2015–2018

StrategicPlan

Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.

- Henry Ford

Execu ve Le ersPresident’s Message

Execu ve Director’s MessageJune 8, 2015

Dear AOA Members:

With merger transi on only recently complete, AOA is truly a start-up company. That means the core of how we do business and interact with our members had to be reexamined. As that happened throughout 2014, many changes were made as we adjusted to both the industry and being a single na onal organiza on. Strategic planning was the next step in the evolu on of the organiza on.

I’m pleased to see this planning process come to be. I won’t say ‘come to comple on,’ because in reality, this strategic plan is only just beginning. As staff , we are anxious to begin working on the goals set forth by the membership. AOA is our career; it is how we make a living and support our families. As such, we are extremely dedicated to its success. The staff constantly strives to become be er, always improving, as individuals and an organiza on. This member driven plan provides an outline of priori es that will assist us in achieving that.

The guidance and goals set forth in this strategic plan help the offi ce align itself with the goals of the membership. It was heartening to see so many of you par cipate in the process that lead to this plan. The input that members provided reinforced many of the things that we are already working on, but also brought to light things that we had not thought of. We look forward to ge ng started on those items and working to ensure ongoing success of AOA and the alpaca industry.

Sincerely,

Darby A. Vannier, MBAExecu ve Director

June 8, 2015

Dear AOA Members:

Throughout the past 18 months, I have been amazed at the progress AOA has made. The board of directors has tried to examine all areas of opera ons, leaving nothing off the table, and making changes where appropriate and necessary. As members, you have embraced those changes whole-heartedly and worked to ensure the future success of our amazing industry.

In line with those same ideals, AOA embarked on a six month long strategic planning process that is helping take this forward thinking to the next level. The board selected this process as the best way to develop a desired path forward that ensures success for our members and encourages responsiveness to a dynamic, changing environment, while u lizing our limited organiza onal resources responsibly. This plan involved hundreds of AOA members, each with their own set of priori es and goals for their alpaca businesses. Having this member developed plan will assist the board in making decisions that are in the best interest of the organiza on and our members.

The board also worked to develop core values and a mission statement which clearly iden fy how we will conduct ourselves and why AOA exists. That mission is, “Serve all Alpaca Owners Associa on members to facilitate their success within the alpaca industry.” This statement truly gets at exactly what we, as board members, need to be thinking about as we make decisions moving forward. It also iden fi es what you, as members, should also strive toward, because our success as an industry is reliant not just upon nine board members, but with every member of this industry, no ma er your personal or business goals.

While this plan has taken months to develop, it is only the beginning of the planning and execu on process. Using this plan as the primary outline, the board will now priori ze and further defi ne each of the strategies contained within each goal. Using feedback from the strategic planning retreat par cipants, each strategy will be scoped and slo ed into an implementa on meframe over the next three years, guiding the u liza on of our organiza onal resources.

This strategic plan is meant to be a dynamic, living, management tool that provides direc on and a framework for AOA and the industry’s future success. Thank you to all those who par cipated in the strategic planning process. We look forward to working with you on the ac ons required to accomplish the objec ves.

Sincerely,

Bonnie B. Po erPresident

Core ValuesIntegrity

• Honesty and candor in our dealings• Observe the spirit as well as the le er of our Bylaws• Uphold our reputa on for high ethical principles• Do not compromise truth, ethics, or integrity to avoid controversy

Transparency / Leadership• No poli cal or personal agendas• Avoid confl icts, or the appearance of confl icts, between our personal interests and those of the organiza on• Avoid ac vi es that may refl ect adversely on our organiza on• Openly and freely communicate with membership

Pride in Accomplishments• Innovate for success• Focus on accuracy of data• U lize the best science and data available• Value high performance by staff and contractors

Service / Responsiveness• Advocate for best interests of membership

Vision, Mission, and Purpose

Our Vision...A recognized and sustainable North American alpaca industry for alpaca owners, alpaca breeders, and those who design, produce, and sell alpaca related products and services.

Our Mission...Serve all Alpaca Owners Associa on members to facilitate their success within the alpaca industry.

Our Purpose...• To promote awareness of alpaca and alpaca products;• To maintain an offi cial DNA validated genealogical registry system;• To administer an alpaca show system;• To provide educa on to the Associa on’s members and to the public about the opera on of sustainable alpaca

businesses;• To market alpaca and the use of alpaca products;• To promote scien fi c research to benefi t the alpaca industry; and• To do any and all things necessary or incidental to achieving the purposes specifi ed above.

Target Goal OneWork to enhance the alpaca industry image across North America with the specifi c goal of a rac ng more people to the industryExplana on: This goal addresses the desire to see growth in the number of people in the North American alpaca industry.

