Building New Ways for Success in Aquatic Sports FINA National Federations Development Handbook 2010 Foreword By Dr. Julio C. Maglione, FINA President As our athletes continuously push to better themselves, breaking tough to new heights and setting the pace of victory, so must we in turn drive for these same accomplishments to deliver results on all levels. We are the core of develop- ment and growth within aquatics and everyday we as individuals must strive to improve our administrative and managerial skills. The handbook you now have in your possession has been developed to assist each National Federation in achieving higher goals. The objective of this document is to give you some direction and helpful guide- lines on the many areas you address on a daily basis. It doesn’t matter if your federation is just starting up or has been in existence for 100 years: there is something for everyone here. This new FINA National Development Federation Handbook is the result of the work with a range of international experts in many fields and it will provide guidelines on how we can all win in water. Specifically, it will help you on: - Planning your future - Securing your structure - Promoting your brand - Choosing your people - Increasing your income - Supporting your sport - Improving your skills - Developing your partnerships We at FINA believe that we can generate optimal performances in aquatics on all levels. We need strong National Federations and believe through the crea- tion of this handbook together we can make a difference for our sport in your countries. We have an obligation to provide our athletes, coaches, and officials with a strong foundation for development and the best possible conditions to grow and develop. Our commitment to aquatics runs deep within all of us and we must continue to strive to be the best that we can be. All champions need a winning team to support them, we are their support. One beat at a time, one stroke at a time, together we will be winners! Our passion for aquatics flows through each of us. Let our vision for Aquatics flow throughout the world. Dr. Julio C. Maglione FINA President Table of contents FINA National Federations Development Handbook 2010 1 Creating your plan p 9 1.1 Developing mission, vision and values p 13 1.2 A strategic plan for a National Federation p 19 1.3 New ideas on strategic planning p 27 1.4 The financial plan p 31 Annex A – Model: Chart of Account p 38 1.5 Winning story – Swimming New Zealand p 39 2 Securing your structure p 43 2.1 Structure: making the plan work p 47 2.2 Governance of a National Federation p 51 2.3 National Federation structures p 57 Annex B – National Federations Organisational Structure p 62 2.4 Measurement and evaluation p 67 2.5 Winning story – Danish Swimming Federation p 71 3 Promoting your brand p 75 3.1 Creating a National Federation brand p 79 3.2 Promotional activities p 85 3.3 Media relations and operations p 91 Annex C – FINA Press Releases p 98 3.4 Digital media and social networks p 101 3.5 Winning story – Brazilian Swimming Federation p 107 4 Choosing your people p 111 4.1 Motivating for involvement p 115 4.2 Working with volunteers p 119 4.3 Creating a learning organisation p 123 4.4 Rules, policies and ethics p 127 4.5 Winning story – Italian Swimming Federation p 131 5 Increasing your income p 135 5.1 Growing the membership p 139 5.2 Sponsorship p 143 5.3 Working with public sector p 149 5.4 Alternative funding opportunities p 157 5.5 Winning story – USA Swimming p 161 6 Supporting your sport p 165 6.1 Supporting athletes p 169 6.2 Supporting coaches p 173 6.3 Supporting officials p 177 6.4 Competition and events p 181 Annex D – FINA World Championships timeline p 185 6.5 Winning story – Amateur Swimming Federation of Fiji p 187 7 Improving your skills p 191 7.1 The importance of continuous improvement p 195 7.2 Presentation skills p 203 7.3 Selling and influencing skills p 215 7.4 Negotiation skills p 223 7.5 Winning story – Papua New Guinea Swimming, Inc. p 231 8 Enhancing your development programmes p 237 8.1 FINA National Federations Development Programme p 241 8.1.1 FINA Leaders and Administrators Development Programmes p 246 8.1.2 FINA Athletes Development Programmes p 270 8.1.3 FINA Coaches Development Programmes p 296 8.1.4 FINA Officials (Judges and Referees) Development Programmes p 330 8.2 Olympic Solidarity Programmes p 355 8.3 FINA Anti-doping Programmes p 369 8.4 National partnerships p 373 8.5 Winning story – Swimming/Natation Canada p 379 1 Creating your plan Chapter 1.1 p 13 Developing mission, vision and values Chapter 1.2 p 19 A strategic plan for a National Federation Chapter 1.3 