2015 Third Quarter ReportDriving communication as a force for good in business and society

IABC THIRD QUARTER REPORT 2015 2

The IEB and Chapters and Regions . . . . . . . . . . 3

Who does what at IABC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Update from our Chair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Update from our Executive Director . . . . . . . . 8

Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

The IABC Brand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Strategic Progress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Content Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Events Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

In Brief:

• First Communication Management Professional (CMP) graduates announced

• CMP exam dates around the world announced

• Fixes to the “join” and “renew” functions on iabc .com rolled out

• New recruitment process undertaken for committee vacancies

• 2016 Gold Quill Awards launched

• “Best of Show” webinar series launched

• New online workshops from IABC Academy launched

• Speaker proposals for the 2016 World Conference submitted to Program Advisory Committee for review

• IABC Leadership Forum hangout rolled out

IABC THIRD QUARTER REPORT 2015 3

International Executive Board

The International Executive Board, or IEB, is the governing body of IABC and is accountable to its members . The IEB develops the strategic plan and direction for the association under the guidance of the Association Bylaws approved by the IABC membership . The IEB serves as the Board of Trustees for the IABC Foundation .

Find out more about IABC’s International Executive Board .

Chapters and Regions

IABC operates around the world via eight regions and more than 80 chapters .

Find out more about IABC’s regions and chapters .

View more photos of IABC people and events on IABC’s Flickr account .

Stay

IABC THIRD QUARTER REPORT 2015 4

Who does what at IABC

Chapters

• The heart and soul of IABC• Provide local network, professional

development, mentoring and more

Regions

• A resource to Chapters, provides regional-level leadership development and sharing of good practices

• Looks after Members-at-Large• Some regions also run

conferences

International

• Provides the global framework for the organization and sets standards and direction

• Supports Regions in delivering value to Chapters

• Provides global tools, resources and content (including membership back-end)

• Global connectivity

Africa • Asia Pacif c • Canada East • Canad

a West • Euro

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iddle East/N

orth Africa • Heritage • Pacif c Plains • Southern

Academy • Communication World • Global Communication C

ertif c

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Lead

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ip In

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Mem

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hip •

W

orld Conference

80 c

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• 80 ch

apters creating connections • 80 chapters creating connections • 80 chapters creating co

nnections

Freedom within a Framework Highly Interdependent

1000+ Leaders

IABC THIRD QUARTER REPORT 2015 5

Financial recovery and sustainabilityThe management thinker Peter Drucker is famous for saying “culture eats strategy for breakfast .” He was a practical thinker and I think he also implied the positive upside: a strong culture can overcome many a challenge . A strong culture like ours .

The board’s continued focus is on delivering against our three-year strategy — especially bringing our technology into the 21st century . I addressed this as part of my inaugural comments at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) in June . I’m pleased to say that there is definitively light at the end of the tunnel . Meanwhile you’ve shown your mettle and commitment to the association like never before . It is appreciated .

See the report from our Executive Director Carlos Fulcher MBA CAE for more detail on the technology front .

Our next priority is to return the organization to sustainable growth . The Comprehensive Portfolio Review — as announced at the AGM — is now

Update from our Chair

complete . It helped a much needed debate about alignment and tighter focus on our core audience . See Carlos’ report for more about this, including the work he is doing to make the organization more data-driven . Big thanks to him, his staff and Ginger Homan ABC, IABC Treasurer, for doing this work and the board for their constructive input .

We also focused on helping the organization embrace a more robust and transparent governance structure, which you’ve seen through open calls for nominations for the board and committee positions .

Better brand positioningThe brand roll-out is well underway and the new guidelines are helping align our approach . It’ll take some time but you should expect to see the greater consistency visually and in tone of voice . I am encouraged to see such fast adoption . The Communication Committee led by Katie Macaulay is also advancing their work . Stay tuned for more on this initiative .

Greater interaction, greater connectionWhy? Because it is in fact an incredibly exciting time to be part of the International Association of Business Communicators . We’re the only place that connects communicators globally . With thousands of members worldwide, representing diverse industries, sectors and disciplines, this is a community alive with knowledge, experience, ideas, and support .

Dear IABC leaders and members around the world,

IABC THIRD QUARTER REPORT 2015 6

We believe that in today’s world, communication can be a force for good in business and society .

