ANNOUNCEMENT: PRSA East Central District seeking administrator

ANNOUNCEMENT: PRSA East Central District seeking administrator

Our Request for Proposal, as well as other information, is below. You may also download it directly here.

Request For Proposal: PRSA East Central District Administrator
Contact: Andrea Farmer
317.691.1366
afarmer@indonornetwork.org
June 1, 2020

About PRSA:
The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) is the nation’s largest professional organization serving the communications community with a mission to “make communications professionals smarter, better prepared and more connected through all stages of their career.” Membership collectively represents more than 30,000 members comprising communications professionals spanning every industry sector nationwide and college and university students who encompass the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA).

About PRSA East Central District:
The East Central District represents 17 chapters in six states (Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia). The East Central District serves as a link between local PRSA chapters and national leadership. prsaecd.org

Scope of Services:
The East Central District of PRSA is in search of an individual/entity to perform administrative duties on behalf of the district, including such activities as:

● Schedule all District board meetings and send calendar appointments with supporting materials to officers and board members.
● Provide a physical mailing address for the East Central District.
● Routinely collect and organize all incoming mail on behalf of the District.
● Forward all pertinent mail (if any) to the appropriate officers on the executive board of directors for the East Central District.
● Upload digital copies of all district records (monthly bank statements, receipts, tax documentation etc.) to the district’s Google Drive, as well as the dashboard provided by PRSA National.
● Remit payments for all district financial obligations including but not limited to the following (web hosting service, officer travel reimbursements, annual QuickStart event expenses, etc.).
● Reconcile all financial statements monthly.
● Manage QuickStart attendee RSVP process and facilitate event registration, including facility arrangements, materials printing, nametags, etc.
● Prepare and send a monthly financial statement to the district treasurer one week prior to the scheduled East Central District teleconference. The treasurer will review and request changes, if necessary, and the treasurer will be responsible for submitting to the board secretary.
● File federal income tax documents on behalf of the district prior to the annual filing deadline each year.
● Spearhead district awards program, including the following responsibilities:
o Coordinate and oversee reciprocal judging program (finding judges for our awards program, and finding East Central District members to serve as judges for another awards program)
o Set up and maintain online judging portal (currently using OpenWater)
o Solicit bids for awards trophies and coordinate ordering and fulfillment process

o Work with committee to help them promote awards

● Update website as needed (working in conjunction with the digital committee).
● Other duties as assigned.

Questions:
Questions about this proposal process or the scope of services should be directed to Andrea Farmer at afarmer@indonornetwork.org​.

Proposal Submissions:
Proposals can be submitted electronically to afarmer@indonornetwork.org no later than 5 p.m. Eastern Time Wednesday, June 10, 2020.

Selection Schedule:
The East Central District is hoping to identify and select an administrator no later than July 1, 2020, and would look to begin working with the selected vendor immediately thereafter.

Budget:
In your proposal, please include your hourly rate, as well as the total number of hours each month you estimate it will take to complete the tasks mentioned in the Scope of Services section.

Evaluation Criteria:
Independent public relations practitioners and association management professionals are encouraged to submit proposals. Independent public relations practitioners should be current members of a chapter within PRSA’s East Central District. The successful respondent will provide a competitive cost of services and possess the following:

● Working knowledge of basic Microsoft Office tools, including Word and Outlook
● Basic understanding of and aptitude for using office management tools, such as Google docs, basic intranet software (uploading of materials) and more
● Knowledge of WordPress or a comparable website hosting/management platform
● Excellent communication and organizational skills
● Proven track record of experience in the areas included in the scope of services
● Knowledge of associations/association management (strongly recommended)
● Basic bookkeeping skills and knowledge of online banking methods and procedures
● Ability to pass a criminal background check

References:
References are required. Please include three professional references in your proposal.

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Board Member Spotlight: John Palmer, APR

Board Member Spotlight: John Palmer, APR

This month, we are featuring our Chair-Elect John Palmer, APR.

