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Report from the president for the 1996-97 fiscal year.


We moved into the second year of our business plan and the first year of our marketing plan in fiscal year 1996-97, using both to provide focus and direction for the association in service to the profession. We maintained our three priorities from the previous year's business plan: 1) develop a common view among members of your role as communicators in the future and the critical skills you will need to succeed; 2) develop the infrastructure for IABC's electronic community so we remain communicators' source for information; and 3) develop content so that IABC's products and services help you fulfill ful·fill also ful·fil  
tr.v. ful·filled, ful·fill·ing, ful·fills also ful·fils
1. To bring into actuality; effect: fulfilled their promises.

2.
 your future role. Our marketing plan focused on coordination of programs and membership efforts in its first year.

Here are just a few indicators of our success:

* Membership was up five percent at the end of the fiscal year compared to the same time last year. Membership outside the U.S. and Canada grew by 17 percent during the same time frame, adding significantly to the potency potency /po·ten·cy/ (po´ten-se)
1. the ability of the male to perform coitus.

2. the relationship between the therapeutic effect of a drug and the dose necessary to achieve that effect.

3.
 of our global network for members.

* Our chapters are healthier, with 77 percent of our 109 chapters healthy compared to 59 percent in August 1996 when we began our chapter health assessment work.

* IABC's board members reached out and connected with communicators in 69 chapters in four countries in fiscal year 1996-97 through our InterAct program, receiving an average rating of 8.1 out of 10. This program focused on generating an association-wide conversation about your future role as a communicator, as well as discussion about IABC IABC International Association of Business Communicators
IABC Indo-Americans for Better Community
 with our volunteer leaders.

* Our web site passed its millionth-hit mark in fiscal year 1996-97, but more important, at the end of the fiscal year we had e-mail addresses See Internet address.

e-mail address - electronic mail address
 for 8,202 members (more than 10 times the number when we started tracking e-mail addresses in May 1995). In addition, we opened a member-only section on our web site which drew 2,789 members to register by the close of the fiscal year. The Member Centre has provided a wealth of information and interaction for members, including the ability to search the membership listings and update your personal member record as well as a CareerBuilder skills survey and resource list.

* The association maintained a strong reputation with our members, with the communication trade press, and with strategic partners and sponsors. A member attitude and segmentation study completed at the end of fiscal year 1996-97 showed that 94 percent of our members are satisfied with the association (61 percent are extremely, or very, satisfied, and 33 percent are somewhat satisfied). Obviously, there's no resting on laurels with work to be done to retain the high rankings See Google bomb.  from most members and improve the ratings from the rest. The Ragan Report characterized char·ac·ter·ize  
tr.v. character·ized, character·iz·ing, character·iz·es
1. To describe the qualities or peculiarities of: characterized the warden as ruthless.

2.
 IABC as "healthy, wealthy, and wise." While "wealthy" is not a phrase I would use when describing the association, we are financially healthy and we hope our collective wisdom increases every day. We partnered with organizations such as Lawrence Ragan Communications, MediaNet, William M. Mercer mer·cer  
n. Chiefly British
A dealer in textiles, especially silks.



[Middle English, from Old French mercier, trader, from merz, merchandise, from Latin merx
 and Marketing 1 to 1 to bring new information and education programs to members and we generated more than U.S. $100,000 in sponsorship for our 1997 international conference.

* We introduced 18 new or revised information products and five seminars (both IABC-produced and co-sponsored) during the fiscal year, greatly expanding our skills- and knowledge-building programs for communicators. More than 5,000 communicators attended our 1996-97 professional development events (seminars and international conference) and/or purchased information products from us. Our seminars alone reached communicators in 25 cities. Overall, our non-dues sources of revenue increased by 26 percent from the previous fiscal year, helping us continue to offer membership at the 1989 dues level.

