A monthly newsletter for IABC leaders. Take a look inside for information about the October Member Month, 2018 Leadership Institute, Chapter Management Awards, and more!
Turn it up for Member Month
Member Month is back and it is time to get loud! The theme for Member Month is Röcktober, and this is a great time to grow your chapter and encourage members to renew. Your chapter rocks and so does IABC membership, so let’s kick up the volume and let communication professionals know how IABC can help them amp up their careers, connect with a network of industry rock star colleagues, and attain perfectly tuned insights to drive business results.
 
We have a variety of incentives for Member Month for new members, renewing members, chapters, and IABC Champions:

Drive retention + recruit new members
New and renewing members will all receive a 10 percent discount on their international dues during the month of October. Additionally, all new and renewing members will be entered into the five weekly drawings to win a US$100 Ticketmaster gift card.
 
Be a Champion
All current IABC members who refer a new/lapsed member are eligible for weekly prizes. For each new or lapsed member who lists a current member as a referral source, the referring member will be entered into a drawing to win one of 10 Amazon Echo Dots . Two winners will be drawn during each of the five weeks in October. Active members who refer five or more new members will receive one free registration to an IABC Academy course and will be recognized on the IABC website as an IABC Champion during the months of November and December. Members may not list themselves as a referral source.

Grow your chapter
The small, medium and large chapters with the highest percentage of membership growth during the month of October will receive one complimentary registration to the 2018 Leadership Institute. Additionally, those three chapters will receive either a free certification registration package, which includes an application fee and exam fee for the Communication Management Professional (CMP) or Strategic Communication Management Professional (SCMP) exams or may select one free IABC Academy Learning Path to be used as a giveaway or incentive in a future chapter program.
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A chapter toolkit is available on Leader Centre which includes creative and key messages to help your chapter promote. It’s Röcktober. Get loud.
 
Note: In the event that a winner is selected from a country that doesn't have Ticketmaster or is in an area where the Amazon Echo cannot be shipped, IABC will send a Visa gift card to the recipient in the amount of the prize in U.S. dollars.
Join us in San Diego for the 2018 Leadership Institute
The 2018 Leadership Institute (LI) will take place 8–10 February at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla in San Diego, California. Registration will open in October, but you can reserve your room at our discounted rate of US$185 per night now. Reservations must be made by 24 January to take advantage of IABC’s group rate.
 
Book today and don’t miss this exciting opportunity to connect with fellow IABC leaders during three days of leadership development, networking and skill building. 

Chapter Management Awards are open
The 2018 Chapter Management Awards (CMAs) have launched . Don’t miss this opportunity to highlight the outstanding work of your chapter throughout the past year. This year, we are introducing Strategic Planning as a new category within the program. Additionally, we have merged the Web Management category into Communication Management, allowing chapters to focus on how they reach their members using all methods of communication.
 
We have added some new incentives for the small, medium and large chapters of the year. CMA winners will receive the following:
 
  • Entries that score between 5.25 and 5.74 will receive a Merit Award. Merit Award winners will receive a commemorative award at LI.
  • Entries that score between 5.75 and 7.0 will receive an Excellence Award and will receive a commemorative award at LI.
  • The Chapter of the Year in the small, medium and large chapter divisions will each receive a commemorative award and a US$200 stipend to be used toward planning a chapter event.
  • The International Chapter of the Year will receive a commemorative award and one free registration to the 2018 World Conference in Montréal.
 
To be eligible for Chapter of the Year in each chapter division, small chapters need to submit at least two CMA entries, medium chapters need to submit at least three CMA entries, and large chapters need to submit at least four CMA entries. The chapter in each category that has submitted the required number of entries and has the highest total score of winning entries will be honored as the small, medium and large chapter of the year. Of those three chapters, the one with the highest overall total score of their winning entries will be the International Chapter of the Year.
 
