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Annual General Meeting

2026

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Marzia:

As we begin, we recognize the people and the lands on which we have the privilege of hosting our Annual General Meeting today.

We acknowledge that we are on the unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) First Nations. For those of you in other parts of the province, I encourage you to think about where you are currently located during this meeting. We offer our gratitude to the Indigenous Peoples who have cared for these lands for generations and continue to strengthen them today.

As communicators, we understand the power of stories. With that comes the crucial responsibility of meaningfully shaping narratives, amplifying voices, and creating spaces where people feel seen and heard. This land acknowledgement is a consistent reminder to continuously listen, to learn, and ensure that Indigenous perspectives, knowledge, and leadership are respected and valued. Thank you.

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Call to Order

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Agenda

Call to Order President’s Report Financial Report	Proposed Board Slate Incoming President’s Remarks Motion to Adjourn

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Motions

Motion to approve agenda
Motion to approve 2025 AGM minutes

Marzia

We have several Motions to pass, and as a reminder, only chapter members can vote on these motions tonight.

Can I please, by raise of someone’s hand get a Motion to Approve the Agenda?

Announce a person

Do we have another member who will second that motion?

Announce a person

It is moved and seconded to approve the 2026 Agenda. Is there any discussion?
Since there is no discussion, can we put this motion to a vote to approve the agenda.
For those joining us online, please vote using the Zoom poll. [Give about 30 seconds to vote, then reveal the results.]
The motion passed.

Can I please get a Motion to

Approve the 2025 AGM Minutes?

Announce a person

Do we have another member who will second that motion?

Announce a person

It is moved and seconded to approve the 2025 AGM Minutes. Is there any discussion?
Since there is no discussion, can we put this motion to a vote to approve the 2025 AGM Minutes.
Again for those joining us online, please vote using the Zoom poll. [Give about 30 seconds to vote, then reveal the results.]
The motion passed.

Thank you very much!

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President’s Report

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Our Vision

IABC/BC is the preferred organization for communications professionals in BC, bringing like-minded individuals together in a strong, evolving, vibrant community that shares and learns from one another.

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Chapter Goals

Grow and engage a diverse membership to foster community
Deliver relevant, valuable, inclusive experiences for professional communicators
Connect members with IABC resources and opportunities, locally, nationally, and internationally
Build strong relationships with BC organizations, sponsors, and partners
Strive for chapter excellence and rewarding volunteer opportunities

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Grow and engage a diverse membership to foster community

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245

member

total

Current

As of June 23, 2026

Chapter Membership

Marzia

Thanks to our dedicated team and our Director of Membership Nuria, we regularly monitor membership data, member engagement and satisfaction to see evaluate our work while considering and acting upon suggestions for improvements

2025: We were sitting at 296 members, including 16 students
2026: We are currently at 245 members, including 9 students

This year's membership numbers reflect broader economic and workforce trends affecting many professional associations.As individuals and organizations navigate budget pressures and changing professional needs, membership decisions have become increasingly deliberate. With that said, these broader factors have undoubtedly influenced membership decisions, but they also present an opportunity for us to continue demonstrating the value of connection and learning, within our professional community. We will be using insight from this year and remain committed to evolving our programs, services, and member experience to meet the needs of today's professionals.

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Region Membership

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Membership

Marzia:

We have launched various promotional campaigns for our membership, and have actively spread the word through social media, newsletters, and especially during events when potential members can get the full experience of the value of being connected with IABC/BC. We have connected with our Member Spotlights and I urge you all to share your stories or nominate others as we really want to discover the breadth of the amazing work you are all doing and highlight it accordingly.
We have changed the timing of our membership survey, to the end of the board year so that we can strategically utilize the feedback we have gathered for our planning meeting in the summer. Thank you to those of you who have participated and completed that
We have experimented different ways of showcasing different membership options and highlighting offerings such group membership for corporate teams.
Additionally, what is now an annual tradition, we have collaborated with CPRS Vancouver on our Holiday Social so our broader member pool can connect and celebrate together.
We know this regular outreach and engagement is essential to maintaining and growing our membership basis, and the membership portfolio has consistently built this throughout the years while also looking forward to transferring that knowledge to our incoming Director of Membership.
Shout out to Nuria and team for all the work in ensuring that we are staying on pulse with our membership.

