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e-Newsletter: Holiday Auction Supports Students
12/2008
Welcome to the official newsletter of the Greater Spokane PRSA Chapter. Past issues can be found by going to www.prsaspokane.org and clicking on the "Newsletters" link.
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Sleigh Bells Ring... Are You Listening?
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Holiday Auction Fun for a Great Cause
Join us for an evening of great food, good friends, a little wine and a whole lot of fun. The PRSA Holiday Auction will be held Tuesday, December 2,
at the beautiful Fox Theatre. The event starts at 6 p.m. with the
social hour beginning at 5:30 p.m. If you haven’t had a chance to see
what a wonderful job was done restoring this historic theatre, you
cannot miss your chance to enjoy it with friends!
This event is our one annual fundraiser to support local PRSSA student
scholarships. Last year, we were able to award a $1500 scholarship to
a Washington State University student out of the proceeds raised at
this event. But we can't do it again this year without your help. Come
out, show your support and bid on our fantastic auction
items...including a photo shoot resulting in an 11x14" print from
Hamilton Studios, Seattle Mariners Tickets, Spokane Symphony Tickets,
Spa Paradiso Gift Certificates, and so much more! New auction items are
being secured daily to make this year’s event great with something for
everyone. Kick off your holiday shopping by bidding on some great
items, while knowing what you buy goes to support a great cause.
PRSA Holiday Auction
The Fox Theatre
Tuesday, December 2nd, 6 p.m. Social hour begins at 5:30 p.m.
Ticket cost: $40/person or $75/couple
Ticket price includes two beverage tickets and heavy appetizers
RSVP online today: www.prsaspokane.org/event.asp?id=152
sponsored by:
 & 
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APR Classes to Start in January 2009
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The ten week course reviews all aspects of the public relations profession including the history of the profession, research, crisis planning, strategic management, communication theory, PR law and current technology. You can use the 10 week course to prepare to take the APR exam or as a review of the PR profession. An information night will be Thursday, January 15 at 5 p.m. at the Gonzaga campus. Please contact Maggie Crabtree at maggie@crabbytrees.com for more information.
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Join Spokane MarCom for breakfast on Friday, Dec. 12
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When you think of social networking sites, popular global sites like Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Yelp and Flickr may come to mind. These huge networking sites are where connections with old friends are restored and relationships with like individuals are built. It provides people with a platform to express their opinions, promote products and services they love, complain about ones they hate and express who they are – personally and professionally.
So where does Spokane and the Inland Northwest fall in the context of this communication? Sure, many of us have accounts with these groups or sign up just to dabble in one, but how can we better connect with professionals in the region?
Bill Kalivas and Allen Battle, two of four developers of LaunchPadINW.com, will be presenting at MarCom’s December meeting to talk about their new local networking site which debuted in 2008. LaunchPad-INW is the Inland Northwest's premier social networking site where professionals connect to build local strategic networks. Bill and Allen will discuss launching the site – why they did it, how they have promoted it so far and what the site features. They will also provide insight on how this site can help marketing and communication professionals strengthen their network and promote their organization to a local audience.
Before the meeting, it would be beneficial to check out the site and get a feel for it at www.launchpadinw.com. You will certainly recognize many of the professionals who have signed up so far. Bill and Allen will be entertaining a lively discussion and want you to be a part of it.
Please RSVP to attend this lively presentation at www.spokanemarcom.com/meetings/. Online pre-payment is encouraged. Only cash and checks accepted at the door.
Remember, this meeting will be on Friday, December 12, 2008 at 7:30 instead of the first Friday of the month.
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Call for Nominations: Spokane PRSA Awards
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Spokane PRSA recognizes excellence in public relations through our local awards program. The Ken Degerness Award
honors a local member who has delivered outstanding service in support
of chapter activities and contributed in some important way to the
improvement of the public relations profession. The Communicator of the Year Award recognizes a CEO who excels in communications leadership. The Educator of the Year Award
recognizes an educator who has made a significant contribution to the
advancement of public relations through a college or university setting.
Nominate your candidate for one of these awards by Monday, Dec. 15. For complete information, including award criteria and form-fillable PDFs, visit www.prsaspokane.org/awards.asp
For 2008, all nomination forms and supporting documents must be submitted via e-mail to Lance Kissler (lkissler@pacificu.edu).
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PRSSA Scholarship - What it Has Meant To Me
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by Jessica Fitts
Opportunity doesn’t always knock, but a scholarship can allow students to take the first step to finding opportunity on their own. Scholarships help students succeed by providing the opportunity for the student to get involved and truly experience his or her education. I know--I was fortune enough to be the recipient of the PRSA scholarship last year.
Receiving a scholarship is an honor, but more than that, it is an opportunity. Every dollar that I received in scholarships was one less dollar that I had to worry about coming up with to help pay for my education. The communication industry is a competitive field, and to be at the top of one’s game it is important to have experience. Early on, it can be hard to gain that experience.
Often, interns work for little to no money. This is truly a problem when interns are also paying for an education. Scholarships, like the PRSA scholarship, helped me overcome such obstacles. The scholarship allowed me to spend less time working at a job to pay bills and allowed me more time to work at a job that provided experience and education related to the field of communication.