* We met our bottom-line goal for the 1996-97 fiscal year. We planned an investment of U.S. $45,000 to develop a new issues management process in the fiscal year. As a result, our year-end showed net expenses over revenue of $47,585, as planned. Because the association is committed to investing in programs and services that will help you prepare for the future, you'll see investments being made in the 1997-98 fiscal year and likely in the next several fiscal years. IABC is in stable financial condition and is able to retain a prudent operating reserve In power systems, the operating reserve is the generating capacity available to the system operator within a short interval of time to meet demand in case a generator is lost or there is another disruption to the supply.  (equal to four months of operating expenses Operating expenses

The amount paid for asset maintenance or the cost of doing business, excluding depreciation. Earnings are distributed after operating expenses are deducted.
) in case of unplanned emergencies, while investing back in to the organization from its program development fund.

This past fiscal year has brought much success to communicators and to IABC as we help you leverage the opportunities and meet the challenges of your expanding and increasingly complex roles in and for your organizations. Looking to the future and beyond the world of communication, IABC launched its first-ever environmental scan in 1996-97 as part of our new issues management process. We're using the results from that scan in our planning for 1997-98 and beyond.

We continue to test new programs and services, especially in our efforts to support communicators becoming active counsellors and strategists for organizations' senior management. Our collective futures are not without risks, we'll probably all make some mistakes, but IABC is on the right path to develop competencies for the next millennium.

1996-97 HIGHLIGHTS

What did your association accomplish this year? Here are some of the highlights:

* InterAct program evaluations Program evaluation is a formalized approach to studying and assessing projects, policies and program and determining if they 'work'. Program evaluation is used in government and the private sector and it's taught in numerous universities.  averaged 8.1 out of 10; 69 sessions held in four countries

* Launched first environmental scanning Environmental scanning is a concept from business management by which businesses gather information from the environment, to better achieve a sustainable competitive advantage.  project as part of issues management; contracted Coates & Jarratt of Washington, D.C. to conduct

* New information services See Information Systems.  products sales up, handbooks on Crisis Communication and Media Relations completed; new manual released on publication planning, and new manuals being developed on transformation communication, media relations, issues management and crisis communication. Total revenue, $161,921

* Listed IABC's new how-to manuals for sale through online services

* Thirty-six candidates took exam for accreditation accreditation,
n a process of formal recognition of a school or institution attesting to the required ability and performance in an area of education, training, or practice.
; workshop held in Slovenia for 20 communicators, and one Slovenian took exam at international conference, and passed

* Profile of IABC members complete

* Close to 100,000 hits since their debut on February 1, 1996, on IABC's web site Member Centre, CareerBuilder, CW Online; developed members-only section; launched Virtual Portfolio; offered listings of information resource material from Communication Bank; offered free space to chapters and districts/regions on the association's web server - 16 chapters developed on our server, 17 on another, including one developmental chapter

* Foundation - first ever financial scenario for future following international conference; new governance Governance makes decisions that define expectations, grant power, or verify performance. It consists either of a separate process or of a specific part of management or leadership processes. Sometimes people set up a government to administer these processes and systems.  and coalition with IABC

* Gold Quill quill: see pen.  received 1,677 entries from 20 countries

* International conference met budget for revenue with 1,050 full registrations; 1,350 total registrants

* Continued Europe/Africa test pilot - first full year of three-year test

* Two new chapters added during fiscal year - IABC/Memphis and IABC/The Netherlands

* New affiliates approved during fiscal year - British Association of Communicators in Business (1/97) and European Association of Public Relations Officers public relations officer nencargado/a de relaciones públicas

public relations officer nresponsable m/f des relations publiques

 (CERP CERP Continuing Education Recognition Points
CERP Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (United States Army Corp of Engineers; South Florida Water Management District, and other Florida state agencies) 
 PRO, 9/97)

Conferences and seminars:

* Presenting Made Easy, co-sponsored with MediaNet, brought to 15 cities

* Senior Mentor Mentor, in Greek mythology
Mentor (mĕn`tər, –tôr'), in Greek mythology, friend of Odysseus and tutor of Telemachus.
 Forum tested with Roger D'Aprix, ABC ABC
 in full American Broadcasting Co.

Major U.S. television network. It began when the expanding national radio network NBC split into the separate Red and Blue networks in 1928.
, May 20-21 in Boston

* Started plans for new seminar development and communication institute, authorized au·thor·ize  
tr.v. au·thor·ized, au·thor·iz·ing, au·thor·iz·es
1. To grant authority or power to.