Before submitting your CMA entries, please view the CMA Manual that is available on Leader Centre . The CMA Manual includes everything you need to know about preparing your entries. Additional resources and past winning samples can be found on Leader Centre. Plus, keep reading Leader Letter for tips from IABC Orange County, the 2017 Medium Chapter of the Year.
 
All CMA entries must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. PST on 6 December 2017. Entries will be evaluated by the 2017 International Chapter of the Year, IABC Calgary. Nominations for the Chapter and Region Leader of the Year will open in November.
 
All winners will be recognized during the CMA ceremony that will kick off the 2018 Leadership Institute on 8 February in San Diego, California. Please contact [email protected] with any questions.
October Leadership Forum
The October Leadership Forum will take place on Thursday, 19 October, at 9 a.m. PDT. Join Sharon Hunter, IEB Chair, Ginger Homan, ABC, IEB Vice Chair, and Stephanie Doute, Executive Director, for this installment of our monthly series of community of practice conversations and quick updates from IABC headquarters. Stay tuned for news on our guests for October.
Gold Quill Awards
The 2018 Gold Quill Awards have launched and it is time to be recognized for your communication work! Check out the Gold Quill website to learn more about the awards program that honors the dedication, innovation and passion of communicators on a global scale.
Save the date for the 2018 World Conference
The 2018 World Conference is coming to Montréal, 3–6 June 2018, at the Palais des congrès de Montréal. Our theme this year focuses on “The Communication Crossroads” and how to leverage the power of the communication profession in its unique position at the crossroads of business, culture, functions and audience. The call for speakers for World Conference is now open too. Visit the IABC website to learn more about the type of content that the World Conference Program Advisory Committee is looking for and be sure to submit your proposal by 11:59 p.m. PDT on 2 October. Check out the World Conference website for additional information.
 
Want to connect with your peers and participate in a valuable learning opportunity before June? Check out the list of upcoming regional conferences below to see if there is one in your area and get certified while you're there.
 
22–24 October
Kelowna, British Columbia
 
25–27 October
Houston, Texas
 
2–3 November
Cape Town, South Africa
 
5–7 November
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
New GCCC blog
The Global Communication Certification Council (GCCC) has started a new blog . This is a great way to stay in the know about relevant updates from the GCCC and certification. You can also learn more on the GCCC website , including information on hosting an exam and upcoming exam dates. 
Chapter spotlight: IABC Orange County
IABC Orange County was recognized as the 2017 Medium Chapter of the Year. We asked the chapter president, Michael Shepherd, to share the chapter’s insights on preparing for the CMAs and why they are valuable to chapters. Keep reading for their tips on preparing your entries and how to make it a team effort among your board.

The CMAs are coming! The CMAs are coming! The clarion call announcing this year’s edition of IABC’s prestigious Chapter Management Awards typically prompts at least two initial reactions: 1) A rush of adrenaline as you think about the awesome things your chapter has accomplished that deserve special recognition, and 2) Complete terror, as you think about all the chapter initiatives currently on your plate—and wonder how in the world you’re going to find the time, talent and resources necessary to pull together award-worthy submissions.
 
I know, because my colleagues and I at IABC Orange County experienced all of that and more last year in submitting our entries for the Chapter Management Awards. Having been fortunate enough to capture multiple honors, it’s easy to say that the preparation and work our team put in was well worth the effort. But, the real value of this competitive endeavor lies more in the journey than the destination.
 
The case for the CMAs
At a time when professional membership organizations face serious challenges in attracting and retaining members, a Chapter Management Award can make a big difference for your IABC chapter. This is a worldwide competition, open to chapters that span the globe. When you win a CMA, you can say, with no small amount of pride, that you belong to a group that’s among the very best in the world. I don’t know about you, but that’s valuable to me as a professional practitioner.
 
You will also develop a deeper understanding of what makes your chapter special. The research, informational resources and people you need to work with in developing CMA entries—and I encourage you to submit across several categories—builds esprit de corps and retention.
 
