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New Year’s Resolutions: A new IABC Member’s Perspective At a time of reflection and planning, of assessing what resources and tools to continue using and renew and which ones to move on from, and to identify the economics involved with these choices, I cannot speak highly enough about the value and return on investment of being involved in a professional association like IABC. Last year, I made a commitment to attend as many IABC seminars and presentations as I could, to get to know other chapter members, and to offer my support as a volunteer to assist in the work of IABC/Toronto, in particular, its 2009 IABC/Toronto OVATION Awards Gala Event. I have experienced the rewards and benefits of this commitment on both personal and professional levels and this year, my resolution is to be even more involved. Here’s why: • Now I know (more) – I have learned from the presentations and seminars on relevant and timely communications issues and trends, particularly social media. It was great to hear from ‘social media gurus’ at these events. Now I’m more ‘in the know’ about the social media phenomenon, its power, potential (and dangers) and the implications for us as communicators in this ever-changing media landscape. • Good for me and my organization too – An obvious benefit of IABC membership is learning and professional development. This is learning you can take with you wherever you go in your career as a communications professional. In every presentation I attended last year, I found something useful about business communications that can be applied in my current role, and thus, benefit the work of my organization. For example, the social media presentations have been useful to us in developing a new social media strategy in our organization and in our thinking about an organizational communications strategy that incorporates social media. • A place to go to get it – The IABC online library featuring research, books, manuals, and other publications is a useful resource for the communications professional and I look forward to using and exploring this resource further. It’s great to have a place to go that holds such vast information on communications topics including, of particular interest to me, effective media relations strategies. • Being heard – I’ve discovered that IABC’s ‘Be Heard’ motto/tagline isn’t just a direction or rallying call for your work as a Communicator. It means ‘being heard’ as a member too. I appreciate that IABC is pretty diligent about gathering feedback about events and other issues from members through quick ‘n’ easy online surveys. • Go on, flex that communications muscle (or build new muscle)! – The benefits of volunteering on IABC committees or projects are immense, especially having the opportunity to learn and develop skills by trying something new or some element of work that’s just not part of your ‘day job’. • As a community, we business communicators sure are a friendly bunch – I think what I’ve most enjoyed is the networking and getting to know other IABC members at seminars and social events, or by working together on special projects like the Awards Gala. IABC/Toronto folks are friendly, welcoming, energetic, and smart! People are supportive of one another and appreciative of individual efforts that contribute to the success of the entire team. People say ‘thank you’ and they do this often—that’s nice! There is a sense of belonging and community here and, in my opinion, that is most important and the main reason why I have chosen to stay involved with this association. Value, knowledge, and community. Three words that best sum up my membership experience so far. I’m looking forward to more of it in 2010. Abigail Brown is a Communications Specialist with Community Living Ontario. 6 January – February 2010 Communicator http://toronto.iabc.com/
Corporate Citizens Take The Lead: The Evolution of IABC/Toronto’s Social Responsibility Committee Organizations embark on their own social responsibility journey for varied reasons. While stronger financial returns, brand value and market differentiation are potential benefits, “giving back” to the community in which a business operates accounts for the “corporate citizenship” that embodies the spirit of social responsibility. The seed of the Social Responsibility Committee was planted in the fall of 2008 when IABC/Toronto President Brent Carey, ABC, held a Social Responsibility Think Tank at which participating IABC/Toronto members set the foundation for the chapter’s first social responsibility policy. The policy (available online at https://toronto. iabc.com/pdf/IABCToronto ChapterSRPolicy.doc) focuses on three areas: community betterment, environment and governance. The move to a full-fledged Social Responsibility Committee followed the June 2009 joint IABC/Toronto -AIP event Boosting People, Planet and Profit panel presentation that featured best practices from One Million Acts of Green and RBC’s Blue Water Project and was organized by Mary-Ellen Hynd, Bernard Helen, Anne Ptasiuk and Frances Roberts. The event achieved such a high approval rating—100 per cent of event attendees surveyed said that they would recommend future events of this nature—that Mary- Ellen Hynd agreed to chair IABC/ Toronto’s first Social Responsibility Committee for the 2009/2010 board year. Mary-Ellen is also representing IABC International in the development of the ISO 26000 International Standard for Social Responsibility. The Social Responsibility Committee’s evolution forecasts a vibrant future for the role of communicators as community leaders support the role of ethics, responsibility and compassion as true business values. By identifying themselves with the role of corporate citizens, volunteers can create an environment that reflects “community conscience”. This year’s volunteer recruitment evening saw an upsurge in interest for the committee. At our first meeting in November, we committed to five action areas: • A virtual team of communicators that will provide support to our charity partner, Volunteer Canada, led by Leila Fenc and Gillian Welsh; • A February 11 Munch ‘n Mingle event that will also launch the new Green Guide for Communicators created by Bernard Helen and Frances Roberts; • A Generation Y initiative to reach and engage students through social media led by Kate Heron; • An IABC International 2010 Conference community volunteer initiative at Evergreen Brickworks; • And the creation of an overall communications plan to build awareness, educate and engage through a variety of communication vehicles and initiatives led by Lucas Hancock, Pana Bountis, Anne Ptasznik, Carrie MacAfee and Gillian Welsh. One such vehicle is IABC International’s SR LINK, an interactive online community offering a platform for developing creative content, learning about communication resources and roles and networking with other communicators. IABC/Toronto’s Social Responsibility Committee is committed to making a difference by advancing the role of communicators in this vital field and fostering the “community conscience” that defines our very ethic. We make it a practice to have members share social responsibility tips at each meeting; recently we learned that an audience poll at Canadian Business for Responsibility’s Annual Summit last fall revealed that more than 80 per cent saw an increase in internal and external CSR communications within the next 12 months. Employee needs are indeed changing to reflect a unified approach to implementing social responsibility and building a strong future for the corporate citizen. And we are excited that IABC/Toronto and the Social Responsibility Committee is actively working to make this happen. As a first-year volunteer on IABC/ Toronto’s Social Responsibility Committee, Panagiota Bountis was immediately attracted to the committee because of its dedication to “giving back”, the very essence of what it means to be a corporate citizen. Panagiota is currently a MA student at York University in the Interdisciplinary Studies program. Her thesis work examines the ways design supports Web 2.0 communication to determine target audiences. http://toronto.iabc.com/ Communicator January – February 2010 7
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