ASPIRE Strategic Plan
Adopted May 06, 2009
ASPIRE, Inc.’s mission is to increase the educational and success opportunities for low-income and
first-generation college students through advocacy, professional development, and legislative
awareness.
In order to achieve this mission, the board has established seven (7) strategic goals for 2009-20011.
Strategic Goal #1
Advocate for programs and activities that ensure the continued existence of TRiO and other
educational opportunity programs, such as GEAR-UP.
Objective(s):
 Increase membership communication of issues related to activities that ensure continued
existence (support dissemination at state level through ASPIRATIONS, state newsletter,
web pages, and state conferences)
 Facilitate communication and awareness of current issues (legislation, regulations, and
ED)
 Provide training and mentoring to members and leaders to best advocate for students,
programs, and opportunities (policy preparation and training and regional/state
conferences)
 Ensure support at each state/regional meeting
 Advocate for additional funding for educational opportunity programs and financial aid.
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Include strategic plan review during at least one State Meeting per year in every
state.
Educate other access programs in the region on who we are and provide them
limited access to our communications to demonstrate our advocacy process in an
effort to increase associate memberships and emerge as educational access leader
in the region.
Responsible Parties:
State Chapters
Governmental Relations
Conference
Website
Corporate Development
Training/Professional Development
TRIO Achievers
Executive Board
Membership
Publications
State Initiative
Multi-Ethnic Advocacy
National TRIO Day
TRIO Alumni
ASPIRE, Inc.
Strategic Plan
Adopted 2007
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Strategic Goal #2:
Strengthen the financial position of ASPIRE.
Objective(s):
 Look for opportunities for public and private partnerships to generate revenues or reduce
costs
 Solicit individual private donations
 Solicit corporate sponsorships at a minimum of $500 per state and provide advertising for
these sponsors
 Maximize revenues from regional conferences by advertising regional conference
nationally and encourage out of region conference attendance
 Achieve the following membership goals; 50% of eligible professional memberships or a
10% increase from prior year per state, 40 student memberships per state, and 83% of
projects will purchase project memberships per state.
 Develop a multi-year fund development plan that identifies specific responsibilities for
all committees

Create an internet based giving/paying option through the website. (paypal)
Responsible Parties:
State Chapters
Corporate Development
Conference
Membership
National TRiO Day
Training/Professional Development
By-Laws/Operating Guidelines
Executive Board
Development
Student Leadership Congress
Finance
Publications
TRiO Alumni
Website
Strategic Goal #3:
Provide professional development opportunities to the members of ASPIRE.
Objective(s):
 Develop and disseminate a needs assessment for training at regional/state conferences
 Identify other training models for professional development
 Encourage membership to attend other meetings, trainings, and conferences (TRIO and nonTRIO) as a means for professional development
 Schedule pre-conference training events
 Conduct state and locally based training
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Establish a team to always be prepared to write for the ASPIRE training grants.
Market and encourage attendance at LDI trainings.
Establish a training needs suggestion component to website or collect through the
states.
Responsible Parties:
State Chapters
Conference
Website
Executive Board
Training/Professional Development
Financial Aid
ASPIRE, Inc.
Strategic Plan
Adopted 2007
Page 2 of 7
By-Laws/Operating Guidelines
International Access
Professional Standards
Governmental Relations
Multi-Ethnic Advocacy
State Initiative
Strategic Goal #4:
Continue to strengthen governmental relations work at the national, regional, state, and local
levels.
Objective(s):
 Provide information to membership regarding current governmental relations issues
 Distribute state TRIO fact books, ASPIRATIONS, program newsletters, and other
information to policy makers. The winter issue of ASPIRATIONS should be developed for
and distributed to policymakers to increase their awareness of TRIO.
 Provide training and mentoring on how to be more effective when meeting with policymakers
 Provide forums where educational access issues can be addressed and invite policymakers to
attend
 Provide resources for researching state and regional issues by (links to state web sites,
legislative home pages, etc.)