John is an accredited public relations professional with 16 years of experience leading, developing and implementing public relations and communication strategies for nonprofit and private organizations. 

He is director of media and public relations for the Ohio Hospital Association, a statewide organization representing Ohio’s 236 hospitals and 14 health systems. He serves as OHA’s media spokesperson, manages public relations campaigns and supports advocacy communication and event management. Since joining OHA in 2012 he expanded the association’s presence in statewide and national media, increased member engagement and promoted OHA’s strategic initiatives in the community. 

Prior to OHA he was media and marketing communication manager for Ohio Dominican University from 2008 to 2012. He developed public relations campaigns focused on branding and reputation management, managed internal communications and implemented media relations programs securing coverage for the university’s new residence halls, a new student center and a new science center. John managed the development of ODU’s social media strategy and led a marketing committee for the institution’s centennial celebration. Before joining ODU he was with the Central Ohio Transit Authority for four years serving as media spokesperson, managing internal communication, planning community events, implementing marketing strategies for new services and maintaining COTA’s website. 

John is an adjunct faculty member at Capital University and Ohio Dominican University teaching classes in public speaking, media relations, PR campaigns, and health care marketing. 

He is a member of the Public Relations Society of America and the PRSA Central Ohio Chapter. John is chair-elect for PRSA East Central District Board of Directors. He is chair the Central Ohio Public Information Network Board of Directors, a regional coalition of public information officers. John received the PRSA Central Ohio Chapter’s 2010 Walt Seifert Award for Outstanding Service to PRSSA. He is a frequent guest speaker and mentor to PR students in the region. He is the professional adviser to the PRSSA Capital University Chapter and is adviser to Ohio University’s PRSSA student firm, 1804 Communication. John was a board member for NC4K – Nellie’s Catwalk for Kids and PRSA Health Academy. 

John earned his bachelor’s degree in public relations and journalism from Capital University in 2004. He earned a master’s degree in organizational communication from Ohio University in 2012.

Home Chapter: Central Ohio Chapter

What is your favorite part about being part of PRSA (National, District and Chapter levels)?

Having an active participation with colleagues and leaders in the public relations to improve the profession and the professional.

What do you hope to contribute to PRSA-ECD in 2020?

Working with the board to achieve stronger operational efficiencies, re-branding our annual conference to focus on chapter leadership development and establishing greater connections with our chapters.

What is your favorite part of public relations (and other related communications industries)? 

This profession gives the ability to learn new industries and to tell their stories to audiences. Today’s digital communications has enabled public relations to be a more active leader within organizations to ensure messages and content are effectively delivered.

Talk about your career. What have been some highlights and missteps, and what have you learned from them?

Time management was a learning curve but developing a routine and utilizing technology has allowed me to be a more effective resource and leader in my position. A highlight of my career was obtaining a permanent full-time position (started as a temporary position) with my first employer.

What would you say to a prospective member who wants to join PRSA but is on the fence?

Consider a more holistic view of the opportunities that PRSA membership and service presents to members. There are a wide variety of skills that I developed from my participation with PRSA including leadership, board service, volunteering, project management, financial management – budgeting preparation, and more.

What do you like most about QuickStart, the Diamond Awards and/or other PRSA-ECD initiatives?

My favorite aspect is ECD’s mission to support leadership development within the chapters and that is achieved at our programs and event throughout the year.

Would you like to add anything else?

Consider bringing your talents and experience to the leadership opportunities within PRSA and the East Central District.

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Board Member Spotlight: Jennifer Flowers Kolf, APR

Board Member Spotlight: Jennifer Flowers Kolf, APR

This month, we are featuring our Immediate Past Chair Jennifer Flowers Kolf, APR. 

Jennifer Flowers Kolf, APR, is principal at JFK Consulting in Troy, Mich., an independent communications firm providing a wide range of services, including strategic communications planning and content creation, media relations, social media management and more. 

