American Chemical Society

Communicating with your Local Section Members

ACS Leadership Institute ● Dallas, Texas January 24-26, 2014

Charles E. Cannon; Councilor, Chicago Local Section & LSAC Member Kate Sellar, Technology Manager, Administrative & Programmatic Technologies Angela Morris, Technology Associate, Administrative & Programmatic Technologies

What You Can Expect from this Session

You will come away from this session with: • An increased understanding of the importance and benefits of having a communication plan that suits the needs of your executive board and members • Information about online communication services offered from ACS that might aid your section’s communications.

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Communicating with your Executive Board

• • • • What are the Goals?

develop an effective strategy based on your circumstances focus on critical needs (budget, election, meetings, events) create a team spirit to share ideas/tasks document as you plan and carry out each activity, making annual reporting easier and helping future leaders • • • Develop a

Multi-Channel Strategy

In-person Audio, Web and Video Conferencing (Skype, etc.) – Consider A+ Conferencing for special rates for Local Sections Email

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Communicating with your Executive Board

• Questions about communicating with your Executive Board?

• Examples of successful (or not so successful) communication strategies between officers?

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Communicating with your Members and the Public

• • • • • Develop a

Multi-Channel Strategy

Website – update your information regularly – Use it in conjunction with any social media efforts (ACS Network, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) Email – using a mass email service is more effective than using a personal email account Newsletters – hard-copy and/or electronic based on your members’ preferences Audio, Web and Video Conferencing (Skype, etc.) – Consider A+ Conferencing for special rates for Local Sections In-person meetings/events

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Communicating with your Members and the Public Website

• An excellent entry-point to your Local Section's full complement of online communications/services Use your website to: – – – – – Tell your origin story (where, when, why and how?) – – – Post your Annual Report (include a compelling summary) Post announcements and results of activities List your Local Section Officers Share an events calendar (keep it updated) Provide first-hand accounts from members Keep an image gallery from events Post local job listings perhaps not easily found on your typical job search site.

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Communicating with your Members and the Public

According to the local section annual reporting for 2012, 149 of the 186 Local Sections reported have websites.

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Communicating with your Members and the Public Mass Email

• • • • When used properly, using a mass email service can Help you develop a trusting relationship with your members Help you keep your contacts organized Enable access to email campaign reports (analytics), measure your results after every email campaign Meet the requirements of the CAN-SPAM act (avoid having your emails get stuck in SPAM filters)

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Communicating with your Members and the Public

According to the local section annual reporting for 2012, approximately 80% of all Local Sections use email as their primary mode of communication to its members.

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Communicating with your Members and the Public

Questions about communicating with your local section members?

What are some common communication challenges?

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Available Online Communication Tools & Services from ACS

• Online web-hosting solution provided through our partner, webs.com

• Email management service (currently a pilot program) from Real Magnet • The Volunteer Support and Engagement (VSE) Group on the ACS Network (easy access to recent and relevant content for local sections’ online and hard copy communications)

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Online Web-Hosting solution

• In 2009 – to meet the needs of our Local Sections and Technical Divisions, ACS partnered with webs.com to provide a free, online web-hosting solution.

• To date, 96 Local Sections have signed up for the service • Is your section using the service? Ask us if you’re not sure.

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Online web-hosting solution

Main benefits of the service include: • ACS branded, easy to use templates

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Online web-hosting solution

• Main benefits: a user-friendly web editor (no need to know HTML)

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Online web-hosting solution

• Main benefits: ability to easily hand over web administration duties from one person to another)

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Email Service Providers American Chemical Society 18

Email Management Service - Pilot

• To meet the critical needs of our members, ACS has partnered with Real Magnet and is exploring the potential benefits of a free, mass email service for local sections and technical divisions.

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Email Management Service - Pilot

Main benefits of the service include: • Individual account with intuitive dashboard

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Email Management Service - Pilot

Main benefits: • ACS branded template to put your message within

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Email Management Service - Pilot

Main benefits: • Message tracking - insight into a message’s performance, with all the key metrics (delivery, open rate, clicks, bounces and unsubscribes) represented both numerically and graphically.

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Email Management Service - Pilot

• • • • Use your current email address or any pre-existing email address Download lists, i.e. from eRosters and upload into Magnet Mail – you’ll need to update the list each time you send a new email. You will upload your lists to 1 of 2 Groups in Magnet Mail: – Promotional emails, i.e. invitations to events, general communications and info (must have the

opt-out option

for promotional emails) – Administrative emails, i.e. elections and governance meetings, etc.

Interested in singing up for the pilot? Contact [email protected]

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ACS Network: Volunteer Support & Engagement

•

http://communities.acs.org/groups/vse

• An open group where pertinent information for dedicated ACS members can be found, posted and shared.

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How to Contact

• • • • Online web-hosting solution: [email protected]

Email Management Service (EMS): [email protected]

Kate Sellar, Technology Manager, Administrative & Programmatic Technologies: [email protected]

Angela Morris, Technology Associate, Administrative & Programmatic Technologies: [email protected]

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Thank You