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Connecting with Membership

IABC/BC Connect

1,083 subscribers (-187)

2,748 followers (+299)

Instagram

719 followers (+51)

Facebook

941 followers (+6)

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51.7%

Membership survey

Chapter Membership

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Deliver relevant, valuable, inclusive experiences for professional communicators

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Special Interest Groups SIGs

Professional Development

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Social / Networking

Marzia:

And of course, our members know how to have fun, especially during networking events.. So we continue to offer social events that bring members together, engage new faces, and also allow us to connect with longstanding members such as Fred who is a founding member from the 70s.
We hosted our Fall Social at the Good Co. where we met lots of new folks, the our Hollywood Holiday Social at the Ventura Room with CPRS,
Then with popular demand, we worked with members to host Comms to the Table in North Vancouver, Vancouver, and Burnaby. Thank you to all of you who attended and shared meals with us. We also had another Spin session with Carson!
To close off the year, we hope you will stay this evening for our Wave Awards Ceremony with our Summer Social right here at Earls
Thank you to Oge, her team, and all the volunteers who pitch in to ensure the vibrant energy of our community is well represented in these events.

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Students and New Communicators

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Mentorship Program

20

mentoring pairs

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Connect members with IABC resources and opportunities, locally, nationally, and internationally

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Leadership Training

This year, Dare 2 Lead encouraged Executive Team members to attend the one day leadership session. I am grateful to have learned from highly experienced speakers including our very own Catherine Ducharme. I was joined by Kris and Maycko before attending Canada Conference. Inspired by the learning and knowledge we gained in those few days along with many other opportunities for leadership training in my years on the board, I really wanted to ensure that we can impart as much information and relevant professional development to our current board members. So this year we hosted the first BC Chapter Leadership Conference that welcome speakers such as Carmen Wright, Elizabeth Bunney, Jordan Ross, and again Catherine! We have an abundance of experience in our membership and I hope this initiative continues to build future leaders of IABC/BC.

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GCCC Certification

Marzia

We continue to promote and support GCCC,

As of June 25:

We have 15 CMPs in the province with 8 being chapter members

Amaka Umuego
April van Ert
Cara McGregor
Christina Low*
Danelle Wettstein
Denise Hogue*
Jessica Tiefenbach*
Jessie Scheele*
Katherine Fowler
Kathy Pang*
Kris Olsen*
Lynne Carothers
Mark Moldowan*
Maycko Macapugas*
Tana Jones

And we have 23 SCMPs residing in the province and 13 of those being chapter members

Adam Brayford
Alison Schatz
Amanda Brittain*
Denisa Orlandea
Elaine O’Connor*
Erica Simpson
Heather Merry*
Jennifer Wah*� Judy Swens
Juli Holloway
Kristin Linklater*� Laurie Dawkins
Linda Ong*
Lorena Dexter Chaichian*
Medhbh Monahan
Naseam Thorseth
Nuria Sefchovich*� Pamela Gole*
Rachel Wong*
Shannon Henderson*
Sharon Menzies
Stephanie Dunn*
Todd Hauptman*

We have 18 members from the legacy ABC program
And Fellows

Catherine Ducharme, our newest fellow
Juli Holloway,
Jean Cormier
Jennifer Wah
Laurie Dawkins

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IABC Fellow

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Awards

Marzia:

We continue to support our national and international awards programs: Gold Quill and Silver Leaf Awards
These programs highlight the strategic thinking and hard work that goes into the work you do as communicators.
There were several winners for the Gold Quill awards of Excellence this year. Congratulations to Andrea Ross,Pamela Mcdonald, (who also won the Best of the Best Award for their entry) as well as Carrier Sekani Family Services for their Award of Excellence, and the Office of Creative & Communications, University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine for their Award of Merit achievement.
We were not able to acknowledge the 2025 Silver Leaf Award winners at the last AGM so we congratulate Award of Excellence Winners Viola Cohen, Pardeep Purewal, Andrea Ross and Award of Merit winner Michelle Blackwell. There’s still time to submit an entry to the Silver Leaf Awards for 202 . The deadline to submit is July 15. So if you’re thinking about applying, I highly encourage it.