Previously, Jennifer was director, communications at FordDirect, a joint venture between Ford Motor Company and its franchised dealers to create a comprehensive Web presence for dealers and provide digital marketing and advertising services that help dealers sell more cars and trucks. In her role at FordDirect, Jennifer managed all internal communications for the company as well as external public relations, including media relations and social media management. She also served as chair of the organization’s charity committee called FordDirect Cares. 

Jennifer was also manager, System Communications at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Mich., one of the nation’s most renowned health care institution, and served as the vice president, director of public relations for Leo Burnett Detroit, working with key agency clients Cadillac, Pontiac and Mr. Goodwrench. 

An active member of the public relations community, Jennifer currently serves as the immediate past chair for the PRSA East Central District, which includes representing the district on the PRSA National Nominating Committee in 2020. She served as the ECD chair in 2019. Locally, Jennifer served several years on the board of directors for PRSA Detroit, including a year as president in 2012. During her tenure as president, PRSA Detroit was awarded one of only two chapter diversity awards nationwide, due largely to the inaugural launch of the Ofield Dukes Diversity Summit. She also currently serves as the professional advisor to the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) chapter at the University of Michigan – Dearborn. 

Jennifer holds a bachelor’s degree in advertising from Michigan State University in East Lansing. 

Home Chapter: PRSA Detroit 

What is your favorite part about being part of PRSA (National, District and Chapter levels)?

I have enjoyed all of the PRSA service roles I have held, but the PRSA ECD leadership experience over the past few years has been especially interesting because it has allowed for greater interactions with my fellow professionals around the region. It has also provided a great opportunity to better understand the inner workings of PRSA as a membership society nationally.

What do you hope to contribute to PRSA-ECD in 2020?

In 2020, I will be representing ECD on the PRSA National Nominating committee and I hope to ensure we have a great short list of candidates from our district to consider for the district’s open national board seat. I also plan to play a significant role in helping to revise and enhance the ECD’s bylaws.

What is your favorite part of public relations (and other related communications industries)? 

My favorite part of practicing public relations is the employee or internal communications facet of what we do. Impacting the employee audience with strategic and creative communications tactics is the underpinning of any effective external strategy and playing a role in positively affecting workplace culture and morale is very rewarding.

Talk about your career. What have been some highlights and missteps, and what have you learned from them? 

A highlight of my career has been getting to promote Cadillac’s Super Bowl campaign when the event was in my hometown of Detroit. It was exciting to work with all of the national media that came to Detroit to cover the event and take pride in playing a key part in showing off our city to the world.

What would you say to a prospective member who wants to join PRSA but is on the fence?

Don’t wait to join PRSA. Join and invest your time now vs. delaying to when you really need it as membership is like having career insurance that will carry you through stressful or difficult times in your career.

What do you like most about QuickStart, the Diamond Awards and/or other PRSA-ECD initiatives?

I love QuickStart! I have attended it three years in a row and I’ve learned so much each time. Additionally, it is great to connect face-to-face with the district members who you only get to speak with by phone at most other meetings.

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Applications now open for the PRSA National Board of Directors slot for PRSA-ECD

Applications now open for the PRSA National Board of Directors slot for PRSA-ECD

The call for applications to serve on the 2021 Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Board of Directors is now open, and our PRSA East Central District Board Member slot will be open in 2021. Applications will be accepted through Tuesday, May 5. If you are an active member considering if Board service is for you, be it this year or in the future, we enthusiastically recommend it as potentially the most valuable and rewarding way to engage with PRSA.

Professional development and networking, two of PRSA’s core benefits, are at the heart of Board service. You will be called on to lead at the highest levels of policy, strategy and governance, and these activities will be accomplished through teamwork with Board colleagues and members from all sectors of the organization. Board experience also gives you an opportunity to analyze our profession in a way that differs from our day-to-day job requirements as working practitioners, as you consider the profession for its own sake and for that of your professional colleagues. Where is it going? Where should it go and why? What ongoing skills development do we all need to succeed in it and how can PRSA equip its members to thrive in a constantly evolving environment?