Then, there’s the valuable, but less obvious, gift that comes from linking accomplishments you’ve made in a particular area, whether it involves programs, membership, finance, sponsorship or other areas, to measurable outcomes. The disciplined thinking that goes into describing those outcomes helps chapter leaders more powerfully articulate the value proposition of engaging with IABC.
 
How do we take on the CMAs when resources are already stretched thin?
First, take a deep breath. You can do this. Naturally, there’s some effort involved, but the process is easier than you might think—if you start with a plan. Here are some tips on how to begin:

  • Form a CMA planning team, led by committee chairs in programs, membership, sponsorship and finance. Invite other members of the executive committee to participate.

  •  Identify the individual that will serve as ad hoc chair for the CMAs. This person should ultimately take on the responsibility for reviewing and editing—not developing—each entry.

  • Once the competition is announced, follow the link to the submission form and see exactly what information is required for each award. Your CMA chair should distribute and share that information with other committee members prior to the initial meeting.

  • At the kick-off meeting, ask each awards committee member to identify significant achievements, advances and innovations made within their standing chapter committees during the preceding year and discuss them in detail.

  • Challenge one another to specify how outcomes are measured, using both quantitative and qualitative metrics.
 
What can we do to make our CMA entries more compelling?
As a professional communicator, you already know how to build powerful narratives. Shaping the content for your CMA entries will use many of those skill sets. Following are some additional insights that can help streamline the process and enhance your chances of winning:
 
  • Ensure that your chapter meeting minutes, monthly financials and committee reports are all housed in a central repository (e.g. Google Docs, Dropbox, Hightail, etc.), to facilitate easy access and information sharing among committee members.

  • Every committee member should take responsibility for at least one CMA submission. If you want to make the experience more educational, invite those who volunteer to accept responsibility for a category in which they’re not regularly involved.

  • Challenge members to keep narratives brief, yet descriptive, and, most important, properly supported by relevant examples and accurate data.

  • Avoid long, windy statements heavy on superlatives and outcomes that are not linked to specific strategies and tactics that produced those results. They weaken your entry.

  • Be authentic. Every chapter faces challenges. Include them in your write-ups, followed by a detailed methodology of how you overcame them.

  • Reference third-party sources to enhance the credibility of your submission. Rather than a formal bibliography, use basic footnotes or supporting documentation that add detail and objectivity to your content.
 
When should we begin our CMA preparation?
The submission deadline for IABC’s premier chapter awards showcase typically falls at the start of the calendar year. Sounds like you have plenty of time to prepare, right? Not exactly. End-of-year holiday scheduling can substantially shorten your execution window, especially if your committee doesn’t convene early enough. Here are a few ways to avoid that pain:
 
  • Use the announcement that the competition is open to trigger a meeting with your ad hoc CMA committee. This should be a separate meeting, rather than a discussion at your next board meeting.

  • Set your committee meetings through the end of the year and stick to that schedule. Monthly gatherings may work best for some chapters; others may choose to compress the schedule and gather every 2–3 weeks.

  • Ask your category leads to be prepared to finish their submissions within 60 days of the first meeting. That should leave enough time for the CMA chair to review submissions and make any suggestions or revisions needed before submitting.
 
Hopefully, these suggestions will help make the process of developing your CMA entry strategy easier and more enjoyable. It’s not unlike the feeling you experience after a good workout. Your chapter will be better for the extra effort!
 
Good luck with your preparation. I look forward to seeing you—hopefully, on the podium with your CMA in hand—at next year’s Leadership Institute!
Important dates
22 – 24 October 2017
Kelowna, British Columbia

25 – 27 October 2017
Houston, Texas

5 – 7 November 2017
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 
8 – 10 February 2018
2018 Leadership Institute
San Diego, California

3 – 6 June 2018
Montréal , Canada
Sharon Hunter
International Executive Board Chair