p 27 New ideas on strategic planning Chapter 1.4 p 31 The financial plan Annex A p 38 Model: Chart of Account Chapter 1.5 p 39 Winning story Swimming New Zealand Chapter 1.1 Developing mission, vision and values Benefits of this chapter As any athlete will tell you, success starts with a dream – a goal to reach for, an objective to accomplish, something to aspire to. For an aquatics federation, the dream is found in your mission, vision and values. A mission statement expresses your federation’s goals and overall purpose. In other words, it is the foundation for the future. For that reason, it is impor- tant to consider both present and future ambitions when developing your mission statement. Your mission is the springboard for your vision, which describes what your organisation will look like in day- to-day operations. Your federation’s values represent the core priorities in your organisation. Together, mission, vision and values are the basis for your future success as an aquatics federation. But first you must have goals – you must have a dream! Chapter 1.1 Introduction Developing mission, vision and values Developing a mission, vision and values can be both challenging and inspiring. As with any organisational endeavour, dedication is required to create formal processes and methods for abiding by them. The process may take time and patience, but the benefits are well worth all your efforts. Devising a plan for your federation allows you to assess your immediate goals, resources and environment, while giving you liberty to dream for the future. Keep in mind that these dreams must be realistic – a swimmer never breaks a world record his first time off the blocks! Remember that the aim of mission, vision and values is to grow as a federation. So ask yourself three critical questions: - Who are we? - What do we want to achieve? - How can we achieve this? Think about it. A strong foundation can promote unity within your aquatics federa- tion, organise your allocated resources and grow your federation into the future. Getting started While every aquatics federation has multiple areas of focus – events, adminis- tration, development, etc. – one thing is clear. Each federation needs an effec- tive, powerful mission statement before moving forward. A mission statement is a critical component for any organisation. It is a funda- mental step when deciding what you want your goals to be and how you want to develop your federation. It is the difference between being another typical “non-profit” or becoming a streamlined, effective aquatics federation with a pro- fessional approach. The start of any plan begins with figuring out exactly what your purpose is, where you are today, where you want to be tomorrow and how you want to get there. The whole process is a gradual one. It begins by analysing your current situa- tion and defining your objectives with a mission statement, vision and values. Once you have these in place, you can dive in and move your federation forward! Diagram 1.1 a Move your federal forward Define your MISSION Identify your VISION Set your VALUES 14 Developing a mission Chapter 1.1 Developing mission, A mission statement provides a guideline for you and your members. It states vision and values the reasons why your organisation exists and is an important piece of the puz- zle as you develop your federation. A strong, effective mission statement serves the following four purposes: 1/ Promotes unity A clear, well-written mission statement can get the support of the entire federation. Having a mission statement that everyone believes in will foster a sense of unity. 2/ Allocates resources Most federations have limited resources – financial, human, etc. De- termining how to allocate them can lead to difficult decisions. With a clear mission statement in place, linking those hard choices to your mission can make your reasoning and your decisions defendable. 3/ Provides foundation for growth Every federation needs a guideline to reference. A mission state- ment will be the first step your organisation will need to create growth in the later stages of strategic development. 4/ Creates culture Your mission statement can set the standard within your federation. While it can be difficult to gain full acceptance at the beginning, establishing criteria can help your members feel committed to a common cause in the long-run. A strong, effective mission statement features the following four characteristics: 1/ Identifiable A mission statement should be one with which your members can identify. It should be the statement that inspires future success and from which important decisions can be made.