Answering these questions often requires a shift in perspective for Board members, as Board work is not the same as PR work. Nor is it the same as leading a Chapter, District or Section. It is about helping to guide the nation’s leading professional communications organization, in concert with PRSA’s professional staff and volunteer leaders across the country. Of course, our Board members bring their professional skills and experience as strategic communicators to that task but also apply them to the arena of association leadership.

If you do that, you will grow. You will learn and guide PRSA’s structure, mission, values, strategies, challenges and members to a depth, breadth and degree of detail that will stretch you. You’ll consider not just your profession, but the profession, from a leadership perspective and with substantial responsibilities. Your network will grow exponentially, because PRSA is a team sport. And you will bring those experiences to whatever you do in the future.

Ask Board members, current and past: is the experience worth it? Listen for their insights and individual perspectives as you contemplate applying. PRSA needs the extraordinary commitment of qualified leaders to guide its future, and that’s not an easy task. If it were, working on the Board wouldn’t be nearly so valuable and rewarding.

For more information, outreach to our Past Chair Jennifer Flowers-Kolf, APR, at jenniferflowerskolf@gmail.com.

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ECD CHAPTER SPOTLIGHT: AKRON

This month’s Chapter Spotlight shines on PRSA Akron and comes just as the chapter is preparing for its biggest event of the year, the March 13 YouToo Social Media Conference. We owe our thanks to Chapter President Jennifer Kramer for providing us all the insights into her home chapter.


If you attended the ECD 2019 QuickStart Conference, you got to see Jennifer take the stage to talk about YooToo in a presentation called, “Constructing and Maintaining an Award-Winning Partnership with Future Members.” Partnering on the presentation were Kent State PRSSA members Sophia Iannelli and Venessa Gresley.
The talk was about youth, and what that enthusiasm brings to YooToo. But it was also obvious how much pride and joy Jennifer and her chapter leaders take in the conference they founded and have watched grow. It truly is “their baby.”
If you caught Jennifer at the ECD happy hour before QuickStart, you also know that the Akron chapter has faced many of the same challenges we see in chapters across our district. Jennifer and others have shown tremendous loyalty, serving repeat terms in leadership to keep the chapter vibrant. You’ll see how she arrived at her “Secret to a Happy Chapter.”

Give us a brief history of your chapter:
The Akron Area Chapter of the Public Relations Society in 2019 celebrated its 50th anniversary.
The chapter officially began in 1969 when founding president, W. Thomas (Tom) Duke, APR, Fellow PRSA, and 30 other PR professionals from Akron, Canton, Youngstown, Kent and Wooster joined to form the fledgling group.
Over the years, the Akron Chapter has experienced many periods of growth. The chapter has 94 active members—more than twice the number of its 1969 founding year. The chapter was supported during its founding by Akron-based tire companies, a luxury it no longer has with the absorption of BFGoodrich by Michelin and Firestone by Bridgestone. The strength of today’s chapter comes from the health care industry, agencies, higher education and a host of other companies, non-profit and government organizations.
The Akron Area Chapter works with students majoring in public relations or communication at The University of Akron, Kent State University, Malone University, Walsh University, the University of Mount Union and Youngstown State University. It is the parent chapter of three student organizations—the Public Relations Student Society of America at The University of Akron, Kent State University and the University of Mount Union.

Who are your 2020 officers?
Past President: Jennifer Kramer, APR
President: Jennifer Kramer, APR
President-Elect: Joni Poorbaugh
Secretary: Christine Meeker Lange, APR
Treasurer: Ron Kirksey

Describe your membership:
Of the 94 Akron Area members, 41 have 12+ years’ experience, while 53 have 10 or less years’ experience in communication. Members represent professional communicators from corporations and business (27%), nonprofits (27%), academe (19%), agencies (13%), government (8%), independent practice (5%) and professional services (1%).

