future.

In spite of the challenges presented in 2020, we celebrated a number of major achievements. These milestones allowed our Board to successfully achieve its goals and objectives during this two-year period. To give just a few examples:

• We have remained financially solvent during this two-year journey and were able to witness a record year-end 2020 budget balance.
• Hosted our Annual Conference (FORUM 2020) without revenue lost and lower attendee registrations, despite having to pivot to a virtual event in less than 8 weeks.
• We consummated the largest number of letters of intent in our organization’s history, signifying our growth in strategic partnerships.
• We added the most Organizational Memberships during any previous two-year period in our history with a total of 10.
• Relaunched our core leadership programs, Mentor and Executive Leadership Institute.
• We established our footprint internationally with newly-established partnerships and strategies.
• Our membership numbers grew despite the financial difficulties of the pandemic.
• Our newly created virtual, Building Blocks for a Better Future Summit, shattered previous virtual registration numbers with more than 1,300 total attendees and revenue numbers.
• We established a Virtual monthly series for Emerging Leaders called “President’s Tuesday’s Toolkit”, which was targeted to provide students and Emerging Leaders resources to add to their professional development toolkit.
• We were successful in further developing fundraising efforts such as, “Walk and Run-A-Thon” “Tuesday Giving” and “Bowl for a Cause”, which has positioned NFBPA to annually raise funds for local causes and NFBPA’s Executive Leadership Institute and Mentor Programs. NFBPA also entered a new agreement with Blackbaud to utilize their Peer to Peer fundraising platform.
• We saw for the first time in years, an increase in our membership numbers exceeding 2,000 members. This was made possible by several new and innovative membership initiatives.

Reflecting on the time immediately after my induction into office, our board and national office were enthusiastic about our bright future and intensely focused on our goals. During the first nine months, we strove to finish out our previous Strategic Plan while working to launch the new plan. Our membership grew in record numbers through new planned membership initiatives. We launched our Emerging Leaders’ Summit and more. Then, suddenly, our country was shaken with an unprecedented pandemic and the senseless murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless other Black citizens at the hands of law enforcement. Civil unrest and protests were sparked across the world. During these difficult times, NFBPA raised awareness, shared resources, and elevated Black voices across our platforms.

With the NFBPA Board of Director’s support and the expertise of our National Office, we redeployed our resources in service and support of our members, partners, and communities throughout the country. We developed on-line resources and kits for members and partners. At the same time, due to potential fiscal challenges facing small non-profits like ours, the NFBPA’s Board of Directors and Executive Director embraced a fiscally conservative position to weather the pandemic. Our team’s skillful, hard work resulted in an extraordinary number of virtual meetings, board meetings, webinars, and yes, telework for our National Office. All our efforts were designed to ensure the health and safety of our employees and their families, as well as you, our members.

Despite the challenging realities that we all now face, we recognize our accomplishments, and look forward to continued growth and helping our members develop as leaders of public programs and agencies in more than 350 jurisdictions we serve nationwide. This report will highlight those achievements and many more under the following key strategic areas.