"Strength lies in differences, not in similarities."
- Stephen R. Covey
Good Day EWI!
I hope this finds everyone looking forward to a glorious weekend...here in Canada, it is a long weekend for us! Happy Victoria Day to all of our Canadian member representatives!
This week I had the pleasure of visiting with EWI of Lethbridge on Wednesday evening. It was a glorious day for a road trip and their dinner meeting was held at their Golf & Country Club. We were blessed to be able to gather outdoors in the sunshine for the networking hour, followed by a lovely meeting. Thank you EWI of Lethbridge for the invite and for all of your ongoing support.
Visiting with this Chapter is the first step for me in a project that each Corporate Director has undertaken since renewals. We have identified within each of our "Fleet" of Chapters, those who are standing with <25 member firms. The list is dis-heartening to say the least and as such, needs our collective, immediate action. So much so, that we have identified "Rebuilding" these Chapters as one of three top priorities for the office and board for the rest of the year.
We are currently sitting with 29 Chapters holding <25 member firms, or if you prefer, 47% of our Chapters. As you all know, having a minimum of 25 member firms is the requirement to be chartered as a Chapter.
In our discussions with these Chapters to chart a growth plan with them, we are still witnessing the general misconception surrounding Major/Minor classifications. For clarification again...no firm can "own" a Major classification. They can though "own" a Minor classification.
One of the first initiatives we took this year was to task the Member Services Committee, chaired by Jenni Burns, EWI of Phoenix, and Vice Chair Judy Russell, EWI of Tulsa, in researching and implementing a plan to move to NAISC codes for our Major & Minor industry listings. This will allow each Chapter a far more extensive list of Minor classifications to draw from when recruiting.
The NAISC codes are standardized codes in both the U.S. and Canada and every company filing a tax return has one assigned by their respective governments. The committee has made tremendous strides in identifying a process for EWI to adopt this new classification system. As a first step, they and the corporate office will be reaching out soon to each Chapter to first identify the applicable NAISC codes for each current member firm. We will roll out the complete process at LCAM in September. My thanks to the entire committee for their efforts and to Director Ewald-Ihde for liaising with them throughout the year!
Another disturbing trend we are seeing is complacency within the membership body of some Chapters in that "they are happy with their size." I struggle with this rationale. EWI is not a monthly dinner club. It is an organization whose core purpose is to deliver quality programming each month that addresses one of our 3 C's (Connections, Careers, Communities) while also providing professional development opportunities for our member firms employees. I was thrilled to hear from one of our member representatives this week that she has just taken on the Presidency of her governing industry association. She acknowledged and attributed this success to her board exposure in her EWI Chapter. Collectively, we provide over 600 board positions a year, primarily to women. That is probably more than the Fortune 500 companies do. We need to start marketing and sharing this story to a far greater degree.
An additional key priority for the office for this year was to develop new marketing tools for Chapter's use in their recruitment efforts. Those have been finalized and released and are ready for you to utilize. Links to the documents were in the May Connect and Leadership Connect issues, as well as having been posted to the website. We are also compiling testimonials which will be used for a new recruitment video for all of our use shortly after LCAM. Be prepared to answer the question, "Why do you belong?"
The office and Corporate Directors are also researching and providing lists of new businesses in the communities for those Chapters with <25 member firms. We also suggest immediately that fund-raising activities be reduced or eliminated until they once again hit the minimum of 25 member firms, ideally comprised of a mix of small, medium and large sized firms. Having a mix is absolutely integral to the long term viability of a Chapter as we laid out in the Standards of Excellence. A majority of small businesses can be detrimental to a Chapter as evidenced in once case study. The Chapter had over 46 member firms two years ago, but when the entrepreneurs that had joined did not see an immediate return on their investment, they opted out. That Chapter is now sitting with just 16 firms.
Recruitment is every one's responsibility. We are doing all that we possibly can to encourage and support Chapters in their growth initiatives. This includes a proposal to amend the bylaws so that their is no confusion surrounding Major/Minor classifications. In addition, we will again be proposing a budget that includes a discount for firms with 2 or 3 member representatives.
I encourage all members to review the Recruitment and Retention Webinar that I held in February for some ideas on how to approach a prospective firm. Most importantly, remember that we need to recruit the firm, not the rep. Director Hillegass will also be holding a Webinar for these 29 Chapters to share her experiences and the resulting success in the rebuilding of the Rochester Chapter.
Strong Chapters are essential for so many reasons but primarily because through a diverse group of businesses, there is strength to be realized. Without a diverse membership body in our Chapters we will continue to see Charters being handed in because there are not enough hands to do the work required. We have witnessed this three times already this year and I am sure you will agree with me that we don't want to lose any more Chapters!
When you have the same people sitting on the board, burnout will occur to the point where they just cannot continue. I call these "Eco" boards, because it is the same members being recycled over and over again for board service, sometimes in the same role for years on end. If you are not learning new skills from your membership in EWI then of course you will disengage. Remember, "Learn, Lead, Mentor!"
We also set up a committee this year to specifically study ways in we can eliminate or ease the tasks that corporate requires from Chapters. Easing Chapter operations is an absolutely integral initiative that the office and board are fully committed to. Thanks to Judy Russell, EWI of Tulsa for acting as Vice Chair on this committee as well!
At LCAM in Dallas I issued a challenge for each Chapter and member representative to embrace "One Vision", which is our vision statement of being 5,000 strong. To get there each Chapter needs to increase their membership by 20% each year, for the next five years. Kudos to those Chapters who have already succeeded in their "20 Mile March". We CAN do this EWI! It is not unrealistic because we have been there before!
Like the rubber band ball I chose for this post today, my wish is for each Chapter to grow to the point where they are strong by virtue of their diverse group of member firms. Banded together for resiliency and able to bounce with the challenges thrown their way.
So - there is my "rant" for the week. This weekend, think of who you can share your EWI story with. Then, invite them to your next meeting!
Have a great weekend!
-K
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