Session: Guiding Your Chapter to the National Level
Presenters: Bonnie Upright, APR, PRSA Board Liaison, Senior Vice President of Olympus Foundation Management; Jordan Paquet, PRSSA Vice President of Member Services; Ethan Parry, PRSSA Vice President of Public Relations; Jonathan Hill, PRSSA Vice President of Career Services
Recap:
Guiding your Chapter to the national level is an important step in giving your Chapter a voice. According to current National Committee members Jordan Paquet, Ethan Parry and Jonathan Hill, recruiting and retaining members is the key to success. Generating enthusiasm through incentives such as free food, contests and bringing in professionals is a great way to build this membership.
Once you’ve retained membership, there are several ways to get your Chapter nationally involved, including applying for the Teahan Chapter Awards Program and Star Chapter Awards, submitting Chapter News and bidding to host a Chapter Development Session at National Conference. Members can also gain writing experience by writing for our national blog, Progressions, or our newspaper, FORUM. Taking advantage of these opportunities will not only help your Chapter reach national involvement and recognition, but you will also allow you to gain experience and make connections. Take what you are doing locally and apply it nationally.
Takeaways:
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Krista Watson is a member of PRSSA at Loyola University Chicago. Follow her on Twitter and connect on LinkedIn.