Our strategic plan

• Small Ruminant Research (A credible and reputable journal)
• International conference on goats (A premier event for researchers and practitioners)
• Existing global network
• Knowledgeable and enthusiastic members
• Potential for future network development
• Global membership from 70 countries
• Linking research with rural / community development (putting science into practice)
• Importance of goats to alleviating poverty
• Importance of goats in improving environment
• Reputation of the organization
• Committed board members and chairman (serious and responsible leadership)
• Diverse board of directors and general membership (globally and economically)
• Global perspective
• 25-year history

Funding
• Expanding the financial base
• Diversification of income
• Sustainability and viability

Membership
• Strengthen membership services
• Services for the involvement of members
• Injection of technology
• Process for communication: website, electronic newsletter, and email
• Time allocation for secretariat (staffing issue)
• Reasons for being a member of IGA

Operations
• Revise policy and procedures
• Examine how the board functions and how we do business
• Maintain institutional memory
• Develop and implement IGA information projects

Geographic Focus
• Promoting regional activity and global exchange of information
• Network development (need to consider where we place our emphasis)
• Discuss possibility of acquiring funding to support regional activities
• Increase regional activities in intervals between the International Conferences

o Promote and structure exchange visits and agricultural internships
o IGA will take the lead on the development of regional chat rooms
o Identify resources and support regional training workshops
o Provide useful information via web-based means (location of breeding stocks, local and international expertise, regional and international events, hot spots of goat activity, key IGA contacts, membership application, resource information, links, web-based payment means)

• Support country representatives

o Foster better field recruitment in regions
o Clarify lines of communication to the Secretariat
o Ensure appropriate credentials (business cards, letterhead stationery)
o Provide up-to-date and accurate data on the web
o Explore communication mechanism between the IGA board members and country representatives

• Ensure fundraising efforts are ongoing at every level of IGA

o Centralized / decentralized
o Regional representatives identify potential donors
o Involvement in grant writing
o Establish legal identity to enable access to European funding
o Schedule information sharing (regional news features of what’s happening in various areas)

Program Niche
• Strengthen the relationship between scientific research and producers to alleviate poverty
• Promote understanding and co-operation between researchers, producers and development practitioners
• Discuss how to integrate real farmer challenges and success with research programs
• Create a clear identity linkage between research and development
• Promote the role of women in goat production

Our Priority:

To manage and increase membership

• Revision and overhaul of existing database used to manage membership
• Appropriate allocation of time and resources that are unique to IGA
• Create an up-to-date mailing list from membership
• Better membership acquisition – ideally from the IGA website
• Ensure handover from previous team is completed
• Membership list update and distribution/key access to regional directors and country representatives
• Explore differential membership fee for less developed countries
• Institutional membership/additional categories
• Country representative as a resource person
• Organizing of information system on goats

Anticipated Outcomes
• Decreased turnover of members
• Happy, satisfied members
• Increased membership
• Increased income
• Maintaining the credibility

Estimated Cost
• A full-time director of operation
• Time commitment of secretary/treasurer

Complete Redesign and Management of IGA Website
Action plan
• Utilize expertise available to the secretariat
• Website platform should be commercialized
• Membership acquisition online
• Add the capability of paying for membership online
• Multi-language accommodation (Arabic, Chinese, French, Spanish)
• Regional web sites
• Online newsletter

Anticipated Outcomes
• Improved image and credibility of IGA
• Accurate and up-to-date information sharing
• Increase membership and revenue generation
• Publications online
• Resource expertise
• Hosting of regional websites
• Better visibility of institutional members marketing on IGA site

Estimated Cost
• Design and maintenance

Promote the link between researchers and producers
Action plan
• Promote regional and national conferences (sponsor or co-sponsor regional meetings annually)
• Conferences proceedings would appear on IGA’s website
• Undertake farm visits and exchange of experience – research stations
• Setup IGA booths at conferences (membership drive, applications on the spot, IGA sponsored speaker)

Anticipated Outcomes
• Meeting our vision
• Key point of information exchange
• Experience sharing
• Research becomes more useful to the producer
• Venue for the exchange of best practices

Estimated Cost
• Micro-grants per year per region
• Scholarships sponsorship per year per region

International Conference on Goats – Mexico 2008
Action plan
• Sponsorships / scholarships (10 emerging Scientists and 10 leaders of producer groups)
• Create an atmosphere with funding that will attract potential keynote speakers
• Call for scientific papers – 2 years in advance
• Establish scientific committee for reviewing submissions
• Agree on the mode of publishing accepted papers
• Undertake fundraising for the above
• Create high scientific standards-of-presentation
• Involve emerging scientists in the planning process of ICG
• Logistics

Anticipated Outcomes
• Increased number of IGA members consistent with number of attendees
• 700 attendees
• Meeting our vision
• Key point of information exchange
• Experience sharing
• Research becomes more useful to the producer
• Best practices exchanged

Estimated Costs
• Planning meetings 2006 & 2007
• Scientific committee meeting
• Scholarships for ICG
• Keynote speakers

Financial Sustainability
Action plan
• Marketing
• Logo Development

o design
o market testing via focus groups
o branding
o brochure development

• Fundraising strategies

o Undertake drive to increase institutional membership (survey board members for potential institutional members)
o Seek out individual donors to fund scholarships, website, training for women, and regional meetings
o Industry sustaining memberships – organizations that cater to small ruminants

• Seek out grants and donations

o SARE
o Kellogg
o Ford Foundation
o McKnight Foundation
o Sandy River
o Clinton Foundation
o Conservation, Food & Health
o IDRC
o CIDA
o DFID (UK)
o Dairy and Goat Associations

• Seek out corporate donations

o Animal supply firms
o Veterinary drug companies

• Seek out affiliate organizations

o Invite them to be institutional members
o Request the support of scholarships

Anticipated Outcomes
• Rebranding of IGA
• Fresh look / image boost

Estimated Cost
• Members time
• Postage
• Operating Costs
• Budget Development
• Estimated Operating Costs FY2005 - $40,000 – 50,000
• Estimated Operating Costs FY2006 - $90,000
• Fundraising Goal FY2005 - $50,000
• Fiscal Year is from January to December

Publish Small Ruminant Research
Action plan
• Continue to provide support for the Editor-in-Chief, associate editors and editorial board members to expand the pool of referees
• Add a section/paragraph of “implications for producers”
• Identify special issues linking research and production
• Ensure regular IGA input on content

Anticipated Outcomes
• High quality scientific journal with relevance to producers published bi-monthly
• Citations
• Good image for IGA