Strategy 1.1 — Development of a plan to raise funds to support this strategyStrategy 1.2 — Development of a na onal marke ng and educa on planStrategy 1.3 — Defi ne the various models that illustrate the pathways to making a profi table businessStrategy 1.4 — Development of an internal educa on strategy to emphasize the importance of everyone being

members to ensure a strong na onal organiza onStrategy 1.5 — Defi ne what ways that AOA could work with other organiza ons to accomplish this strategy and

ensure resources are used to maximum benefi t

Target Goal TwoIncrease par cipa on at AOA cer fi ed showsExplana on: This goal addresses the desire to maintain a strong alpaca show system.

Strategy 2.1 — Remove redundancy and simplify language in show system handbook so that it doesn’t appear so daun ng to new and poten al members

Strategy 2.2 — Develop a 1-2 page “At a Glance” informa on sheet about the show system handbook to encourage people to show

Strategy 2.3 — Develop a breed standard for huacaya and suri and determine if show rules should be related more directly to those breed standards

Strategy 2.4 — Determine if there are show rules that are no longer necessary or rules that people desire a change or addi on to

Strategy 2.5 — Increase feedback for all alpacas that are showingStrategy 2.6 — Develop a guide or fact sheet with sugges ons of addi onal ac vi es/services that shows can off er

to increase par cipa on from members as well as publicStrategy 2.7 — Determine if current halter show rules and judging criteria adequately represent the fl eece side of

the industry and support commercially viable traitsStrategy 2.8 — Encourage shows to bring fl eece shows “out from behind the curtain” and incorporate awards into

the main part of the halter shows

Target Goal ThreeIncrease the registra on of all eligible alpacasExplana on: The strategy addresses the desire to see that every eligible alpaca in North America is registered with AOA, including developing a strategy to encourage registra on of non-breeding, fl eece-producing alpacas.

Strategy 3.1 — Iden fy registra on solu ons focusing on non-breeding, fl eece-producing alpacasStrategy 3.2 — Educate members on the importance and value of alpaca registra on to their farm and the industryStrategy 3.3 — Increase the value of registra on even further by developing a “Registered Cer fi ed” fl eece brandStrategy 3.4 — Increase the awareness of the value of EPDsStrategy 3.5 — Replace current “s gma zed” non-breeder status with another name

Target Goal FourIncrease demand for alpaca fl eece and fl eece products throughout North AmericaExplana on: This strategy addresses the desire to see an increase in demand for North American alpaca fl eece and fl eece related products, including op ons for ge ng fl eece from farm to market.

Strategy 4.1 — Sponsor studies about alpaca fl eece to get the science and comparison data to backup statements on strength, weight, warmth, etc., then u lize that informa on in na onal marke ng eff orts

Strategy 4.2 — Develop a na onal product sales website for all members to list products, then incorporate this site into na onal marke ng eff orts

Strategy 4.3 — Develop a strong brand for North American alpaca fl eece/products, including a “Cer fi ed Alpaca” model. Perhaps a mo o or slogan

Strategy 4.4 — Develop and publish several diff erent possible business models for alpaca fl eece and fl eece productsStrategy 4.5 — Engage tex le manufacturers and fashion designers to be er understand their needs and the reality

of what is currently needed for alpaca fl eece in the marketplaceStrategy 4.6 — Defi ne what ways that AOA could work with other organiza ons to accomplish this strategy and

ensure resources are used to maximum benefi t

Target Goal FiveIncrease AOA paid membershipsExplana on: This strategy addresses the desire to con nue to grow the organiza on by increasing the number of engaged and ac ve members in AOA.

Strategy 5.1 — Develop an overarching educa on strategy targeted at showing members all the things they get from an AOA membership, and the ways that their membership helps the industry and in-turn benefi ts them

Strategy 5.2 — Develop a more detailed ‘new member’ support page on the websiteStrategy 5.3 — Determine if there is a communica ons method outside the current system (eBlasts, newsle ers,

Facebook, Twi er, and affi liate updates) to communicate AOA ac vi es to membersStrategy 5.4 — Research poten al addi onal paid membership types for alpaca lovers, alpaca pet owners, fi ber

users, and similarStrategy 5.5 — Research the current membership levels to determine if they contain the services and func ons

needed by those levels, while also evalua ng the overall cost which should be charged for those levels of membership

Strategy 5.6 — Provide incen ves to sellers to ensure that their new clients get access to “new member” AOA informa on and packages

Target Goal SixIden fy the op ons for alterna ve products for the benefi t of AOA members who wish to consider non-tradi onal revenue sources from their alpacasExplana on: This strategy addresses the desire to explore addi onal profi table uses for alpacas outside tradi onal fl eece products.

Strategy 6.1 — Iden fy individuals who are already producing, using or selling such products, communicate with them, and collect as much informa on as possible about their experiences

Strategy 6.2 — Evaluate the existence, feasibility, profi tability, and limita ons of poten al markets for non-tradi onal revenue sources from alpacas

Strategy 6.3 — Evaluate the regulatory and legal concerns of poten al markets for non-tradi onal revenue sources from alpacas

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