2. To give permission for; sanction:
 funding for senior mentor forums, six Writing for the Wired World workshops, presented by Shel Holtz, ABC, as well as exploration of a Communication Institute.

* Five joint conferences held with Lawrence Ragan Communications

* Planning for IABC/Ragan Third Annual Strategic Public Relations Strategic Public Relations (PR) involves creative planning, media research and strategic approach in designing a PR campaign. Unlike the present, PR programs used to be very media relations-centric and based on personal relationships with journalists and columnists.  Conference in October 1998

* Partnered with the Institute for Crisis Management for joint seminars on crisis communication planning Communication planning is the art and science of reaching target audiences using marketing communication channels such as advertising, PR, experiences or direct mail for example. It is concerned with deciding who to target, when, with what message and how.  to be held in March-May 1998

IABC International Association of Business Communicators The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) is a leading association for public relations professionals. IABC has about 14,000 members in more than 100 chapters in 70 countries.

Its headquarters are located in San Francisco, California, United States.
 
STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL POSITION

year ended September 30, 1997

ASSETS
                                               1997             1996

Cash                                       $203,128         $258,194
Money market funds                        1,736,112                -
Investments                                       -        1,743,324
Accounts receivable,
net of allowance for doubtful accounts
of $45,000 in 1997 and $64,109 in 1996      137,880          107,550
Due from IABC Research Foundation            17,454            8,253
Inventory                                    37,878           22,620
Prepaid expenses                             55,094           34,225
Furniture, equipment and leasehold
improvements at cost,
less accumulated depreciation               240,554          311,981
Lease deposit                                11,577           11,577

Total assets                             $2,439,677       $2,497,724

LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS
                                               1997             1996

Accounts payable                           $224,220         $219,169
Due to IABC Research Foundation               8,835            6,965
Accrued expenses                             54,473           53,608
Deferred dues revenue                     1,104,067        1,036,359
Deferred revenue - other                     53,497           12,895
Deferred rent                                33,937           59,652
Capital lease obligation                      5,029           22,539
Notes payable                                87,500          170,833

Total liabilities                         1,571,558        1,582,020

Unrestricted net assets                     868,119          915,704

Total liabilities and net assets         $2,439,677       $2,497,724
STATEMENTS OF ACTIVITIES

year ended September 30, 1997

                                             1997             1996

Revenues

Dues and fees                          $2,071,995       $2,030,616
International conference                  906,371          770,198
Information resources                     421,605          351,545
Gold Quill Awards                         208,523          205,703
Advertising, exhibit and list rental      220,633          187,841
Seminars                                  224,342           16,165
Communication World and WorldBook          28,112           30,916
Accreditation                              16,793           12,066
Public relations revenue                   69,836           60,366
Other programs                              8,387           15,303
Investment income                         119,260           87,437
Leader services                            10,947           38,160

Total revenues                         $4,306,804       $3,806,316

Expenses

Membership                               $525,478         $401,233
International conference                  650,283          582,279
Communication Bank                        436,997          404,048
Gold Quill Awards                         159,818          155,075
Ads, exhibits, and lists                  102,965           89,329
Communication World and WorldBook         487,492          425,805
Accreditation                              38,411           28,090
Leader services                           145,908          186,388
Information technology                    209,135          162,810
General administration                    328,581          349,685
Executive board                           174,611          199,781
Public relations                          114,646          102,041
Student membership                         11,939           10,614
International development                 123,077          119,548
Seminars                                  364,128           36,352
InterAct                                   44,943           93,248
Other professional development            163,352          130,165
Net contribution to the
IABC Research Foundation                   84,654           73,119
Miscellaneous                              10,913            6,812
Interest expense                           11,862           19,676
Depreciation                              165,196          157,128

Total expenses                         $4,354,389       $3,733,226

Change in Net Assets                     (47,585)           73,090
Net assets at beginning of year           915,704          842,614

Net assets at end of year                $868,119         $915,704


RELATED ARTICLE: A LETTER FROM IABC RESEARCH FOUNDATION CHAIRWOMAN

I remember the year our IABC Research Foundation was born. I believed as strongly then in our need to lead the profession in research as I believe now, so I am very excited to have the honor to have the privilege or distinction.

