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Focuses on membership retention, recruitment, programming and other member services.
Meetings and Education Committee Statement of Purpose:
The Association Services Committee will provide strategic guidance to enhance membership
programs and aid in the transformation of a world class telecommunications organization.
February 2013 Committee Meeting Summary
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Association Services Committee February 3, 2013
Dave Armstrong, Northeast Nebraska Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 12:15 p.m., and the NTCA Anti-Trust statement was issued to each committee member and discussed. Chairman Bruce George introduced himself and then asked for introductions around the table. After introductions, he welcomed the new committee members and read their names aloud: Frankie Cagle, Randolph Telephone Membership Corporation Election of Officers The committee discussed nominations for 2013 officers. After a brief discussion, MOTION #1was put forth: Dick Leis MOVED to nominate Bruce George Chairman, seconded by Jane Stone, and UNANIMOUSLY carried.After further discussion on the open vice chair seat, MOTION #2was put forth: Bruce George MOVED to nominate Jane Stone asVice Chair, seconded by Richard Leis, and UNANIMOUSLY carried.Member Engagement Update Chairman George passed the floor to Lori Fischetti, who gave an update to the Committee on the recent changes to the Association Services department at NTCA. Lori Fischetti talked about how the name of the division was changed to Membership Engagement and now includes the Member Relations Managers as well. She discussed the reasons behind the initiative which will ultimately provide more clarity to members and help them better understand how NTCA can serve them. The goal is to provide a consistent positive membership experience. April Irwin, Director of Member Services discussed the current initiatives of the Member Services team and its new structure that will help better serve members. She discussed the status of the conversion to the new Association Management software system. Dennis McGarry, Director of Training and Development, discussed the following initiatives currently underway regarding NTCA education:
Action items:
At 1:00 p.m., Lori Fischetti gave an update on unification. She talked about the committee going forward pending unification efforts. Specifically, that if unification succeeded, the committee will be split into two committees, one for membership and the other for education/meetings. The group discussed the possible committee structures that were proposed by the NTCA and OPASTCO unification team. April Irwin discussed membership issues regarding the overlap with NTCA and OPASTCO members and potential new members that are now only members of OPASTCO. Action item:
Open Discussion The group discussed a number of meeting/session ideas for future use by NTCA: The committee thought it would be helpful for the association to put on programs and facilitate the discussion of difficult but necessary subjects such as director term limits, new Telco revenues, shrinking subscriber bases, etc. It was the consensus of the group that NTCA should explore ways to bring up these sensitive subjects in a considerate way. How to break news to employees regarding paying more towards healthcare and other benefits that are costly to the Telco. Sharing the "actual cost of an employee" with all employees. How important this is for employees to see how much the company is paying beyond their salary. Buying power amongst companies-How to work together with other telcos to explore group purchasing and leverage buying power. The group discussed the paper materials distributed at the RTIME meeting. It was the consensus that the book needs to have all the DCC/GMC/KEC codes printed with each session. The group engaged in a long discussion on going "less paper" at this event, and it was the consensus of the group that the app and the daily schedule were sufficient. Approval of 2012 Minutes Chairman George then asked for a motion to approve minutes from the 2012 Fall Conference Meeting. MOTION #3to approve the meeting minutes from the Fall Conference 2012 meeting. Richard Leis MOVED to approve, Seconded by Dave Armstrong, and UNANIMOUSLY carried.Adjourn MOTION #4to adjourn the meeting. Jan Stebbins MOVED to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Bruce George, and UNANIMOUSLY carried.Chairman George adjourned the meeting at 1:45 p.m. and thanked the committee for their volunteer efforts. |
February 2012 Committee Meeting Summary
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February 12, 2012
Present: Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 12:15 p.m., and the NTCA Anti-Trust statement was issued to each committee member and discussed. Chairman Bruce George introduced himself and then asked for introductions around the table. After introductions, Chairman George asked for a motion to approve minutes from Fall Conference. MOTION #1to approve the meeting minutes from the September 2011 meeting. Dick Leis MOVED to approve, Seconded by Allan Gillum, and UNANIMOUSLY carried.Strategic Plan and Education Report Chairman George passed the floor to NTCA staff. Dennis McGarry introduced the NTCA Strategic Plan Dashboard to the committee. He highlighted the specific areas that touch on Association Services involvement. A lengthy discussion ensued on education programs offered by NTCA. The group discussed:
