Transcript BrightKey

Who We Spoke To
– Hollie Jordan
Montana AEYC President
– Michael Gonzalez
Former Houston Area ED
Current board member
– Karen Rainville
Executive Director of Connecticut AEYC
– Kelly Lake
President from California AEYC
– Jerlean Daniel
– Barbara Willer
– Group
– Peter Pizzolongo
– Kyle Snow
– Meredith McMillan
– Amy Shillady
What We Asked
Sample questions include:
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What’s your background with NAEYC?
How would you describe NAEYC to a colleague?
What’s the value of belonging?
Who’s the competition?
What are NAEYC’s key differentiators?
What are its strengths? Areas of improvement?
What about the affiliate structure? A bottom up approach to
membership?
– What are the challenges facing the early childhood
education field?
What I’ve Been Hearing (In a Nutshell)
– The organization is all things “early childhood
education”…both good and bad
– Internal issues with lack of investment in
infrastructure…and frustration with silos…
– Strong passion for early childhood education runs
throughout organization and membership…
– Advocacy needs to be clarified and driven home…
– QUALITY comes through a lot…dedication to quality,
delivering quality
What I’ve Been Hearing (In a Nutshell)
– View of organization as a bridge in many ways, yet lack of
clarity on best ways to do this
– Academia and practical application
– Association for professionals and professional
association
– The voice for children…and quality care for children
– Now is the time for action!
Final Words of Advice/Words of Wisdom
“I don’t think we do a good job of reaching out and bringing
people back. I’m not sure our members are aware of the
renewals. I would like to see a stronger system.”
“People don’t know they’re not members.”
Final Words of Advice/Words of Wisdom
“I would reiterate that we need to appeal to people’s sense of
wanting to be part of a bigger group. That NAEYC can help
them in their work with young children, achieve the goals
that brought them to the industry in the first place. No other
educator gets leg kisses—the child who hugs you when they
first learned something. They’ll carry it with them for a
lifetime. NAEYC focuses on early childhood and puts
children first. We’re really in there for children. That tends to
be very appealing.”
Final Words of Advice/Words of Wisdom
“I think that if we’re going to do more than survive—become a
robust, dynamic organization—we need our members to feel
that this is their NAEYC. That they can come to this door and
be nourished and challenged and grow. That piece of what we
do needs to brought forward more. And I want us to continue
to be the standard setters. That’s a role nobody else can do.
But in everything we do, we need to bring more efficiency and
higher intentionality.”
Very Initial Observations
– Now is the time for action
– Determine how to engage next generation
– Understand real benefits and membership categories
– What’s the path?
– Regular to comprehensive (and downgrading?)
– Student to regular
– Local to national…national to local
– How about the pre-selected books?
– Role of conventions: use for more active recruiting
Welcome & Renewals—Goals
– Make sure we recognize who we’re speaking to (copy and
design)
– Make sure we communicate to them “where they are” and
acknowledge the relationship
– Welcome looks like promotion (should extend previous
contact)
– Renewal looks like promotion (should be a business
communication)
– Email with monthly banner is an internal perspective
and does not deepen the conversation or build brand
– Differentiate copy to focus on different levels of urgency
and themes
Welcome & Renewals—Goals
– Extend current brand
– Develop more effective AND cost-effective formats
– Introduced tracking mechanism and establish target ROI
Renewals—Current Program
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60-day email
45-day email
35-day mail
15-day email
Lapsed email
Lapsed mail
Theory: Another effort would be
worthwhile.
General Research Findings
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A lot of member pride and enthusiasm
Appreciative; good listeners
Members citing multiple benefits…loving everything
Affiliation strongest with local affiliate; some assumed we
were talking about the local
– “New” new members appreciated call; loved hearing about
benefits, how to log in and navigate the site
General Research Findings
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Very little unhappiness in membership
Non-renewing had to do with career changes
Members aware of the emails
Some didn’t know they were members (had membership
through company)
– Key reasons for joining
– Required by employer
– To stay up to date
– Publications
– Certification
National Brand
NAEYC
Status Update
August 17, 2012
National Brand + States
NAEYC
Status Update
August 17, 2012
One State + Local Affiliates
NAEYC
Status Update
August 17, 2012
Key Program
NAEYC
Status Update
August 17, 2012
Key Program
NAEYC
Status Update
August 17, 2012
Final Words of Advice/Words of Wisdom
“National has to decide the value of having affiliates. I can see
how they value accreditation. The work around that is clear.
Where do they perceive the value of the affiliate in supporting
their work and promoting membership? I don’t think they
understand the power: membership, potential grant
opportunities, professional development. They don’t view us
as having a key role in promoting memberships and its a
missed opportunity.” Member Leader 2012
In January 2013 the NAEYC Governing Board demonstrated
their belief in the value of “having affiliates” by receiving the
Phase III Recommendations. The National Dialogue
underscores the importance of the inter-dependent nature
between all Association components.
When you close your eyes and think of
NAEYC…what do you see?
“I see a rock. That’s the image that comes. It’s not
moving. It’s not big or small. It has some smooth
edges, and some roughness to it as I feel it. It’s just
sitting there.”
The Challenge:
Thinking Outside of the Rock
– Stronger direction from national
– Importance of moving beyond we-they
– Demonstrate commitment to infrastructure upgrades
– Internal: frustration at not being able to make better
decisions
– External: frustration at not being able to access their
files
– Explore confusion between national, state, and local;
determine key appropriate focus for each
– Develop top-down and bottom-up approaches to
membership
The Challenge:
Thinking Outside of the Rock
– Explore convention-membership disconnect
– Use convention as driver for membership
– Membership as driver for convention
– Put a stake in the ground as to national brand
– Begin/promote dialogue to unify national
Recommendations:
Thinking Outside of the Rock
– Critical: Brand is not a consensus decision; take
a strong, deliberate, well-informed stand
– In-depth survey of state and local branding will
reveal potential national brand practices—start
there.
– Consider a tiered approach to brand
– Over time
– Extent to which affiliate participates
– Decide between gradual…or ripping off the
band aid