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Board Minutes DRAFT
Board Meeting, Tucson, AZ April 4-5, 2008
Present (Indicated by X)
X Mark Flint, region director X Suzanne Poggio, deputy director
Barb Sanford, past director X Steve Kuyatt, communications director
X Diane Balogh, professional development director Cindy Schmieg, finance director
Alan Tang, growth & development director X Lance Tanaka, chapter advocate
X Briana Sharp, chapter advocate X Mary Ann McCauley, chapter advocate
X Annette Tait, chapter advocate X Jackie LeFort, chapter advocate
Laura Vernon, chapter advocate
M. Flint opened the meeting at 8:45 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time.
Approval of Minutes
S. Kuyatt moved to approve the minutes of the March 21, 2008 board call.
Seconded by M.A. McCauley. No discussion. Approved.
Finance
S. Poggio reported on behalf of C. Schmieg. Revenues for March were up slightly at approximately $3,500. Received $750 from International for promoting their events on the Regional Web Site. Approximately $5,200 in checking.
Still working on getting CVent set up.
Quickbooks – still working on this
B. Sharp moved to approve the treasurer’s report.
Seconded by A. Tait. No discussion. Approved.
Strategic Plan Review
Action Item: S. Kuyatt to review Yahoo! Groups files and let M. Flint know which files to archive or remove.
S. Kuyatt to work with M.A. McCauley to update Strategic Plan on the Web Site
S. Kuyatt and J. LeFort to review upgrades to the Web Site and CA information.
CA’s to work on getting basic information/orientation packet and chapter’s current info posted to the Web site to increase and improve communication with the Region and the Board.
Board to prioritize goals for the Strategic Plan in the remainder of the year. M.A. McCauley will assess priorities and distribute to Board members for review.
Looking at a Survey of members pre- and post-year planning.
Chapter Health
Chapter Advocates and the Board reviewed overall health and issues facing Regional chapters. Reports were submitted to M. Flint and distributed to the Board.
The formal Board meeting was adjourned for lunch and the meeting reconvened with chapter delegates in attendance:
Kathy Blaha, Las Vegas
Micheala Hayes, San Francisco
Erin Huntimer, Great Plains
Molly Jarrell, San Diego
Susan Karnstedt, Silicon Valley
Julia Nelson, Minnesota
Amy Pint, Iowa
Jadey Ryndak, Chicago
Will Simonds, Oregon Columbia
Julia Spiess, Sacramento
Paul Tumarkin, Tucson
Rob Walgren, Seattle
Christie Ly, Los Angeles
Sarah Wolf. Omaha
Chapters Greatest Challenges
Chapter Delegates identified their most immediate and pressing challenges. (Categorized here as they were grouped for discussion and brainstorming.)
Volunteer
- Converting/upgrading members to Board/Leadership
- Getting Board Members to let go
- Firing Board members
- Best way to communicate/How to Recruit
- Job Descriptions
- Time commitments
- Use of past presidents
Membership
- Engage/Recruit
- Student Chapters/members
- Membership numbers/demographics
- Stagnant Growth
- Economic Impact
- Marketing
Professional Development
- How much is too much
- Marketing and PR (What works best to promote)
- Event Registration
Finance
- Pricing and Events/member vs non-member
- Dealing with surplus
- Investments
- Reserves
- Sponsorship
Technology
- Web content
- Design Resources
- Job Listings
- Exchange/Yahoo! Groups
- Web Hosting vs. Board Hosting
- Event Registration
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Professional Development Activity
Presentation by Kathy Anne Whittermore let the group in a presentation on finding balance in our lives and the importance of taking care of ourselves – whether physical, emotional, professional, or the need for relaxing and rest. “Self Matters.”
Solutions
Chapter Delegates reported back on solutions brainstormed to address the pressing challenges identified in Friday’s discussions.
Membership
- Strong professional development program
- Outreach to non-members
- Follow up with prospects after they have visited
- Corporate memberships
- Time of day for meetings
- Have vendors host events
- Pricing – at the door fees
- Food/Speakers
- Student members/Student Chapters are a good way of recruiting potential members in the future
- Need a champion within the university
- Economy- slowdown
- Skill building events
- Recruitment/Job skill opportunities
- Community partners/ work with other organizations on mixers and professional development events
- Guidelines on International site on partnering with other organizations
- Stagnant growth – what are values and trends that would draw people in the market
Technology
- Determine goals and resources for your Web site, what are your resources
- How will your Web site fit into you branding campaign
- What metrics can you collect with your web site
- How are you handling succession planning in monitoring and maintaining the site
- How are you using the job listings? Member benefit? Revenue Stream?