Leaders across the organization are working hard to make a difference . Delivering value to members and prospects through lively and varied networking events, international and regional conferences, engaging professional and career development opportunities, and recognition and certification programs that inspire us to be great communicators .

Consolidating gains from the 2011-14 strategyThe Communication Management Professional certification program is going global . Eleven locations announced already, following the successful pilot at #IABC15 . Big thanks to Sue Heuman ABC for leading this effort, as well as the staff team .

The IABC Academy chaired by Theomary Karamanis PhD, and with support from staff, launched a full calendar of online workshops featuring a range of subject experts in crisis,

reputation, branding, digital marketing and more . All based on topics members requested .

Loyalty and development of our members and leadersThe monthly IABC Leadership Forum has launched — hundreds of leaders have engaged with this new format . It takes place on Google+ and is basically an open forum, so bring your questions or submit them ahead of time . I hope to see you on the next one .

Also this quarter, we had the broadest call to date for talent to step up and serve in international leadership positions . We advertised for positions on Audit and Risk, Investment, Policy Review, Research and Editorial committees . Appointments are underway thanks to hard work of the IABC Nominating Committee .

The monthly IABC Leadership Forum has launched — hundreds of

leaders have engaged with the new format .

We believe that in today’s world, communication can be a force for good in business and society.

“

“

IABC THIRD QUARTER REPORT 2015 7

A brief look ahead to what’s coming up:

• Regional conferences (and Leadership Institutes) are on the calendar across North America this fall . I am excited to attend a few of them and also the Asia Pacific Region Leadership Institute in November . Talking to members and leaders is what makes it all worthwhile .

• A workshop was held at the Southern Region Conference in Denver for the #IABC16 World Conference team . There has been very strong interest from practitioners around the world who want speak to the theme of innovation in global communications . Mark your calendar for June 5-8, 2016 in New Orleans .

• Dianne Chase, IABC Vice Chair, attended the Europe, Middle East and North Africa Lead-ership Institute — a team that is now working towards a Regional Conference early next year in Rotterdam . Dianne then headed to Calgary for the Canada West conference in October .

• We are planning a highly interactive #IABCLI in Los Angeles. The Council of Regions (made up

of the Regional Chairs from around the world) is working hard to build a program that prom-ises to take our leadership skills to the next level . While we are there, we will celebrate the top leaders from chapters around the world . Look out for your opportunity to enter into the Chapter Management Awards .

• Gold Quill Awards committee issued a call for entries . Make sure you start preparing your entry, if you haven’t already . We live in a time when innovation is required more than ever and it is our Gold Quill winners who set the standard .

Reach out to a fellow communicator this week —and join the conversations on Twitter and LinkedIn . IABC is the only place that connects communicators globally, so make sure you are taking advantage of those opportunities .

Let’s #createconnection like never before .

Michael Ambjorn International Chair

IABC is the only place that connects communicators globally .

Let’s #createconnection like never before .

The ... certification program is going global. Eleven locations announced already ...

“ “

IABC THIRD QUARTER REPORT 2015 8

Update from our Executive Director

Dear IABC members,

It is my pleasure to bring to you some extremely positive operational news about IABC as I enter my second year with the organization . The last few months have been no less exciting than my first year at IABC .

The work of our committees have been fruitful and strategic . Committees have taken a lead role in bringing new products to market, such as certification and a range of new education programs .

Thanks to the tireless work of the Global Communication Certification Council, or GCCC, and a long line of leaders who have helped shape the certification process from its very beginnings, the inaugural exam for the Communication Certification Management Professional (CMP) certification took place at the 2015 World Conference . The culmination of all this hard work was the announcement during this quarter of our first CMP graduates . I’m sure people across the world are as filled with pride in this list of names as I am .

The exam is now set to run around the globe over the coming year, in locations such as Toronto, Dallas, Jacksonville, Baltimore (at the Heritage Region Conference), Sydney, and South Africa . More locations will be announced in the coming months .

As the successful 2015 World Conference came to a close, the Program Advisory Committee (PAC), assisted with the launch of the new “Best of Show” workshop series . This new product makes the best sessions of the 2015 World Conference available to anyone around the globe through a live webinar format . Additionally, plans for the 2016 World Conference are in full swing . We received a fantastic response to our call for presentations for the 2016 program, and anticipate another robust and engaging program in New Orleans in June 2016 . Registration for the program is open at wc .iabc .com .

