Member News: Get Your Passport, Draw Up Your Playbook, Renewals

By Jessica Clark

Early Bird Gets the Worm

Everyone who renewed their membership by October 31 was included in a drawing for a $50 gift card.  Congratulations to Trish Routte, who won the $50 gift certificate to University Grill for being the “Early Bird Who Gets The Worm!”

Thanks to all our members who have already renewed, whether before or after October 31 this year.  It is great to see that all of you recognize how membership in FPRA is a valuable tool to make sure that we are always on top of our profession! 

If you have not had a chance to renew yet, there is still time!  You have until December 31 to renew without a penalty cost, and to make sure that your membership information doesn’t lapse. 

Don’t forget… if you help recruit a new FPRA member, both you and that person will be entered into a drawing to receive a new iPad ($500 value), a $200 Visa gift card or $300 of FPRA Professional Development bucks. The deadline to enlist a new member is: December 31, 2011. Winners will be notified in January.

If you need a new renewal form, please contact Jessica Clark, APR. For more information about membership, you can reach Jessica at (239) 454-2071 or jessicaclark@shellpoint.org. 

There is still a small number of membership scholarships available.  If you are interested in applying for a membership scholarship, please send a few paragraphs to Jessica Clark, APR stating why you are in need of financial assistance, what role you have played in the field of PR, and how you plan to make the best of your membership for the organization and your own personal career.

 

January 10 Meeting – Getting your playbook in order helps win the game!

Without a solid public relations plan, you reduce your chances of scoring that big win for your employer or client. Even the smallest project or event will benefit from a well-developed plan. In fact, planning methodology can help with all areas of your professional and personal development. Karen Ryan, APR, CPRC will share tips to make the planning easier and possibly increase your chances of bringing home the gold! The LCEC team has won more than 100 Public Relations Awards utilizing the plan. But it isn’t just about winning awards. The entire LCEC organization utilizes a Public Relations planning template for every major project it undertakes. Project managers are required to present the plan before moving forward to the implementation phase of the project. The first 20 registered attendees for this session will receive the LCEC Public Relations Planning Toolkit with additional examples of winning plans.

Are you new to FPRA, or have you joined within the last two years?  Do you know someone who is considering a FPRA membership? 

If so, we invite you to join us on Wednesday, January 10 at 10:30 a.m. at the Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre to learn more about the many ways that FPRA, both locally and statewide, can help enhance our profession and your career. The Southwest Florida Chapter will launch our brand new membership engagement program with the start of the New Year, to provide you with a plan to make the most of your membership and fun ways to get to know your industry colleagues. Jessica Clark, APR and Melissa Simontis, APR will be facilitating this informal session before the Chapter’s monthly program. To sign up, find our more or refer a potential member, call Jessica Clark, APR at (239) 454-2071.  Or sign up online here.