The group then had a lengthy discussion on what is the knowledge that a person needs to become a better board member? It was the consensus of the group that focusing on this particular issue is a key for success. It was noted that our "Fundamentals of Telecom" course produced by NTCA was particularly good, and perhaps some ideas could be taken from that. The group discussed the need for more new and young board members. It was noted that the managers present felt good about the education offerings lately. They stated that NTCA could help managers help their board calculate what courses to take. One idea that was brought up was to make the Board President a Whip, someone to make sure that the board is taking the courses they should focus on. Staff added that they would incorporate these ideas in programming wherever possible. Statewide Association Update At 1:05 p.m. the group discussed the Statewide Association participation. Lori Fischetti outlined all the statewides in which NTCA was participating. She asked the Committee if they could help us make introductions and good use of our time when we are out at these functions. All agreed to help at any of the events they are attending in the coming year. Membership Update At 1:10 p.m., April Irwin, NTCA Membership Director, gave a report on membership status. She reported that NTCA currently has 262 cooperative members and 319 commercial Telco members. It was also reported that the subscription process is being improved and that the membership department is committed to an exceptional communication process for members and prospects. She added that most of these functions will be dependent upon the new association management software system that will be chosen by the association in 2012. The membership report ended at 1:20 p.m. The group then began an open discussion. A brief discussion about going paperless at future NTCA events ensued. Specifically, the possibility of NTCA not producing an onsite program at future events was discussed. It was noted that there will not be an onsite program at the 2013 Rural Telecom Industry Meeting & Expo. The group thought that this will indeed be a test but reached no consensus on this item. ADJOURN Chairman George adjourned the meeting at 1:34 p.m. and thanked the committee for their volunteer efforts |
February 2010 Committee Meeting Summary
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The Association Services Committee The Association Services Committee met on Sunday, January 31 to review the association's member services activities and to preview upcoming 2010 events. The committee heard reports from the following divisions: Meetings, Membership, Communications, Education, Human Resources, Field Services and FRS. Highlights from the meeting include: The Meetings division reported that approximately 2300 people are attending this year's annual meeting. Counts are about the same as the 2009 Annual Meeting in Long Beach and booth sales at the Expo have remained the same as well. The 2011 Annual Meeting will be in Dallas, Texas. Make plans now to attend the 2010 Fall Conference in St. Louis, Mo. NTCA's total membership currently stands at 1135. That includes 258 cooperatives, 322 commercial companies, 99 subsidiaries, 385 associates, 61 associations and 10 international members. The membership department will be focusing on recruitment and retention efforts in 2010. The Education department previewed the following programs to be held this spring: The Telcom Executive Forum slated for March in Charleston, SC; the Board Officers Conference which will be held in San Antonio, Texas in April, the Spring PR/Marketing Conference will be held in April in Baltimore, Md. and the Human Resources Conference which will be held in May in Austin, Texas. The Communications division reported that it had in collaboration with the Membership department revamped NTCA's image and collateral materials. Look for the new brand visuals at this meeting. Other first quarter activities will include launching two social media vehicles, publishing the Compensation and Benefits Study and preparing for the Spring PR/Marketing Conference. The Foundation for Rural Service fundraiser, "Journey to Timbuktu" at Busch Gardens was very successful. Over 625 members attended the event. In addition, the golf tournament drew 133 golfers. Proceeds from the fundraisers will go for scholarships that the foundation awards to rural students. The 2010 Youth Tour is already generating a lot of interest. The foundation recently published its latest white paper on Broadband Wireless Technology. They also updated and produced a Wiki type glossary of telecom terms and produced an informational mailer on texting while driving. Please visit the FRS website for more information on these and all the materials and services they provide. Field Services staff informed the committee about the activities of the field staff and gave an overview of SMC products and services. The meeting adjourned at 2:30 pm
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February 2011 Committee Meeting Summary
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February 13, 2011
Present: Dave Armstrong, Northeast Nebraska Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 12:15 p.m., and the NTCA Anti-Trust statement was issued to each committee member and discussed. Chairman Jackson introduced himself and then passed the floor to NTCA staff. Dennis McGarry introduced himself. Lori Fischetti discussed current efforts underway at NTCA regarding the strategic plan, the Associate member council, and the new format for regional meetings. She discussed the need to use committees and councils more effectively and as a sounding board for member programs. She outlined the two goals that the chairman and staff wanted to accomplish during this meeting. First was to have the committee come up with a statement of purpose; and second, was to have the committee split into two sub-groups-one to discuss membership issues and the other to discuss education issues. Discussion on Statement of Purpose The group started the process by citing words that were associated with the purpose of the Association Services Committee.