We were also excited to launch the 2016 Gold Quill program . The newly renamed IABC Awards Committee has been working to elevate this highly prestigious program which attracts the best work in the communication professionals from around the globe . The theme “imagine” invites potential

entrants to imagine what winning a Gold Quill award could do for themselves, their team and their career .

In the last few months, significant progress has been made to address website issues impacting membership . I am happy to report that the re-engineered online membership renewal application with transaction and confirmation emails was been successfully launched in mid-August . Additionally, the re-engineered online join application has also been released just in time for Member Month in October . More work remains, but with the support

IABC THIRD QUARTER REPORT 2015 9

of the IABC board and our global leadership, we are making significant progress to upgrade IABC’s obsolete technology platforms .

Looking forward to the coming months, a significant event for us to work towards is the relocation of the HQ office . The current office lease expires January 31, 2016 . With the support of the IEB and Relocation Task Force commissioned by the IEB, planning has been underway over the last 12 months to move the office within the San Francisco Bay area .

In preparation for the relocation, IABC has been moving towards a physical/virtual staffing model with staff located outside the San Francisco area . This transition commenced early in 2015 and has allowed IABC to bring talented association professionals into the organization regardless of their physical location . Currently, approximately one third of IABC staff resides outside San Francisco . Additionally, the office relocation will allow IABC to lease more cost-effective office space to better serve the new organization structure and leverage

resources . A new site is in the process of being identified and all staff are involved in the relocation and decision-making process .

In summary, the July-September quarter has been an extremely busy time for the organization and we have seen pleasing progress on a number of significant fronts . The quarter ahead, closing out the 2015 calendar year, will continue the momentum as we focus on delivering member value and creating the IABC model for the future .

Sincerely,

Carlos Fulcher MBA CAE Executive Director

. . . the office relocation will allow IABC to lease more cost-effective office

space to better serve the new organization structure and leverage resources .

...significant progress has been made to address website issues ...

““

IABC THIRD QUARTER REPORT 2015 10

The primary goal for IABC is financial recovery and sustainability, along with increasing member loyalty through development and retention programs . The opportunity facing IABC is to increase its reputation in the profession through better brand positioning and greater interaction with the broader communication profession — as a revenue generator and reputationally .

There are two key focus areas: business as usual and changing the business .

Business as usual priorities

1 . A program to focus on retaining members . 2 . Completing functionality of the new website to include chapter management tools and member

enrollment . 3 . Ensuring our mature products (e .g . World Conference and the Gold Quill Awards) remain successful,

both for members and in creating net revenue . 4 . Significantly uprating our external communications .

Changing the business priorities

1 . Getting the Global Communications Certification Council and IABC Academy fully functional, delivering the first Certification exam, and launching a suite of training products .

2 . Creating a new plan for engaging with communication practitioners worldwide, who are not, and who may not choose to become, IABC members (but who may benefit from the Association’s products and services while contributing to advance our mission) .

3 . Consulting on, then bringing into alignment, the different roles of the international, regional and chapter levels .

Strategy

Primary goal: financial recovery and sustainability, along with increasing member loyalty through development and retention programs.

Opportunity: to increase our reputation within the profession through better brand positioning and greater interaction with the broader communication profession — as a revenue generator and reputationally.

A brief reminder on the 2014-17 Strategy:

IABC THIRD QUARTER REPORT 2015 11

The IABC Brand

Who we are (our value proposition) IABC is the recognized global community of communication professionals representing diverse industries and disciplines . We connect communicators with a global and local network, career opportunities, resources and knowledge—using communication to engage, influence, counsel and execute . At the forefront of the communication profession and setting the global standard, our members are professionals who practice with integrity and passion .

Our messages A broadly diverse community of communication professionals, IABC connects members to ideas, job opportunities and people through professional learning and a generous culture of sharing .

We believe that in today’s world, communication can be a force for good in business and society . We connect members and businesspeople together for this purpose .

With thousands of members worldwide, representing diverse industries, sectors and disciplines, this is a community alive with

knowledge, experience, ideas, and support; all of which are freely exchanged .

Ours is the association of choice for communicators because…• Whether you’re a student, an experienced

communicator, or an accredited professional, our diverse programming has something for you: lively and varied networking events, international and regional conferences, engaging professional and career development opportunities, and recognition and certification program that inspire us to be great communicators .

