Five Ways to Increase the ROI of Your PMPI Membership in 2011

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By Kristus M. Ratliff
Consero Group LLC; Co-Chair, Member Engagement/ Member Care

As Co-Chair of the Member Care Committee, I often encounter members who want to meet new people, get involved in the industry and grow professionally. They understand that their PMPI membership and chapter participation is key to their professional development. Unfortunately, crazy travel schedules and overwhelming to-do lists often prevent these members from capitalizing on the professional opportunities available through PMPI.

Committee participation is usually the best way to concurrently make an impact, learn, and network. Members often assume that committee involvement requires a huge investment of time. That is so untrue! Here are five committee participation ideas, each featuring a high membership ROI and a low time commitment.

1) Write One Email and Increase MACE! Participation. Volunteering for the MACE! Marketing Committee could mean as little a time commitment as writing one e-blast (email message) this fall or winter. E-blasts are the most impactful marketing channel for MACE! So if you want to make a huge impact on driving participation to the flagship meeting industry conference in the Mid-Atlantic Region, but only have a tiny bit of time to spare, the MACE! Marketing Committee is for you.

2) Increase Your Professional Exposure by Writing An Article for the Potomac Memo. The Publications Committee is always looking for fresh content. If you are looking to increase your exposure in the industry, writing an article is an easy way to quickly introduce the Memo’s readership to your ideas, and name!

3) Mentor an Aspiring Meeting Professional. Through participation in the Student Relations Committee you can make a huge impact in just one hour a month. Many students need help with resumes or simply want a mentor. In that hour, you can help a student reach their career goals. This is the epitome of high ROI: low time commitment committee participation and a huge return.

4) Use Your Facebook and LinkedIn Networks for Retention Research. The Retention Sub-Committee is a section within the Member Care Committee responsible for contacting PMPI members prior to their membership expiration. They single handedly contact every PMPI member once per year. If you have a lot of online contacts, you can quickly help the Retention Committee each month by utilizing them to contact members whose memberships are expiring but cannot be reached because they have changed jobs, or simply because there was a typo in their email address or phone number. Remember, the membership belongs to the individual, not the company... if you or a colleague change jobs, let us know. You are still part of the PMPI neighborhood.

5) Help the Community Outreach Committee Raise Money for the PMPI Charity of the Year. An easy way for new members to get involved is to sell the 50/50 raffle tickets before every meeting. You will learn more about the Charity of the Year, help increase the overall amount of money raised, quickly meet more of our PMPI members and get to wear a fabulous green apron (maybe the apron isn't fabulous, but it is fun!).