2022-2025 Strategic Plan
Our 2022-2025 Strategic Plan affirms our commitment to make the Foundation a much stronger force that benefits both the real estate industry and all Albertans.
This plan represents the culmination of work done in the Foundation’s 30th Anniversary year, bringing together information from:
1
a significant review of all of the Foundation’s work, including governance, finance, human resources, granting, and more;
2
an extensive stakeholder engagement effort that gathered important feedback and direction from our stakeholders to feed into the plan; and
3
considerable reflection by the Board of Governors and the Staff Team about the purpose, processes, and activities of the Foundation.
Our Mandate
The Real Estate Act states that the Foundation’s purpose is to promote and undertake:
the education of related professionals and the public in respect of the real estate industry
law reform and research in respect of the real estate industry
other projects and activities to advance and improve the real estate industry
Our Mission
To make strategic investments, form partnerships, and support initiatives that benefit Albertans through the real estate industry in all its forms.
Our Vision
Stronger real estate industry. Stronger Alberta.
What We Heard
To celebrate our 30th Anniversary in 2021, we worked with an independent consulting firm to engage our stakeholders to explore current and future trends, and evaluate the role of the Foundation in addressing those trends. We heard that the Foundation can:
Play a Visible Role
The Foundation can play a more visible role.
The Foundation has been intentionally quiet about the projects that it has funded in the past, preferring to have grantees get the attention, but there is a recognized opportunity, and value, in more publicly communicating the successes of the Foundation, and in acknowledging its unique funding model for many reasons, including expanding access to this funding model by all stakeholders, including industry.
Partner in a Changing Alberta
The real estate industry is facing massive changes, and the Foundation can offer critical support in addressing these changes.
Many demographic, cultural, social, environmental and financial changes are intersecting today for the industry, and there is an interest in having the Foundation fund projects that examine these changes, and support efforts that will help the industry keep pace and adapt to these changes. Critical amongst these many areas of possible focus are the impacts of climate change, changes in the technology of homes and home buying, affordability and changes in the nature of home ownership, sustainability of urban housing and commercial development, as well as the unique issues of rural living.
Support a Diverse Sector
Different segments of the Real Estate sector face different challenges and require unique solutions.
The Foundation is involved in all four elements of the real estate sector in the province — Residential, Commercial, Mortgage and Condominium — and we clearly heard how the different segments are facing unique issues that require their own paths of research, application and understanding. We also heard clearly that different regions of the province need different kinds of support, and that the Foundation can play a stronger role in facilitating collaboration between the regions and the various sectors of the industry.
Strategic Priorities
Three strategic priorities emerged from a deep internal review of our policies and processes, and from our consultations with our stakeholders. In each priority, we identify clear goals to improve the work of the Foundation and better serve the real estate industry and Albertans.
Outreach
Strengthen our external relationships to collaboratively advance the changing real estate industry.
Accountability
Enhance the impacts of the Foundation by better measuring and communicating the benefits of our activities and investments.
Effectiveness
Optimize our internal capacity by continuously improving our organizational structures and processes.
Organizational Values
The Foundation is guided by our values of:
Respect
We value respect in all our relationships: with each other, with all our stakeholders, and with grantseekers.
Collaboration
We value collaboration by actively seeking partnerships that advance the Foundation’s mandate and vision.
Transparency
We value transparency in the communication of all of our activities and investments. We are committed to making all of our processes, impacts and outcomes visible to funders, applicants and the public.
Continuous Learning
We value continuous learning through all of our processes, programs and initiatives. We are deeply committed to efficiency, efficacy and improvement.
Strategic Priorities & Goals
Outreach
We will strengthen our external relationships to collaboratively advance the changing real estate industry.
We will show up more, to increase the industry’s and public’s awareness of the work of the Foundation. We recognize the need to have a higher and clearer profile
We will listen more, to ensure that we better understand and support the industry’s needs
We will invite more engagement, to connect better with the industry and increase the number of funding applications
We will share more, to help the public and the industry understand the work of the Foundation better
Accountability
We will enhance the impacts of the Foundation by better measuring and communicating the benefits of our activities and investments.
We will establish measurement frameworks, to ensure that the foundation has the breadth and depth of impact that the industry needs and desires
We will clarify what our work is, to streamline the targets and processes of our work
We will clarify who the work impacts to better justify the granting processes and outcomes
We will clarify how the work is done, to help support the industry and public understanding of our processes and impacts
Effectiveness
We will optimize our internal capacity by continuously improving our organizational structures and processes.
We will objectively examine our internal processes to baseline our efficiency and effectiveness
We will ensure that we have the right people in place doing the right things on our staff to maximize efficiencies
We will ensure that we have the most meaningful, effective, and efficient governance by our board