• As communicators we share a lot in common, so it’s easy to build valuable connections—even friendships .

• IABC offers global communications resources and best practices to keep members current and relevant .

• Members have access to diverse volunteer opportunities to build their skills, give back to their community, and contribute to a great member experience .

Using the IABC brand:Many chapters have already adopted IABC’s new branding . The IABC Leader Centre has a toolkit of information to help chapters with switching to the new look . The brand was introduced in June this year at World Conference and the goal is to have all regions and chapters aligned to the new brand by June 2016 .

Our Shared Values

• We represent the global profession .

• We create connection .• We are a diverse community .• We focus on insights and

results .

IABC is human, open, confident

and professional.

IABC is the only place that connects communicators globally .

IABC THIRD QUARTER REPORT 2015 12

Strategic ProgressYou can find out more about IABC’s committees on iabc .com . The website lists all committees and, when

details are available, their members . Take advantage of open-calls for new members that occur periodically

through out the year .

Members of the Toronto Chapter, the 2015 International Chapter of the Year, in February 2015 with IABC International Chair, Russell Grossman ABC, and IABC Executive Director, Carlos Fulcher.

Leadership Institute Dianne Chase, IABC Vice Chair

The Council of Regions (CoR) has been busy planning the 2016 Leadership Institute (LI), designed to help IABC leaders grow in their professional and personal leadership, as well as leadership within IABC .

The 2016 LI — ‘Inspiring the Leader in You!’ — will be held in Long Beach, Calif ., from February 4-6 at the Hotel Maya .

Additionally, the CoR worked on fine tuning and planning for the 2016 Chapter Management Awards (link only available to logged-in chapter leaders), honoring the best programming and thinking in IABC chapters . The nominations for Chapter Management Awards launched in October and winners will be recognized at LI for outstanding chapter and individual achievement in several categories .

Right: Hotel Maya in Long Beach, Calif., where 2016 LI will be held. Start planning now.

IABC THIRD QUARTER REPORT 2015 13

Strategic Progress

IABC Academy Theomary Karamanis, Ph .D ., Chair

The Academy Committee identified two subcommittees to bring its mission forward:

• Curriculum subcommittee: focusing on pedagogy, curriculum and related tasks

• Strategic plan subcommittee: focusing on strategic planning, branding, and policies and procedures for the Academy . 

Highlights of progress made:

• Development of 2015-2016 strategic plan• Creation of course syllabus template for course

development• Course categories aligned with GCCC program• Revision of course evaluation tool and

development of a facilitator evaluation tool• Developed scope and time line for a Policies

and Procedures manual• Planning for implementation of a new LMS for

self-paced online courses, as well as Academy branding and marketing

Global Communication Certification CouncilSue Hueman, ABC, Chair

The significant highlight for this quarter was the announcement of the first six CMP graduates . Congratulatory letters were sent, local chapters notified, and graduates’ stories posted on the IABC website . Each have also now received their Communication Management Professional certificate . 

As of September 30 a total of 24 CMP applications have been received, including 15 registrations to sit the exam in the next six months .

Following the first exam, IABC issued a request for proposal to chapters and regions to host exam sites over the coming 12 months . The result is a schedule for exam administration covering 11 global geographic locations through to October 2016 . Sites include the U .S ., Canada, Australia, Europe and Africa .

The committee is currently recruiting new members .

IABC Awards Committee Monika Lancucki, ABC, Chair

Three significant regional awards programs that participated in the IABC Awards Alignment program (link only available to logged-in chapter leaders) took place during the quarter: Heritage Silver Quill, Canadian Silver Leaf, and Pacific Plains Silver Quill . As part of their participation they received IABC support with administration, evaluation and promotion . Many thanks to the evaluators around the world who evaluated entries .

We listened to feedback from this year’s entrants and launched the 2016 Gold Quill Award program on Sept . 23, with a streamlined list of 28 (rather than 43) categories and greater transparency about the Award deadlines . This year’s theme, “Imagine…” invites entrants to imagine winning a Gold Quill Award—and what it might do for their team, their career and/or their organization .