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Wave Awards

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Wave Awards

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IABC Conferences

World Conference

June 14 – 16, 2026

Toronto, Canada

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Build strong relationships with BC organizations, sponsors, and partners

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Sponsorship and Partnerships

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Special Projects

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Special Projects

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Jobline

25

Jobline

Postings

2025-26

As of June 23, 2026

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Special Projects

Comms Together

Last year we pilotted, Comms together an initiative that focused on the intersection of mentorship, industry experience, and social impact.
We recruited a team of communicators from our community where experienced communicators could mentor new professionals and help them gain industry experience.
This experience only possible through the partnership of a non-profit organization and this year it is Diversecity. The organization supports newcomers, families, youth, women, seniors, and job seekers through a wide range of community programs.
Through this opportunity the Comms together team were able to consult, advice, and co-create social campaigns and media relations to grow their reach, engagement, and profile across diverse audiences.
Shout out to Grace Sullivan and team continuing this meaningful project and supporting the non-profit world.

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Strive for chapter excellence and rewarding volunteer opportunities

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Volunteer

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Marzia

Once again, I am bringing up the wonderful headshots of these folks who have spent an entire year working alongside myself, Kris, and Maycko to honour each of you. I know that some are not physically here today but thank you,
Daniel, for your organization and support beyond our administrative needs, you are a superstar
Sarah, you will witness her incredible hard work shortly but thank you for pushing our Awards program forward with so much enthusiasm in the last two years
Oge, for all the fun and fabulous events you hosted
Courtney, for the incredible organization of our SIGs event, a true powerhouse
Carolina, for the awesome content on our blog and website that share insights and highlight different stories from our community
Ronita, who supported our Finance portfolio for a short while this year, thank you for helping us crunch numbers
Adetona, for taking command of our social platforms and ensuring fresh content month after month
Stacey, the rockstar that you are for tirelessly pursuing Sponsorships and Partnerships,
Sage, for your creative genius and design expertise ensuring our brand is always on point
Heather, for your dedication and new ideas in the professional development realm
Nuria, the sunshine lady for spearheading the membership front
Karmina, who consistently helps us find the best volunteers because she’s a great one herself
Wahiba, for your amazing effort in bridging the world of students and our chapter
Grace, for juggling so many programs and delivering each one flawlessly

I celebrate you today but I’ve celebrated you every day of this chapter year with so much gratitude.

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Questions?

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Maycko Macapugas

Past President

Finance

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2024–2025

Financial Statements

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Finance

July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024

Reviewed by Smythe CPA LLP

Conclusion:

Based on our review, nothing has come to our attention that causes us to believe that the financial

statements do not present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of International Association of Business Communicators in British Columbia as at June 30, 2025, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year then ended in accordance with ASNPO.

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Balance Sheet

	June 30, 2025	June 30, 2024	June 30, 2023
Assets
Cash	$ 5,239	$ 26,309	$ 78,412
Accounts Receivable, GST	11,706	4,041	5,390
Prepaid Expenses, Interest, shares	40,000	1,903	2,160
Term Deposit	2099	60,000	0
	$ 61,976	$ 92,253	$ 85,962
Liabilities
Accounts Payable, Accrued Liabilities and Government Remittances	$ 2,420	$ 15,708	$ 3,670
Net Assets	59,556	76,545	82,292
	$ 61,976	$ 92,253	$ 85,962

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Net assets

	June 30, 2025	June 30, 2024	June 30, 2023
Operating Fund	$ 47,850	$ 64,839	$ 70,586
Internally Restricted Funds	11,706	11,706	11,706
Total	$ 59,556	$ 76,545	$ 68,087
Change for the year	(16,989)	(5,747)	(14,205)

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Accounts Receivables

2025	2024	2023
$ 2,099	$ 2,934	$ 4,857

As of June 30

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Impacts of COVID-19

#WHO-defined COVID-19 pandemic period (30 January 2020 – 5 May 2023)

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Income Statement

	2024-2025	2023-2024	2022-2023
Income	$ 49,371	$ 55,704	$ 67,144
Expenses	$ 66,360	$ 61,451	$ 81,439
Excess	$ (16,989)	$ (5,747)	$ (14,205)
Includes Sponsorships-in-kind of:	$ 9,358	$ 12,813	$ 23,343

