Joint staff education.

Pooling resources with other associations yields educational benefits for all.

What do associations of dietary managers, roofing contractors, and life insurance agents have in common? Not much, perhaps. But the staffs of those associations--of all associations--have much in common. And one thing they share is the need for topflight education.

Unfortunately, few associations have the financial resources to bring in an industry expert to speak to staff. Likewise, most associations can send only a few staff members each year to attend educational seminars or events. At a meeting last fall, I remarked to two fellow association executives that we are fortunate indeed to hear such great speakers. Wouldn't it be great if all our staff members could enjoy that privilege?

The conversation revealed our shared commitment to staff education and sparked an idea. My two colleagues and I decided to pool funds for a top-notch program that would benefit all staff in any association. We identified psychologist James Loehr, whose "Mentally Tough" seminar was among those most widely praised in the country. With the price tag approaching $10,000, we decided to offer the opportunity to a number of other associations on a per-person cost basis. The result was an all-day seminar for more than 60 staff members representing seven associations.

We selected a hotel central to the three organizations enrolling the majority of attendees: the Dietary Managers Association (DMA), Itasca, Illinois; the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA), Rosemont, Illinois; and the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT), Park Ridge, Illinois. The entire DMA staff of 15 participated. NRCA and MDRT each enrolled about one third of their staff members. Organizationally, the session was like any other workshop. Attendees received confirmation letters, name badges, and handouts. We divided attendees by job titles and functions for luncheon roundtable discussions, allowing staff to compare notes with their counterparts from other associations. The cost of the program--including speaker fees, room rental, catering, and printing and postage--totaled $12,000, resulting in a $200 per-person cost. That's not bad for a full-day program with a big-name speaker, a hot topic, and a nice lunch.

The event was a success. Even if not every staff member walked away with nuts-and-bolts information to apply to his or her job, each benefitted indirectly from spending a full day, on salary, networking with other professionals. A bonus benefit for me was showing my board of directors that I found a cost effective way to commit to staff education. And as a result of this successful joint venture, DMA, NRCA, and MDRT have decided to explore other partnership opportunities. It just goes to show you: With a little creative thinking, associations of all sizes can raise the level of their most valuable asset--their own staff members.

William St. John, CAE, is executive director of the Dietary Managers Association, Itasca, Illinois.