IABC THIRD QUARTER REPORT 2015 14

Strategic Progress

2016 World Conference Program Advisory CommitteeStacy Wilson, Chair

The team addressed feedback from the 2015 World Conference and put the focus on launching the 2016 event in New Orleans, June 5-8 . An improved Call for Presentations was opened in August and closed the end of September with nearly 200 submissions . Evaluations are underway using several new or improved tools .

The program also saw the introduction of a new Best of Show webinar series, featuring five highly-rated sessions from 2015 program offered in October and November . The team also collaborated on planning for the opening reception, Foundation

Luncheon, Circles of Wisdom and Gift of Communication .

Membership Task Force Claudia Vaccarone, Chair

The Membership Task Force was named in mid-2015 following consultation with CoR members and the IABC International Chair, Vice Chair and Executive Director . A total of 17 members were appointed, covering all the regions .

The MTF has received specific objectives from the IEB, all concerned with laying the groundwork for designing a new membership experience, which will increase member retention and attract new members to the association . The MTF work is based on the following pillars:

1 . Assessing the competitive landscape

2 . Analyzing existing data (regional membership surveys, membership dashboards etc .)

3 . Support the Membership Director in designing the next membership global survey

4 . Identifying “personas” for both members and prospects, focusing first on the Strategic Advisor segment of the Career Road Map

5 . Make recommendations on how to strengthen the value proposition for Strategic Advisors

The MTF is also working on focus group-guidelines for chapters and regions in order to run coherent membership discussions, and will report on these activities at the International Leadership Institute in Los Angeles, in February 2016 .

Leader Centre

Visit the Leader Centre for information, tools, tips and

templates to help run your chapter . If you are a chapter leader join the

IABC Chapter Leaders Group on LinkedIn to connect with other

chapter, regional and international IABC leaders .

IABC THIRD QUARTER REPORT 2015 15

Free-to-member webinarsIABC offered free-to-member webinars including one led by Newsweaver’s Denise Cox on overcoming internal email communication challenges, and another by Guy Kawasaki, who offered a follow-up to his World Conference keynote on The Art of Social Media . Guy Kawasaki’s webinar was one of our more popular webinars this year .

Communication WorldCommunication World (CW), IABC’s online monthly online magazine, covered the topics of authenticity in leaders, how to turn research into action, and brand storytelling during the quarter . Content focused on innovative ideas and best practices in communication, including articles by subject matter experts, case study overviews, and interviews in the form of podcasts and videos .

A new Editorial Committee for Communication World is replacing the outgoing CW advisory panel . Among the first priorities for the group will be to work with the staff to develop an editorial calendar for 2016 that can be used by all parts of the organization .

CW ObserverCW Observer is a weekly supplement to CW magazine . In the last quarter, the most popular topics were communicating with millennial employees and how to use analytics to drive social engagement .

Content Updates

IABC THIRD QUARTER REPORT 2015 16

Professional Development

August 6 IABC Africa 22nd Annual Conference

September 30 Europe Leadership Institute

October 15-17 Canada West Region Conference

October 15-17 Southern Region Conference

October 18-20 Heritage Region Conference

November 3–December 1 What’s on the Digital Communication Horizon? 

Diary Dates

November 18 Gold Quill Early Bird Deadline

November 27 Communication Management Professional Exam Sydney, Australia

December 1 Chapter Management Awards Deadline

December 31 World Conference Super-Saver Registration Deadline

April 9, 2016 Communication Management Professional Exam Cincinnati, Ohio

April 2016 (dates to be decided) Communication Management Professional Exam Chicago, Ill .; Toronto, Ontario; Halifax, Nova Scotia; London, UK; Melbourne, Australia

June 2016 Communication Management Professional Exam New Orleans, La .

Events Calendar

November 12–December 10 Building the Brand: How to Plan, Develop and Manage a Successful Corporate Branding Program

November 16–December 14 Implementation to Impact: Move from Writer-for-Hire to Strategic Consultant 

February 4-6, 2016 IABC Leadership Institute

April 18-19, 2016 Eurocomm

5–8 June 2016 IABC World Conference

Have you got a chapter or regional event to

share?

Don’t forget to use the Submit Event link on the

Member Dashboard.

International Association of Business Communicators601 Montgomery StreetSuite 1900San Francisco, Calif . 94111 USA

Phone: +1 415 .544 .4700Toll Free: 800 .776 .4222Fax: +1 415 .544 .4747Email: member_relations@iabc .com