What is your biggest project of the year?
YouToo Social Media Conference on March 13.
It touches programming, communication, sponsorship, membership, student chapters, the executive board and is the responsibility of all board members, regardless of role, to make it a success!
http://www.youtoosm.com/

What is your chapter’s proudest achievement? Why?
I think making it 50 years as a chapter is pretty impressive!

Did you set a specific goal you hope to achieve in 2020?  How is it progressing?

GOAL: Make the Akron Area Chapter a chapter for all members, not just primarily downtown Akron members, and seek diversity in all its phases through membership, recruitment and service.
Objective 1: Improve engagement among members living outside the Akron metro area by the end of 2020.
We established a Canton Area Committee with co-chairs serving as board members. They plan and host meetings and communicate with professionals in their service areas on behalf of the Akron Area Chapter. They have held two successful programs this year, re-attracting a group of professionals to the chapter who had previously disengaged.

Any “little known/fun facts” about your chapter to share?
Akron Area PRSA launched its website in 1998 under the leadership of then Immediate Past President Richard Batyko, APR, Fellow PRSA, and in 2009, then chapter Webmaster Michael Schwabe and then Vice President Gretchen Fri, APR, launched the chapter’s first chapter networking site on MySpace.

What’s your secret to a “happy chapter?”
“The secret to a happy chapter is to thank your volunteers genuinely and often.” – Jennifer Kramer, APR

Contact email in case other ECD chapters have a question for you: akronprsa@gmail.com

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Announcement: February 2020 Best Practice Call: Revitalize Your Chapter

Announcement: February 2020 Best Practice Call: Revitalize Your Chapter

Join us for our February Best Practice Call, the first of 2020’s monthly lineup of insightful speakers! It’s set for Feb. 26 at 8:30 a.m. If you’re on our email list, stay tuned for future communications about call-in information. If you’re not on our list, please send us a direct message, and we will send you the call-in information.

Becky Vogel, president of the PRSA – Northwest Ohio Chapter, will discuss how to utilize your Chapter’s membership and past board members to revitalize your Chapter. In 2019, the Northwest Ohio Chapter faced several setbacks, including low membership and event attendance, as well as an incomplete board slate for 2020. Since Fall 2019, the Chapter has turned around, with a current full board and 26 attendees at the first event of 2020. That is more than double attendance over the past few years.

Join us as Becky shares the Chapter’s best practices and more during the presentation! Learn more about the Northwest Ohio Chapter.

R.S.V.P. for the February Best Practice Call here.

Becky Vogel, PRSA Northwest Ohio Chapter President

About Becky: Becky Vogel brings 15 years experience in marketing and public relations for architects and engineers. As Marketing Director for the jdi group in Maumee, Ohio, her responsibilities include internal and external communications. She crafts materials to reach clients in markets such as automotive, manufacturing, food, commercial, education and healthcare.

She graduated from Ashland University in 2005 with a Bachelors degree in Public Communication. In 2008, she earned a Masters in Organizational Leadership from Lourdes University. Becky brings a special passion for organizational development, team building and strategic planning.

Prior to joining the jdi group in 2018, Becky spent 12 years with The Collaborative, an architectural firm in Toledo. She has served on the Northwest Ohio Chapter PRSA Board since 2014, serving five years as Treasurer.

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District Announces Recipients of 2019 Diamond Awards

See the full list of winners here.

The PRSA East Central District is honored to recognize public relations excellence in campaigns and tactics for its 42nd annual Diamond Awards competition. 

