NYSAE’s The Place To Be This Year!

On a balmy summer day, NYSAE Board and Committee members met at the offices of the American Heart Association to plan an exciting and diversified program year. Lester Shafran, NYSAE Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the Independent Payphone Association of New York, set the tone for the day's work by reminding the group of his goals for the year—developing a more robust membership; continuation of NYSAE's outstanding educational offerings and networking opportunities; reinstituting the NonProfit CEO Forum to engage key CEOs in policy discussions; and establishing a student mentorship program to engage the next generation of association and nonprofit executives.

Here's a sampling of what NYSAE members have to look forward to.

Build Your Skill Set
The Education Committee designs and implements NYSAE's high-impact educational offerings, with equal emphasis on the (c)6 and (c)3 communities. On the schedule for the year are four Institutes (Finance Institute to be held October 22; Marketing Communications Institute to be held January 21; Technology Institute to be held April 22; and a Meetings Institute to be held May 20). In addition, NYSAE will be offering four Professional Development Workshops (October 28, November 25, January 27, and May 26). This year, the workshop times will vary, with one session being held in early morning, one after work, and two during lunchtime, to allow more members to take advantage of this service. NYSAE also offers several shared interest groups for additional skill-building and networking sessions. They are a Technology SIG, Executive Women in Nonprofits SIG, Law SIG and a Marketing SIG.

Learn How Technology Can Aid Your Mission
The Technology Committee develops the content for the Technology Institute, held in April. In addition, the committee runs a monthly Special Interest Group, where members can share and learn from one another. Among the many topics it is considering for this year's programs are: office automation; repurposing content; using the NYSAE website; how not to build your website; using other industry tactics to build sales; technology cross training; strategies versus tactics.

Attend Meet NY—NYSAE's Premier Event
To be held March 3, 2015, this special event will continue the successful formatting, which has made it the Best Hosted Buyer Event in the Northeast Marketplace for those wishing to reach association executives, and meeting and special event planners. The day will begin with an educational session, followed by a Networking Cocktail Reception and trade show at the Hard Rock Café, and topped off with tickets to a Broadway show. (Suppliers interested in participating should contact the NYSAE office at 212-206-8230.)

Be Recognized for Your Good Work
The Awards Committee is responsible for developing categories and criteria for NYSAE's awards, to be presented April 22 at the Synergy Awards Luncheon. New awards are on the horizon. In addition to being on the lookout for a Volunteer of the Year, the committee wants to highlight departmental programs. NYSAE is also expanding its website award to also recognize digital excellence. Have a great App for members? Running a fantastic social media campaign? The Awards Committee wants to hear about it! Look for a more detailed article in the September issue of InView.

Improving the Climate for our Associations
The Public Affairs Committee identifies issues of importance to NYSAE members and their organizations and advocates on behalf of our profession. To fulfill its charge, the committee meets with city, state, and federal officials or their staffs, as well as with other individuals who have an impact on the association/nonprofit profession, demonstrating the economic importance of New York's associations and nonprofits. The committee will continue monitoring New York State's nonprofit laws, particularly how the Nonprofit Revitilization Act impacts on the (c)6s and on suppliers. The Public Affairs Committee is also closely watching Executive Order 38, which calls for a cap on compensation. Another item on the agenda for the committee is working to combat the myth of overhead—that donors should evaluate a nonprofit by the percentage of its monies spent on overhead. Clearly defining what overhead is and what is covered is key to dispelling this myth.

Share NYSAE with Colleagues
Of course, the best part of NYSAE is the collegiality. NYSAE's Membership Committee will conduct an ongoing membership drive, consisting of at least four campaigns. The goal for this year—100 new members! The more the merrier, so encourage your colleagues to join.

Spread the Word About NYSAE
Helping to increase the visibility, awareness, and understanding of NYSAE and the profession of association and nonprofit management is the PR & Marketing Committee. Through NYSAE's website, social media, and other more traditional communication networks, the committee will do an outreach program to let others know about our services and programs.

Want To Get in on the Action?
While all committee's held their preliminary planning meeting, it's never too late to join a committee. Contact NYSAE (212-206-8230) for more information, or reach out directly to the chair of the committee you are interested in.