I would like to first welcome Tova Vance, Nancy Nash and Jeffrey Conover to the IABC/Chicago board of directors. These new chapter leaders joined mid-year, which presents a unique learning curve. Yet, they are overcoming their respective challenges, are quickly learning systems, and will (hopefully) continue through the 2013-14 season! I encourage you to meet them at one of our upcoming events, or send them an email.
IABC holds an annual Leadership Institute for chapter and regional volunteer leaders, so that they learn, share ideas, and gain further insight into the organization. This year’s conference proved particularly interesting, given all of the changes occurring at headquarters, along with the execution of the organization’s current strategic plan. Here are some highlights:
- On Monday, Feb. 11, IABC distributed a comprehensive quarterly update on the organization’s strategic plan. I encourage you to take a look through it, as the document provides updates on the current projects undergoing change – a new career road map, accreditation updates, awards program updates, and research. IABC’s executive leadership also stated that quarterly updates will be distributed to members going forward, providing members with accurate updates. These member only reports may be downloaded at iabc.com.
- One highly discouraging statistic was that IABC’s email open rate is quite low. The good news is that they’ve decided to send a lot less of them. The organization as a whole will begin to better align messaging, making it more relevant and timely to the individuals accessing it. To keep informed on all of the organization’s happenings, be sure IABC emails aren’t going into your spam or junk mail folders.
- The conversation around Accredited Business Communicator (ABC) designation continues to evolve. IABC mailed a research-based proposal to accreditation directors and certain individuals across the globe. This proposal was erroneously interpreted by many as the final program plan. In addition, third-party certification consultants devised a proposal, which was submitted for review. Let me be clear, although significant progress has been made to review and propose updates to the accreditation process, no changes have been finalized.
The chapter’s board of directors and I want to provide the highest member value possible. IABC/Chicago is fortunate to be in a market where we have professionals from varied backgrounds and levels of experience. We hope to maximize that opportunity by providing events relevant to each need (and have some fun along the way).
We will, to that end, be launching our bi-annual member survey in March via a dedicated email. I strongly encourage you to complete the survey in its entirety, and provide any feedback you feel relevant. The results help craft chapter program topics, events, and allow us to do a better job for you.
Finally, thanks to everyone who submitted for this year’s IABC/Chicago Bronze Quill Awards! Judging will take place next month and I wish you luck.
As always, don’t hesitate to email (president@iabcchicago.com) with any questions, comments or concerns.
Justin Brunner
2012-13 President