Month

July 2009

Communications for the Good!

Wayne Brady Approved

Someone asked me recently what my intentions would be if I started another new business. I knew right away that it would be to help others/communications for the good! Of course making millions of dollars would be nice too!

I’ve enjoyed being a part of several local organizations that are doing good for others in addition to owning my own business. Some of this is because of assignments from clients. And some is pro bono work I’ve volunteered to do as a way to offer my expertise to various organizations for which I feel a particular passion. I encourage any entrepreneur to loan their skills to nonprofits. Not only will the charity benefit, but you will too as you network and grow your expertise.

We are working on another charity benefit this month on behalf of a client and it’s very rewarding. It has been a pleasure to serve on this committee as a representative of my client, Zona Rosa. We have a long list of other nonprofits and clients for which we’ve helped organize charity galas and/or benefits including: River of Refuge, Ronald McDonald House, Infiniti of Kansas City, Synergy Services, Salvation Army, Hillcrest Transitional Living, Love Fund for Children, Wonderscope Children’s Museum and Harvester’s Food Bank.

Diversity – even within professional organizations

When I moved back to Kansas City from Scottsdale, Ariz. six years ago and decided to start my own PR business, I knew I needed to join an organization to network, continue my professional development and meet people. But which one?

The most important thing I was looking for was diversity. I wanted an organization that was made up of individuals who offered a variety of skills, skill levels and even diverse professions. It wasn’t going to help me much to sit around with a bunch of people who were exactly like me!

That’s my favorite thing about IABC. However, what I’ve discovered as I finish my year as president of KC/IABC is that marketing to this diverse group, even within a single professional organization, can be challenging.

We enjoy a fantastic membership of graphic designers, ad buyers, newsletter writers, corporate communicators, PR professionals, photographers, events planners, social media experts, videographers, communication strategists and the list goes on and on. And, we welcome all professionals who may fall into the vast category of business communicators to join one of our meetings to see what we’re all about. In fact, we’ve created a variety of special interest groups as a way to cater to these vertical categories within our organization, and it’s been a huge success.

So whether you’re a senior vice president of corporate barbeques, director of lengthy complicated corporate jargon, manager of chaos or even CEO of really cool projects, we hope you’ll consider KC/IABC your home and offer your feedback on ways we can make you feel more welcome. Thanks for making this year as president of KC/IABC a tremendous opportunity.