National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA)

The experiences that a young person can enjoy through NICA programs will help shape them as adults, providing youth opportunities to learn foundational life lessons through sport. We teach strong body, mind and character through racing, team practice, riding, adventure, and NICA Camp programs, as well as inclusivity and equity through Girls Riding Together (GRiT). We teach a respect for others as well as the outdoors and stewardship for the environment through our Teen Trail Corp (TTC) program. NICA League Leadership and Development provides league leadership the ongoing support needed to set up and run a successful NICA league. Also, the Coach Licensing program equips NICA coaches to provide our quality programs to a national standard. And finally, all of our programs teach and build community.

In order for NICA to maintain the strength of its existing programs as well as meet the demand imposed by exponential growth and robust programming, the following priority investment areas have been identified:

1) Deliver and maintain measurable and meaningful value to all NICA leagues by creating, maintaining and/or strengthening NICA league support services, communications, operations, programming, branding and league co-branding.
2) Development/Fundraising: Diversify revenue streams (sponsorships, fundraising, earned revenue)
3) Branding and Marketing: Enhance and implement our robust and comprehensive marketing and branding strategy. Strengthen our brand alignment and our ability to communicate across our entire organization through the use of technology solutions that facilitate marketing and fundraising efforts. Enhance value to all constituents, and build community through aligned communication.
4) Ensure that NICA is a culturally relevant, diverse and inclusive organization, free of barriers, where everyone is equally valued. We will accomplish this through the development and implementation of a comprehensive DEI strategy.

NICA has prepared a 3-5 year strategic plan that identifies priority investment areas which were recently refreshed in 2020. For each priority investment area resources were identified based on the needs to support the area in order to implement and achieve the strategic goals over the next three to five years. A simple forecast financial plan was prepared to support our core baseline ongoing activities, with the addition of the forecasted growth in each new priority investment area. Further, resources were determined and prioritized within each area and projected benchmark by year.

Since the 2018 approval of the strategic plan by NICA's Board of Directors, the Priority Investment Areas listed in the strategic plan were updated in 2020 to further align with NICA's goals. Also in 2020, with the support of an external marketing consultant, NICA developed a marketing and communications plan to implement a rebranding project to improve organizational consistency. In 2020 NICA also partnered with Risha Grant, an internationally renowned diversity, inclusion and bias expert, to survey Diversity Equity and Inclusion within the NICA community. Moving forward the goal is to identify, within NICA leagues, activities specific to the recruitment of BIPOC student-athletes and coaches with the purpose to develop a comprehensive organizational DEI strategy. Finally, in 2021, in order to support licensed coaches in continuing to deliver quality NICA programs across the nation, NICA rolled out new and improved coach licensing training modules.