After a lengthy discussion and CONSENSUS, the group arrived at this statement of purpose: The Association Services Committee will provide strategic guidance to enhance membership programs and aid in the transformation of a world class telecommunications organization.A long discussion of this statement of purpose followed. It was the CONSENSUSof the committee that the statement of purpose be put on the NTCA website in the appropriate area. The committee then split into two groups, one to focus on education issues and the other to discuss membership issues. The notes from each group are listed here: Membership Breakout Participants: Jane Stone; Brent Kennedy; Larry Sullivan; David Armstrong; Dale Jones; Lori Fischetti The group talked about member recruitment and what the best ways to increase membership might be. Possible solutions raised were:
Additionally, the group discussed affinity programs as an added member benefit. They spoke of potential affinity programs (i.e. Ford, Dodge, John Deere) and the possibility of not only offering them to NTCA members, but to each Telco's customers as well as to other rural organizations in each Telco's area (i.e. the Farm Bureau). The group committed to thinking of possible companies/products that would benefit rural constituents and bring those ideas back to the group on the next conference call. Lori's action items include:
Education Breakout Participants: The group talked about overall improvement of NTCA's certificate programs. Comments and discussion surrounded these issues:
At 2:10 p.m., the sub-committees adjourned and the Association Services Committee resumed the quorum meeting. Lori Fischetti and Dennis McGarry reported on the discussions in their respective sub-committees. At the conclusion of the reports, it was the CONSENSUS of the entire committee that they would like to receive period email updates from Chairman Jackson and NTCA staff. ADJOURN Chairman Jackson adjourned the meeting at 2:22 p.m. and thanked the committee for their hard work. |
February 2008 Committee Meeting Summary
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The Association Services Committee Committee Members in Attendance: *Chairman ** Vice-Chairman The Association Services Committee met to review the association's member services activities and benefits issues since the last meeting at the Fall Conference and to preview activities for the coming months ahead. The meeting convened at 12:00 noon. The committee dispensed with the reading of the notice of meeting and the minutes and approved the agenda. The staff liaison alerted the committee to the anti-trust statement in their folder and reminded members to be mindful of discussions about pricing, salaries or collusion as outlined in the statement. No new business was added to the agenda. Reports were given in the following areas. Education: Sandi Redman, Education Manager, gave out eight DCC awards at the meeting. She then reviewed the seminars at the Annual Meeting and discussed the following 2008 education events: TEF in Tampa, the Spring PR/Marketing Conference also in Tampa, the Human Resources Conference in Charleston, the Regional Meeting seminars, the Fall Conference in Indian Wells, Calif., the Finance and Accounting Conference in Kansas City, the Key Employee Conference in Memphis and the Legal Seminar, Hollywood, Fla. The second Board Officers conference will be held in Santa Fe, New Mexico on March 29 - April 1. The mission of the conference is to bring together a diverse group of rural board officers to learn about governance, industry, legal and strategic issues. Meetings: Noni Nicolaou, Director of Meetings, reported that there are approximately 2430 people attending this year's annual meeting. Counts were down from the 2007 Annual Meeting in Orlando. The last time NTCA was in New Orleans was in 2000. Attendance at that meeting was 2,800. There was a 10% increase in the number of booths sold at this year's Expo. Next year's Annual Meeting will be in Long Beach, Calif. She reviewed the 2008 Regional Meeting, the Fall Conference and the annual meetings in New Orleans. Hotel housing issues were also discussed. Communications: Wendy Mann, Director of Communications, reviewed the upcoming Spring PRNet Conference, the 2008 editorial calendar for the Rural Telecommunications magazine and the Exchange She also discussed the revamping and enhancing of NTCA's Website. The goal is to make the site as interactive and user-friendly as possible. The Marketing & Benchmark Survey will be published in its entirety this year and joins the Compensation and Benefits Study and the HR Survival Toolkit as publications that serve the members well. Field Services Report: Sheridan Wangler, Vice President of Field Services, gave an overview of the field staff activities and an update of the Flex Plan, FAS, web casts, long term care insurance, Group Health, the Choice Program, the Vision Plan, the Savings Plan, the R&S Program, and the Fidelity Brokerage Link. He also discussed the Fundamentals of Money Management Seminar, the Portfolio Development Workshop and the Pre-retirement Seminars. Ron Laqua, committee chair, informed the group that he would be resigning from the committee. He was thanked for his service and leadership. Elections were held for his replacement and Don Jackson, Tri-County Telephone Association, Basin, Wy. was unanimously elected as new chairperson of the committee. The meeting concluded at 2:30 p.m. |