The CGA-IGC Strategic Plan is based on four distinct pillars that serve as the foundation of the organization. These pillars include: Education, Discovery & Innovation, Collaboration & Community, and Organizational Vitality. Efforts towards Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion are woven across all four pillars. Specific goals and action plans were created to guide CGA-IGC to achieve success in these pillars over the next 3 years.

Pillar 1: Education

Providing education to the hereditary gastrointestinal cancer community has been a core tenet of CGA-IGC since its inception. Therefore, continuing to produce high-quality education, and deliver this education to a larger and broader audience is a key priority of the organization.

Education Goal 1: Increase uptake of year-round education within the CGA-IGC community

CGA-IGC will achieve this objective by expanding attendance at the annual meeting through increased society membership and strategic outreach to professionals in related organizations. Additionally, CGA-IGC intends to enhance participation in year-round educational initiatives by broadening the distribution of announcements about available educational resources to reach a wider audience.

Education Goal 2: Diversify the content and audience of CGA-IGC educational offerings

CGA-IGC will accomplish this by identifying and establishing collaborative relationships with organizations representing diverse provider populations to support education about hereditary gastrointestinal cancer syndromes. Additionally, CGA-IGC will develop opportunities for members to enhance their comprehensive understanding of caring for individuals with hereditary gastrointestinal cancer syndromes.

Pillar 2: Discovery & Innovation

CGA-IGC has always fostered the research of its members, especially collaborative research. Therefore, promoting research continues to be a top priority for the organization.

Discovery & Innovation Goal 1: Promote innovative research in the hereditary GI cancer field

CGA-IGC will increase the number of abstracts submitted to the annual meeting utilizing outreach and advertisement, develop CGA-IGC resources to support and facilitate research, and increase sponsored grant funding for research through increased partnerships, fundraising efforts, and organizational support of research.

Discovery & Innovation Goal 2: Support early career investigators engaging in research in hereditary gastrointestinal cancer syndromes

CGA-IGC will increase travel grant funding for early-career investigators. Additionally, CGA-IGC will utilize targeted outreach to professional societies, especially those whose members are currently underrepresented at CGA-IGC, to increase the amount of research presented by these early-career investigators.

Pillar 3: Collaboration & Community

CGA-IGC is known for its exceptional culture of inclusivity and collaborative spirit which sets it apart from other organizations. This culture initially started at the annual meetings and now persists throughout the year-round offerings of the organization. CGA-IGC will intentionally support and grow this feature of our organization as membership continues to expand and diversify.

Collaboration & Community Goal 1: Foster a culture of collaboration amongst the CGA-IGC community

To support this aim, CGA-IGC will continue to facilitate clinical networking between members to improve patient care. This is critical to help ensure patients and family members can find and interact with providers who will deliver excellent care across the Americas and the world. In addition, CGA-IGC will continue to utilize the committees and the annual meeting to promote collaborative research efforts among members. CGA-IGC will also create a mechanism to allow for all members to provide ideas and feedback to help guide future CGA-IGC activities, as the organization believes it is important to maintain responsiveness to the needs of CGA-IGC members.

Collaboration & Community Goal 2: Establish and maintain purposeful partnerships with organizations that align with the vision of CGA-IGC

In an effort to ensure that CGA-IGC continues to foster the welcoming community spirit of the organization, it is critical that CGA-IGC identify and partner with like-minded patient advocacy groups, medical societies and other organizations to maximize reach and impact policy that furthers the goals of the organization. CGA-IGC will also ensure that the organization works with groups who share the goal of increasing diversity in the field of hereditary gastrointestinal cancer and supporting inclusivity initiatives.

Pillar 4: Organizational Vitality

In order for CGA-IGC to accomplish its goals, the organization itself has to maintain vitality. Therefore CGA-IGC aims to promote growth and engagement of the membership and ensure that the organization has sustainable leadership and financial security.

Organizational Vitality Goal 1: Promote diverse membership growth

CGA-IGC will market membership opportunities broadly, including to underrepresented specialties within CGA-IGC and to trainees through collaboration with other professional societies and training programs. Additionally, CGA-IGC will offer travel grants that are not contingent on abstract submission to decrease financial barriers to accessing the CGA-IGC annual meeting and develop a membership incentive focused on increasing membership amongst underrepresented groups in CGA-IGC.

Organizational Vitality Goal 2: Cultivate member engagement

Service to CGA-IGC through involvement in committees, leadership, and other activities will be encouraged among the membership. Furthermore, CGA-IGC will expand the CGA-IGC Fellowship program and continue to host a highly engaging annual meeting to ensure regular attendance amongst CGA-IGC members.

Organizational Vitality Goal 3: Ensure organizational sustainability

Using elections and appointments, CGA-IGC will ensure that organizational leadership positions are filled yearly in a timely manner. CGA-IGC will also pursue multifaceted fundraising through corporate and nonprofit partners, dedicated fundraising activities, membership dues, and meeting registration.