- Exchange is a new tool – but very little knowledge of what it is and how to use it – poor roll out
- Lack of trust and confidence in the program
- Event registration – what are your needs and resources – what fits your chapter best
- Google Checkout is a less expensive alternative
- Activa
- Look at standardizing on job listing postings across the region
Finance
- Establishing a reserve fund (materials to post under Best Practices on Regional Web site)
- Reserves policies – percentage to allocate, spend down policies when certain levels are reached
- Investment options – appropriate for the chapter, banking relationship, accessibility of funds when needed
- Securing sponsorships
- Check with other chapters for guidelines
- Recognition
- Thank you’s
Volunteers
- Database of the names and interests of members
- Create a board position that manages volunteers
- Make a personal pitch for volunteers – one-on-one contact to recruit
- Make it easy to utilize past leaders “President’s Day”
- Call on them to help brainstorm/plan with the board
- Keep them on your email lists
- What’s in it for them? Sell them on the value of what they will get (fun, relationships they will build, professional growth)
- Try to estimate time requirements and communicate expectations
- Professional Development Calendar
- Stress membership benefits
- Always follow up on volunteer interests
- Show appreciation
- Member open house
- Welcome new members
Professional Development
- Decide what your chapter can handle and include it in your strategic planning for the year
- Involve senior level communicators
- Host Webinars at a central location for people to participate
- Price vs. Value – what do communicators want to see
- It’s not the food that people are there for…
- Offering more for members than non-members
- CVent allows for many capabilities for event management
- Recognize a professional in the community for their communications efforts
- Don’t be afraid to seek out the big name presenters
Misc. Suggestions
- Offer sneak peak events
- Events that members bring non-members to encourage them to participate and join
- Referral rebates
- Special member only events
- Look at what your market wants
Regional Conference - Exchange
Brian Everett presented an update on the upcoming PPR Regional Conference “Exchange” planned for Fall 2008 in Seattle. The name, logo, and marketing were discussed. Information will be made available to Chapters soon for promotion.
Path Forward
In wrapping up, M. Flint posed three questions to each of the chapter delegates in attendance:
1.) What do we do as a Region that you value?
2.) What should we stop?
3.) What new thing would you like to see?
Comments offered:
- Great meeting people from the other chapters and knowing we all face the same challenges, Get to know people in a smaller, more intimate setting and have the chance to talk to people one-on-one.
- Would like an earlier exposure to the Region as a resource. (Don’t waiting till LI – chance to have someone from the Region at a chapter Board meeting early on.) (NOTE: CAs to work with chapters to increase awareness of Board visits and the role and function of the Region.)
- Develop a Speakers Bureau for the Region.
- More leadership development opportunities built into the meetings in person – for those attending the fall and spring sessions make sure there is diversity in what is offered.
- Very much appreciate having the Chapter Advocates as a resource.
- Would like a clearer view of next steps – what are the actions we take based on what is discussed and developed at the meetings.
- Knowing more about the people and what they do outside of IABC.
- Learning what’s worked with other chapters.
- More professional development conference calls.
- A hands-on professional development session based on input from delegates attending.
- Promote best practices whenever possible.
- List serve capabilities for people to get in touch with each other (Note: Board to consider and evaluate in terms of resources required and priority with other service offerings/tools available through International.)
- Intro to your Region – offer earlier in the planning year to help Chapter Board’s strategic planning/increase awareness, improve communications.
- Participation in Board planning for Chapters
- Help facilitate awards judging for Chapters (Coordinate who is available.)
- Reminders to Boards at change of office to make updates of Web information/ Important dates for Regional events.
- Stop being so quiet.
- Send the incoming board members to the meetings rather than the outgoing
- Develop a knowledge bank
- Consolidate chapter Web pages with regional Web site – increasing link with local chapters, Region and International (eliminate redundancies – create efficiencies.)
- More focused discussions during delegate meetings.
Adjourn
Delegates Meeting adjourned at 2:35 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time.
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