Within the East Central District, there are national-caliber campaigns and tactics that deserve recognition. The Diamond Awards are presented to public relations practitioners who have successfully addressed a communication challenge with exemplary skill, creativity and resourcefulness. The Diamond Awards are open to any public relations professional who is a member of the 17 chapters of PRSA East Central District and any nonmember whose place of business is within the district’s boundaries. The East Central District covers the states of Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

The Best of Show honoree is Owston & Owston for “WV Remembers: Beckley Annual Holocaust Remembrance Day.” The campaign was an integrated initiative creating branding, social media, media relations and more for Beckley’s Holocaust Annual Remembrance Day. This campaign also won the 2019 Best in West Virginia Campaign at the WV PRSA Chapter Crystal Awards.

The 2020 Diamond Awards program will open this spring so start preparing your submission.

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Detroit Trifecta! Jennifer Day is Perfect Choice for 2019 ECD Platinum Award

Congratulations to Jennifer Day!

By Jennifer Flowers-Kolf, APR, East Central District Chair

One of the highlights for the East Central District each year is to present the PRSA ECD Platinum/Don Durocher award to a deserving professional within the 17 chapters in six states that our district represents. This year as ECD District Chair, I had the honor of presenting a fellow Detroit PRSA member and former ECD District Chair Jennifer Day, APR, Great Lakes regional coordinator, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), with this year’s East Central District Platinum/Don Durocher award for her tireless service given within various aspects of PRSA.

It was a Detroit trifecta this year with Jennifer and I both being from the PRSA Detroit chapter – but also the award being named after former national PRSA board member, ECD chair and Detroit chapter president Donald P. Durocher, APR, Fellow PRSA. In Durocher’s memory, the district board accepts nominations from around the district and then votes on a selected recipient who has achieved a distinguished service record to PRSA at the local, district and national levels.

Many know Jennifer as a past PRSA Detroit chapter president, past East Central District chair or even the chair of the national district council – but her contributions to our organization and profession don’t stop there. Jennifer has been part of and led a number of committees on the local and national level; chaired the effort to bring the international conference to Detroit in 2008; and developed and successfully brought to life a five-year strategic plan to help develop and strengthen the districts within PRSA.

She is a tireless advocate for ethical and strategic government communications and its important role in society. As a board member of the Public Affairs and Government Section, Jennifer chaired this section’s national professional development summit for the past two years – with the summit occurring in Detroit last year – and was recognized last year as the section’s Lloyd. B. Dennis Distinguished Service Award recipient.

This is just small snapshot of how Jennifer has tirelessly contributed to advancing our profession over the years. Her service to PRSA has been non-stop since joining in 1997 and she has served the Society at the chapter, district, section and national level in some active capacity without a break.

A special thank you to our 2019 Platinum Awards Chair Andrea Clark, APR, ECD immediate past chair, for coordinating this year’s awards nomination and selection process. And, congratulations to Jennifer for this highly deserved award and for representing our district so well within PRSA!

The nomination process for the PRSA ECD Platinum/Durocher Award typically begins in the spring of each year. District and chapter leaders, watch your emails in the months ahead for nomination information for the 2020 award.

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Future Facing at QuickStart 2019

The theme of the Sept. 13-14 ECD QuickStart conference in Columbus was “Future Facing.”
Not just rising trends, new practices, or emerging indicators. It took a hard look at the capital “F” future of our industry and organization by facing the critical themes of Youth and Diversity.

Friday: A Head Start to QuickStart.

After Friday’s board meeting several board members joined the ECD Diversity & Inclusion Focus Group facilitated by Shanita Akintonde, 2019 National Chair PRSA Diversity & Inclusion Committee.

Shanita asked us to draw a tree, then describe it in a couple of words. Next, we partnered with another focus group member “with eye color darker than ours” to share our definitions of diversity. It immediately challenged core assumptions and launched a deep dive into “diversity of thought.”

Small groups huddled and brainstormed to answer the question, “How can PRSA Make the PR Profession More Diverse and Inclusive.