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Income - selected accounts

	2024-2025	2023-2024	2022-2023
Sponsorships-in-kind	$ 9,358	$ 12,813	$ 23,343
Sponsorships - cash	$ 0	$ 0	$ 1,000
Membership dues	$ 10,171	$ 13,106	$ 12,362
Jobline	$ 12,085	$ 18,245	$ 21,564
Event fees	$ 10,123	$ 7,264	$ 3,271

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Expenses - select accounts

	2024-20225	2023-2024	2022-2023
Office	$ 20,406	$ 17,808	$ 19,118
Catering and venue rental	$ 11,318	$ 11,663	$ 11,999
Travel	$ 10,699	$ 7,016	$ 14,534
Prizes and speaker gifts	$ 2,530	$ 2,154	$ 2,573

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Bank balance reinvestment for stabilizing the association revenue stream

Reinvestment (8 May 2023 - 8 May 2024)

Approved by FY23 Board (8 May 2023)

1-year non-redeemable GIC - $30,000 ; interest rate 4.55% (posted rate 3.00%)
1-year cashable GIC - $25,000; interest rate at 3.25% (posted rate 1.75%)

Reinvestment (14 May 2024 - 14 May 2025)

Approved by FY24 Board (13 May 2024)

1-year non-redeemable GIC - $35,000; interest rate 5.05% (posted rate 4.00%)
1-year cashable GIC - $20,000; interest rate at 4.10% (posted rate 2.25%)

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Questions?

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Motion

Motion to accept 2024–25 financial statements

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Incoming President

Kris Olsen

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2026-27

Board of Directors

Proposed Slate

Kris

Hello everyone,
As your incoming President for the BC chapter, I’m excited to present the proposed slate for our incoming board of directors for your approval.
This year, we connected with potential candidates through in-person events and our professional networks. We also ran a campaign across all chapter channels inviting individuals to nominate themselves or someone they know.
This approach helped us reach a wide group of communicators. We are fortunate to have a strong slate of candidates who are eager to support and strengthen our professional community.
Thank you to everyone who expressed interest. For some, this year was not the right time. The good news is that IABC/BC has a long history and will be here when you are ready to get involved.
You may have noticed that we are still missing two director roles: Events, as well as Sponsorships & Partnerships. We will continue recruitment over the summer. If you are interested, please connect with me after the meeting, or message me on LinkedIn.
As always, the nominating committee worked together to review applications and build a balanced and effective team. This year’s committee included myself, Kris Olsen, and past presidents Carmen Wright, Maycko Macapugas and Scott Parker.
Thank you!

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Proposed Board of Directors 2026/27

Now, on to this year's Board slate.
On behalf of the committee, I’m pleased to share the proposed slate for our incoming board, a wonderful group that I’m looking forward to working with this coming year.

Starting with myself on the top row, Kris Olsen CMP
Vice President, Nuria Sefchovich SCMP
Past President, Marzia Sager
Executive Administrator, Daniel Cherkezov
Director, Finance, Maycko Macapugas CMP
Director, Digital Experience, Carolina Salazar
Director, Volunteer Services, Karmina Alejandro
Director, Career Development, Jessica Purver
Director, Social Media, Adetona Aboaba,
Director, Award Programs, Christina Grave
Director, Professional Development Events, Heather Merry SCMP
Director, Membership, Collins Maina
Director, Student and New Communicator Services, Wahiba Chair
Director, Special Interest Groups (SIGs), Eileen Huster

We currently have vacancy for the Director of Sponsorships & Partnerships, Director, Social Events, and director Creative and Email Marketing roles. We will continue recruitment over the summer. If you are interested, please connect with me after the meeting, or message me on LinkedIn.

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Motion

Motion to approve proposed 2026–27 Board of Directors slate

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Incoming President’s Remarks

Kris

Hello everyone,

I’m honoured to step into the role of incoming president for the IABC/BC chapter.

I’m especially honoured to follow in the footsteps of the many strong presidents who have guided this chapter over the years. Their leadership has built a community we are proud to be part of today.

I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to Marzia and Maycko. Your leadership and friendship have shaped a strong path forward for the year ahead. As always, I’m grateful for your guidance and support as I step into this role.

Looking ahead, I’m excited to work with our board. Together, we will focus on clear priorities and strong collaboration.