I was able to volunteer as an education intern with Pullman Regional Hospital to help develop and promote education programs, which helped me glean insight into some aspects of health communication, which I am now studying at Washington State University.
I am a graduate student at WSU and loving the experience. A lot of this is due to scholarships I have received in the past. Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to experience so many different aspects related to communication or to focus as much on my studies. Opportunity may not always knock, but by helping provide scholarships to communication students, you are making sure that if it does, students will be able to answer.
Editor's Note: During the PRSA Holiday Auction, professionals come together to celebrate and to raise scholarship funds for students in communication-related fields. The article below, from Jessica Fitts, the 2008 scholarship winner, reminds us how our efforts help the next generation of professionals.
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Board Member Positions Available
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Are you or another member of Spokane PRSA looking to become further involved with chapter and develop your leadership skills? If so, then consider applying to become a member of the chapter board of directors. Terms start in January 2009 and last for three years and several positions will be available. Voting will be held via e-mail in late December, so contact a current board member soon!
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Keep Learning
Be sure to take advantage of local teleseminars, offered at no charge to members on a variety of topics throughout the year. In addition to listening to national experts, participate in a roundtable discussion with other members on how they are facing the topic at hand locally.
National has expanded its Professional Development learning opportunities include even more sessions on the topics you need to know now – such as social media, green marketing, crisis communication and branding. The complete calendar can be found online.
Extend Your Network
Search the online Membership Directory to locate any of our more than 22,000 members. Explore the national database by name, company, location, Chapter affiliation, Professional Interest Section affiliation or designations like APR and PRSA Fellow. Benefit from the knowledge of other PRSA members to elevate persuasive campaigns and projects.
PRSA membership helps you:
- Stay on top of emerging trends and industry news.
- Find online answers to your most pressing public relations questions.
- Extend your network while increasing your knowledge.
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Two great ways to recognize your colleagues and mentors: nominate them for a Spokane PRSA award or to be a member of the chapter board of directors starting in January 2009!
Be sure to submit your nominations for the 2008 Spokane PRSA awards. You can nominate in one of the following categories: Degerness Award, Communicator of the Year, and Educator of the Year. Nominations are due December 15. See the article in this newsletter for more information.
Consider being a member of the board of directors! All it takes is a few extra hours per month, depending on your role and involvement. Each month the board meets for about an hour to discuss upcoming events and the direction of the chapter. This is your opportunity to showcase your leadership potential and further develop your skills while serving the chapter membership. Contact a board member today!
-Lance Kissler
chapter president
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Teleseminar Recap: What recession?
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Challenging times for Marketers
Renegade
CEO Drew Neisser, believes that marketing during a recession is more
important and can work in your favor better when money is tight. He
offered up this advice recently in a teleseminar entitled “9.5 Ways to
Make the Most of Your Marketing Activities Regardless of Budget.” This teleseminar was provided to Spokane PRSA members at no cost by your Spokane chapter.
According to the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, "Moments of economic
turbulence provide the unique opportunity to start new businesses,
launch disruptive new products, and strengthen customer loyalty, often
at a discount." As a matter of fact, many major corporations are born
during times of economic crisis: General Electric was created during
the panic of 1873; Disney, was founded amid the 1923-24 recession; HP
began during the Great Depression; and Bill Gates and Paul Allen
founded Microsoft during the 1975 recession era.
Neisser offered up 9.5 ways to cut through regardless of the economy:
1. Stand for something: Demonstrate you are as passionate about your customer’s success as they are.
2. Fix your product: Markets are too transparent to get away with mediocrity.
3. Dance with your customers: Use charm and style in dealing with your customers.
4. Focus on heavy users: 80 percent of referrals will come from 20 percent of your customers. Think about an incentive plan.
5. New stuff for the old gang: Adapt a product or service to extend your offerings to existing customers
6. Marketing as service: Don't just talk to your customers; "do" something for them.
7. Keep it light: Use humor and have fun when you can.
8. Find a partner: See if you can do some good with your product or service by partnering with a non-profit.
9. Measure what matters: Use the survey/research tools to prove your value.
9.5 Make sure you are delivering a high quality product-and deliver more for less!
Visit www.renegade.com or
www.thedrewblog.com for more
information about Renegade, Renegade Thinking, Drew Neisser and his
marketing tactics.
Susan Nielsen, M.S., APR, is the principal of Strategic Niche, LLC a
consultancy specializing in branding, naming, reputation management,
employee engagement and corporate strategy. She is also the Ethics
Officer for the Spokane PRSA Chapter.
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The Spokane PRSA board of directors met on Thursday, Nov. 13 and discussed the upcoming teleseminar and holiday auction. Also discussed was potential new board members, to fill the upcoming three vacant positions in January 2009. New suggestions were made for the format of the Day on the Job event. A timeline and review committee was established for the Spokane PRSA awards, with nominations due in December. An initial discussion was initiated about the January breakfast meeting (social media case studies). And lastly, the chapter is planning to offer APR studies in 2009, led by Maggie Crabtree.
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Your story/article/announcement here
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Have a story idea for the Spokane PRSA newsletter? Send your article, announcement or shameless plug to Lance Kissler by the 15th of the month.Contact:
Lance Kissler
lkissler@pacificu.edu
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