Here’s one result: Meet people where they are. Operate with intention. Look at the self (for implicit bias), then do the same with circles of friends (personal, professional, PRSA). Review and analyze current tactics for recruiting membership and programming. Have authentic discussions – listening and learning – within our circle of influence.

The time passed quickly and gave the focus group a head start on what Shanita would address on Saturday in the full conference.

Saturday: A Full Day of Future Facing

ECD Board President Jennifer Flowers-Kolf and chair-elect Adrienne Wallace opened the conference and welcomed 40-plus ECD board members, National guests, presenters and ECD chapter representatives. Fahlgren Mortine was again the gracious host of QuickStart in the comfortable surroundings of FM headquarters at Easton Station.

Jennifer gave the state of ECD and its 17 chapters. She discussed delegate proxy representation at the national assembly, Diamond awards deadline, best practice calls, district reps visiting chapters, and all resources “to get what you need” including the social media platforms. She announced chair-elect Adrienne will plan the next QuickStart in 2020 as the new ECD chair.

We began a full agenda that weighed heavy on the development of PRSA membership. National VP of Membership Jay Starr gave the overview on recruiting and retention. Fahlgren Mortine presented “Creating Critical Culture” as the foundation of success on the agency level. Shanita Akintonde talked about “Being Deliberate” about Diversity and Inclusion and building an inclusive chapter.

The afternoon began with Dream Bigger workshop by Katie Wilson, and the challenge of building effective thought leadership programs for chapters. Jennifer Kramer followed and took us through the history of the YouToo Conference to illustrate the building of partnerships with future members.

The Diversity and Inclusion conversation moved to the PRSSA level and the recruitment of Millennial and Gen Z members with PRSSA presenters Delany MacKenzie and Emily Gagnon.

Andrea Clark, in a “goodbye address” after her long service to ECD, reflected on the strength of associations today in the culture and “How to Stop the Brain Drain” of waning membership.

If you missed QuickStart here’s a chance to review some takeaways from the speakers and link to the full schedule and PPT presentations: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1GTDLg77h6flimsLi2reB9sffzSazjVVu

The State of PRSA National Recruiting & Retention in Membership – Jay Starr

Jobs in PR and related fields number about 270,000 with a median annual pay of $60,000. Six percent growth is expected. PRSA membership is in a “sweet spot” of 77 percent retention rate, but year one retention rate is only 46 percent, compared to national average of about 55 percent.

PRSA membership is relatively steady at about 24,000 members, with many paying extra dues for professional section memberships. PRSSA has about 10,000 members in 350 chapters.

The successful Certificate program includes reputation management, content marketing, measurement/analysis, with crisis management coming. The cost is about $1,200 for six live webinars. They’re available online and involves practitioners from various industries. The cost is $200 per live webinar.

He outlined the member benefits of the speaker register program and the MyPRSA forum.
Group memberships will get a boost with the National Football League joining.
He emphasized the good deal of “Triple Play” membership and the onboarding program welcome.
Learning opportunities included the third party contributed SmartBriefs. He emphasized discounts as added value for members.

Jay looked ahead to the membership census data update and said an updated membership brochure coming. He raised a few eyebrows in the room when he talked about the continued strength of printed marketing materials and the better connection and perceived value of mailed materials arriving on a member’s desk.

QuickStart Creating Critical Culture – Marty & Christopher – Columbus Fahlgren Mortine

“The Columbus Way is the Smart Way” was the lead-off message from host presenters Mary and Christopher from Fahlgren Mortine. Key thoughts for a successful work culture included:
Leaders who listen
• Acceleration partnership programs.
• Little things make a difference.
• Acknowledging hard work is key.
• Gratitude in the work place is essential.
• Writing the goals is only half of it. You have to live it.