Our goals are really quite simple:

engage meaningfully with our members
spark interest from new communicators across BC
ensure members see real value in their commitment to our chapter

For example, we plan to increase in-person events to give members more opportunities to connect and build relationships face to face. We will also continue offering programs and resources that we know members truly value, including our mentorship program and support for those pursuing CMP and SCMP certification.

We will take a thoughtful and practical approach to bring this vision to life.

Most importantly, we will stay connected to what our members need and expect from us.

I’m excited for the year ahead and the opportunity to build on the strong foundation already in place.

Thank you.

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Outgoing President:

Marzia Sager

Outgoing Past President:

Maycko Macagpugas

Thank You!

Kris:

Before we wrap up, I’d like to thank Marzia and Maycko for their leadership.

Maycko has been a dedicated volunteer with IABC/BC for many years. He started as a board director, then moved into the executive as vice-president, president and, most recently, past president.

That kind of commitment speaks to both his leadership and his belief in this community.

I’m really thrilled that Maycko is continuing his involvement as the incoming director of finance.

It’s often joked that this can be a hard role to fill because many communicators prefer creative work and may feel less comfortable with numbers.

That’s what makes Maycko such a strong fit. He brings both communications leadership and a strong background in business, which gives him confidence and skill in this area.

We are very fortunate to have his experience, steady approach and continued support on the board.

I’d also like to recognize Marzia as our outgoing president.

Marzia has led the chapter with care, focus and a strong sense of purpose.

During her term, she made leadership development a priority. She and Maycko introduced leadership raining to support our board and help each director grow in their role.

She also secured a new, multi-year partnership for the chapter. This is an important step that will support our programs and help us continue to deliver value to members.

Marzia has done all of this with grace. She leads with calm, thoughtfulness and a genuine commitment to this community.

On behalf of the board and our members, thank you, Maycko and Marzia, for your leadership and dedication.

Now back to you, Marzia.

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Questions?

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Motion

Motion to adjourn 2026 AGM

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Resources

Before getting started:

☑ Will you be attending the AGM?

☑ Will you be staying for the Wave Awards?

Resources:

Updates, team main communication channel here
Past five years of AGM presentations here
2021/22 programming visuals here
Completed YE reports here

Keep

Update required

✅ Ready for review

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Minutes:

Kaitlynn Staples�she/her

IABC/BC: Project Coordinator, Special Interest Groups

Work: Executive Assistant, Community Safety Division, City of Richmond

Vote tracking:

Hilary Chiu�she/her

IABC/BC: Senior Communicators Special Interest Group Manager

Work: Marketing Manager, Pacific Property Group

Behind the scenes today:

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2022 Membership Survey

6.19

Satisfaction

(Scale of 0-10)

68 responses | November 2022

4.84

Connection

(Scale of 0-10)

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2022 Membership Survey

Top 2 responses | 68 responses | November 2022

Most important program offerings

Professional Development 85%
Social/Networking Events 78%
Job Board 75%
Mentorship 64%
Volunteering 58%

Biggest gaps in satisfaction

Professional Development -43
Social/Networking Events -29
Job Board -20
Mentorship -20
Volunteering -20

CARMEN:

We asked questions to understand the gap between the importance of services, and how satisfied our members were with the services.
This helps us understand where to focus our efforts.
As you can see by the data, PD and networking events top the list as important offerings. They also reflect the largest gaps in satisfaction.
We’ve had a few tough years rebounding back post-COVID, where low registration has meant cancelling several events.
Costs are higher at venues, and attendance is lower. We’ve had a hard time finding event sponsors.
We’ve also lost several events directors over the last two years, midway through the year, which speaks to the stress and demands of this portfolio and also what our volunteers are experiencing in their lives.
Going forward we have changes our portfolio structure in an effort to make this work more manageable, I’ll speak to that later.
We also have some ideas for offerings for the coming year, as these remain a top focus for us.
This coming fall, we’ll survey with these same questions again, and hope we will see progress towards delivering member value.

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JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH

APRIL

PHASE 1

Task 1

Task 2

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH

APRIL

MAY

JUNE

PHASE 1

PHASE 2

Task 1

Task 2

Task 1

Task 2

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Educational Icons

Medical Icons

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Business Icons

Teamwork Icons

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Help & Support Icons

Avatar Icons

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Creative Process Icons

Performing Arts Icons

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Nature Icons

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SEO & Marketing Icons