USA Weightlifting's Plan...

I wanted to share with you a post that USA Weightlifting made yesterday...

2025-2028 STRATEGIC PLAN

MISSION STATEMENT

Grow and develop weightlifting to support lifelong participation and achieve Olympic podium success.

VISION STATEMENT

A stronger and healthier world where everyone is inspired to lift a barbell.

ORGANIZATIONAL VALUES

● Service: We support our community and pursue shared goals.

● Teamwork: We collaborate to achieve more.

● Integrity: We are fair and operate with unquestioned ethics.

● Belonging: We lead a sport community where everyone is welcome.

● Excellence: We hold ourselves to high standards and continuously improve.

PREAMBLE

As we look toward the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, our dedication to excellence is stronger than ever. This strategic plan is designed to propel us forward and provide the structure needed to pursue clear priorities over the next four years. 

By focusing on these priorities, we will not only address the urgent needs of today but also work towards our mission to grow and develop weightlifting to support lifelong participation and achieve Olympic podium success.

The 2025-2028 USA Weightlifting Strategic Plan was developed through input from organizational stakeholder groups and reflects our collective priorities over the next few years. This plan is intentionally focused so that we can maximize our impact in key areas:

● High Performance Excellence. Develop and invest in our athletes to support podium success at the highest levels of senior international competition, including LA2028 and future Olympic Games.

● Participation and Sport Development. Implement programs to grow participation, develop our sport, and elevate the experience for all who participate in weightlifting.

● Revenue Generation and Diversification. Increase the reach and recognition of USA Weightlifting and our sport, generating revenue growth and building financial strength and stability to support high performance and sport development programs.

● Organizational Effectiveness. Build and sustain a high performing team that is committed to our mission, achieving excellence, and bringing to life a positive organizational culture.

As the leader in our sport, we are committed to these priorities and fueled by the opportunity to make a lasting impact for the members of our community.

2025-2028 Strategic Plan

STRATEGIC PLAN

1. High Performance Excellence. Develop and invest in our athletes to support podium success at the highest levels of senior international competition, including LA2028 and future Olympic Games.

2. a) Invest. Create and implement an intentional athlete support model that invests in athletes with the demonstrated potential to compete with the best in the world for a podium at senior international competitions, especially the Olympic Games.

b) Define Pathways. Specify and clearly communicate how athletes progress and access resources and development opportunities in our sport.

c) Deepen the Pipeline. Source talent through targeted scouting, outreach and partnership, strong grassroots programs, development of existing high performance athletes, and recruitment of crossover athletes from other sports.

d) Support Career Transitions. Assist high performance athletes in their post-weightlifting career transition, with an emphasis on partnerships (e.g., U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee) that provide educational and career resources.

e) Success Targets:

i) Match or exceed the medal total from each of the Tokyo and Paris Games at the Los Angeles 2028 Games.

ii) Average five medals won at IWF Senior World Championships during this four-year period.

iii) Team USA produces an average (over this four-year period) medal per athlete rate of at least 0.75 at the IWF youth and junior world championships, and at least 0.33 at the IWF Senior World Championships.

iv) By 2028, each level of USA Weightlifting’s National Team Program is filled to the program’s capacity by qualified and eligible athletes.

v) In partnership with the USA Weightlifting Athletes’ Advisory Committee and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, establish a “resource center” designed to specifically support high performance athletes in their post-weightlifting career transition. Participation and Sport Development. Implement programs to grow participation, develop our sport, and elevate the experience for all who participate in weightlifting.

a) Support Coaching Excellence. Continue to professionalize coaching education at all levels and expand education resources for coaching skills programs to deliver consistent, quality coaching from the grassroots up.

b) Encourage Lifelong Involvement. Continuously refine member benefits to drive meaningful value and promote participation for life.

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c) Support Club Excellence. Develop resources and recognition programs to build capabilities for more clubs to achieve business success, grow the weightlifting community, and produce consistently positive experiences for our (club and USAW) members.

d) Success Targets:

i) Average 3,000 coaches trained annually over the four-year period.

ii) Attain gender distribution of USAW coach members that is at least 40% female (up from 35% female as of January 1, 2025) and 1% annual growth in National Level Coaches who are female (15% as of January 1, 2025).

iii) iv) v) Attain an annual Net Promoter Score of 50 or greater from members.

3-5% annual growth of individual and club memberships. 85% annual membership renewal rate. Revenue Generation and Diversification. Increase the reach and recognition of USA Weightlifting and our sport, generating revenue growth and building financial strength.

a) Tell Our Stories: Share compelling weightlifting stories through newly curated content across diverse media channels to increase visibility, build interest with new audiences, and ultimately attract new revenue investment from sponsors, partners, advertisers, and viewers.

b) Build Commercial Partnerships. Retain existing commercial partners and attract new ones by creating more sellable and valuable assets, with an emphasis on digital media assets.

c) Increase Philanthropic Support. Partner with USA Weightlifting Foundation to create a compelling case for giving, activated through successful campaigns, that grows philanthropic support at all donor levels.

4. d) Grow Coaching Education Markets. Expand USAW’s industry-leading coaching education products into new markets, and with new products, to grow the Olympic weightlifting coaching community and increase revenue.

e) Success Target

i) Annual revenue of $10 million (up from approximately $7 million in 2024) reached by the end of 2028 with no more than 33% coming from a single source. Organizational Effectiveness. Build and sustain a high performing team that is committed to our mission, achieving excellence, and bringing to life a positive organizational culture.

a) Build Operational Capacity. Balance capacity with growth targets and invest in people and technology to right-size the organization to deliver on the priorities articulated in this plan.

b) Improve Data and Business Intelligence Capabilities. Use data analytics across the business to power decisions, monitor progress against organizational goals, and inform periodic review of our strategic direction.

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c) Improve Financial Stability. Establish and manage an operational reserve to safeguard against business disruptions and support long-term sustainability.

d) Success Targets:

i) ii) iii) Achieve an employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) of 40 or higher annually. 6 months of operating expenses established as reserves by 2028. Regularly report to the Board of Directors on annual objectives and key results (OKRs).