They illustrated projects that established values, engaged workers and built outcomes that benefited the company and the community. Operation Feed Week has provided more than 120,000 meals to the Mid-Ohio Food Banks. The July 2018 Inaugural Carpool Week matched FM staff with neighbors and reimbursed Uber/Lyft expenses so they could connect as people and a culture traveling together to and from work. It cut single-occupancy commuting miles in half!

Their motto comes President & CEO Neil Mortine, President & CEO: “I firmly believe that the best culture leads to the best employees, and the best employees lead to the best clients.”

Future Facing – Diversity & Inclusion – Shanita

Shanita announced October is PRSA Diversity Month. She said Focus groups have shown that chapters are mostly white and female (not news!). PRSA is looking at chapters and how to encourage diverse membership. Taking a closer look at the demographic choices and impressions in marketing materials was revealing. Key points:

• Inspire people to come on board, take leadership roles, and bring expertise.
• What areas of interaction impact diversity? (Including support staff to janitorial staff).
• CARE conceptual frame: Commitment to inclusive excellence; Advocating organizational success; Reaching and retaining underrepresented groups; Embodying principled leadership.
• Can’t please everyone; key is to spread it out. Don’t have just one brochure, one focus. Diversity should be embedded in the culture of the group that it doesn’t stand out as obvious or insufficient.
• Photographs allows for strong interaction and human face is most powerful.
• Diverse Voices – PRSA book of leader profiles. Recommended reading!

Dream Bigger – Katie
Katie challenged members to think about how PRSA has impacted your career… How does PRSA provide value to you… What more do you want to get out of your PRSA involvement? Define your “aim” or overall focus/goal/dream for PRSA chapters.

ECD -chapter thought leadership:
What’s the aim?
Empower
Cultivate
Generate ideal fit clients

AIM for chapters:
Full representation
Interactive across ECD
Diverse membership and leadership
Creative combination of professional development, social interaction, supportive associative family of like-mined, passionate practitioners.
Much higher public profile of what PRSA is including community benefit.

National – make communication pros smarter, better prepared and more connected through all stages of their career.

Thought leadership for chapters
Perception (how you want to be perceived vs. actual perception)
1. Connect – prioritize relevance to audience.
2. Credibility- thoughtfully build representation. (Awards, boards, speaking, media).
3. Communicate – strategically sharing your expertise. (Content development, social profiles, engage your network, amplify and repurpose).

Update LinkedIn; publish PRSA activity; engage with peers: share, comment, react to chapter events, member and chapter posts, personal recommendations.

Influencer campaign:
Impact – engage partners to influence your audience.
1. Identify – authentic engaging partners. (Criteria/ideal; communities you want to reach, network, research fit, define KPIs).
2. “Ideate” – prioritize creativity and collaboration.
3. Integrate – elevate the influencer content. (Engagement, Multi-channel, repurpose, measurement, ambassadors, feedback).

Build relationships; add value to other groups – not only about yourself; help connect.
Do more speaking to schools, other groups.
Generate blogs, videos.
Member spotlight – personality, interests.

Future Members – Jennifer
Diversity PRSSA – Delaney

Jennifer and Delaney outlined the distinction between Millennials and Gen Z and noted that Gen Z will make up 40 percent of U.S. consumers by 2020, 47 percent of Gen Z represent ethnic minorities, and 75 percent of Millennials share content online.

Break-out groups discussed how their chapters target these groups, engage them in meetings, and what roadblocks you face in recruitment. With the guidelines of “Be Real; Be Inclusive; Be accessible; Be Worth It” the groups took on a case study of how to recruit Gen Z “Jackson.”

Brain Drain – Andrea

Andrea began with her personal “PRSA Journey” and asked members to share “Why PRSA Has Been a Mainstay for Me?” Among the QuickStart crowd, appreciation of the organization was overwhelmingly positive.

Andrea gave a brief history of trade and professional organizations, noting 67,000 exist today. PRSA began in 1947 and reached a peak membership of 30,000. Today it struggled to maintain membership above 22,000.

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