Create and maintain a regional fact book which focuses on program accomplishments
using project data from the APR’s.
Responsible Parties:
State Chapters
Publications
State Initiative
Website
Student Leadership Congress
TRIO Achievers
Executive Board
Governmental Relations
Conference
National TRIO Day
Training/Professional Development
TRIO Alumni
Strategic Goal #5:
Further develop and utilize communication capabilities and networking opportunities.
Objective(s):
 Disseminate information regarding benefits of membership and how ASPIRE funds are
utilized (professional development, services to students, etc.)
 Increase communication on a personal level with state membership committee chairs
 Promote utilization of online resources for conference and state meeting registrations,
distribution of information, payment of membership, and maintenance of membership lists.
 Publish ASPIRATIONS tri-annually
 Update ASPIRE website, quarterly at a minimum
 Host annual conference (to include pre-conference offerings)
 Continue providing networking and training opportunities for ASPIRE members
 Encourage state associations to incorporate networking with outside entities (COE,
Department of Ed TRiO training, state initiatives, corporate development)

Register for a communication medium such as SKYPE to enhance e-business
functions.
ASPIRE, Inc.
Strategic Plan
Adopted 2007
Page 3 of 7
Responsible Parties:
State Chapters
Website
Publications
Conference
Multi-Ethnic Advocacy
Elections
International Access
TRIO Alumni
Executive Board
Training/Professional Development
State Initiative
Corporate Development
Membership
Governmental Relations
National TRIO Day
Strategic Goal #6:
Assist program participants and alumni to advocate for TRIO.
Objective(s):
 Provide tools and resources for states to increase membership
 Promote Student Leadership Congress participation at the COE, regional and state level
 Increase and measure student and alumni participation in TRiO Day activities
 Enable students to pursue and participate in study abroad through information, resources, and
opportunities offered from COE and /or their institutions.
 Empower alumni to advocate for their needs at Policy Seminar
 Encourage student and alumni membership in regional association
 Encourage states to recognize TRIO Achievers
 Develop an alumni association
 Track and communicate with regional and state TRIO Achievers and alumni

Develop a contact list of Alumni in the region to forward to COE Alumni Association
initiative
Responsible Parties:
State Chapters
Student Leadership Congress
National TRiO Day
Governmental Relations
Membership
Awards
Multi-Ethnic Advocacy
State Initiative
Executive Board
Website
International Access
Conference
TRiO Achievers
Financial Aid
Publications
TRIO Alumni
Strategic Goal #7:
Strengthen relationships with state associations.
Objective(s):
 Support and encourage state presidents to attend Policy Seminar
 Provide resources for state presidents to attend ASPIRE board meeting
 Provide training on leadership skills to membership
 Commit ASPIRE leaders to attend state meetings
 Support and encourage state initiatives
ASPIRE, Inc.
Strategic Plan
Adopted 2007
Page 4 of 7
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Schedule state meetings at the regional conference
Rely on state association support for development initiatives
Facilitate interstate communication to plan and conduct the Student Leadership Congress
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Conduct Regional and State history workshops at LDI or the regional conference.
Display current board bios on the website.
Responsible Parties:
State Chapters
Governmental Relations
State Initiative
Training/Professional Development
Publications
By-laws/Operating Guidelines
Development
Executive Board
Membership
Website
Elections
Student Leadership Congress
Conference
ASPIRE, Inc.
Strategic Plan
Adopted 2007
Page 5 of 7
1. Advocate for
programs and
activities that ensure
the continued
existence of TRIO
and other
educational
opportunity
programs such as
GEAR UP.
Strategic Goals
Responsible Party
State Chapters
√
Archivist
Awards
By-Laws/Op. Guidelines
Conference
√
√
Corporate Development
Development
Elections
√
Executive Board
Finance
Financial Aid
Governmental Relations
√
International Access
Membership
√
√
Multi-Ethnic Advocacy
√
National TRiO Day
Personnel
Professional Standards
Website
√
Publications
√
State Initiative
√
Strategic Plan
Student Leadership Congress
Training/Professional Development √
2.
Strengthen
the
financial
position of
ASPIRE.
3. Provide
professiona
l
developme
nt
opportuniti
es for the
members of
ASPIRE.
4. Continue to
strengthen
governmental
relations work
at the national,
regional, state,
and local
levels.
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5. Further
develop and
utilize
communication
capabilities and
networking
opportunities.
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6. Assist
program
participants and
alumni to
advocate for
TRIO.
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7.
Strengthen
relationship
s with state
association
s.
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ASPIRE, Inc.
Strategic Plan
Adopted 2007
Page 6 of 7
TRiO Achievers
TRiO Alumni
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ASPIRE, Inc.
Strategic Plan
Adopted 2007
Page 7 of 7