See also: Honor
 of reporting our progress for the 15th birthday year. We are "15 and looking great!"

The 1996-97 year was a transitional one, as the newly structured Foundation Board worked to build our IABC Research Foundation for the next century. Surprisingly for a transition year, we were not consumed con·sume  
v. con·sumed, con·sum·ing, con·sumes

v.tr.
1. To take in as food; eat or drink up. See Synonyms at eat.

2.
a.
 with rebuilding. An enormous amount of work continues to be accomplished toward achieving our vision: to contribute to a body of knowledge that enhances the practice, perception and effectiveness of communication.

Extensive efforts have been made to better integrate the Foundation board with the IABC executive board and increase the opportunities for collaboration. IABC Foundation leadership was invited to, and participated in, many more planning sessions to increase member service. A strong business plan - focused solely on research, development and communication - and a detailed budget, financial scenarios and research project tracking reports were prepared over the summer. Current chairpersons, vice chairpersons and past chairpersons of both boards, worked tirelessly tire·less  
adj.
Not yielding to fatigue; untiring or indefatigable.



tireless·ly adv.
 on these efforts. A special congratulations to Vicci Rodgers, who chaired our IABC Research Foundation during most of the year which I review here.

You can read about the financial status of the Foundation elsewhere on these pages. We are very happy to be able to report that finances showed a positive balance for the first time. Although both earned and contributed income was down, and year-end actuals didn't reach budget targets, the financial report was a sound one. The consolidation of funds into higher interest-bearing vehicles also added substantively to the bottom line. Corporate sponsors and IABC members continue to provide the predominance pre·dom·i·nance   also pre·dom·i·nan·cy
n.
The state or quality of being predominant; preponderance.

Noun 1. predominance - the state of being predominant over others
predomination, prepotency
 of Foundation funding. New research, marketing, and return-on-investment cycles and plans should assure a diminished di·min·ish  
v. di·min·ished, di·min·ish·ing, di·min·ish·es

v.tr.
1.
a. To make smaller or less or to cause to appear so.

b.
 reliance on contributed income as we enter the next century.
STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL POSITION

year ended September 30, 1997

ASSETS

                                             1997           1996

Cash                                       $6,329       $101,128
Money market funds                         91,743              -
Accounts receivable                         3,000              -
Due from IABC                               8,835          6,965
Pledges receivable                         10,000         14,500
Prepaid expenses                              705              -
Inventory                                   3,818          6,505

Total assets                             $124,430       $129,098

LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS

                                             1997           1996

Accounts payable                           $1,422         $4,666
Due to IABC
Reimbursement of expenses                  17,455          8,253
Due to Excellence in
Public Relations and Communication
Management study                           42,483         42,483
Deferred revenue                            3,547              -
Total liabilities                          64,907         55,402

Net assets
Unrestricted                               40,789         49,755
Temporarily restricted                     18,734         23,941

Total net assets                           59,523         73,696

Total liability and net assets           $124,430       $129,098


The Foundation continued sponsorship of several popular programs: The Jake JAKE Jointly Administered Knowledge Environment  Wittmer Award with Gold Quill, the Sharon Berzok Memorial Lecture at the Chapter Leaders Institute, and the annual "Call for Papers." The "Call for Papers," recognizing joint academic and practitioner research, drew 28 entries, more than ever before, raising the bar on both quality and interest.

A new research cycle was born under the tutelage TUTELAGE. State of guardianship; the condition of one who is subject to the control of a guardian.  of former IABC Research Foundation Chairman Fred Halperin, ABC. Two Requests for Proposals were issued for work to commence in fiscal year 1997-98.

"Profile '97" was summarized, and prepared for a late-year release; and a literature review, "Communication, Change and Behavior" continued.

The "Excellence" study reached another milestone with the release of an audio tape: "Manager's Guide to Excellence in Public Relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most  and Communication Management." A final segment of the study is in the works. This volume is aimed at an academic audience and is expected in 1999. Bob Berzok, ABC, continues to guide this massive, multi-year project.

Think Tanks and Mini Think Tanks were held in Phoenix, Ariz.; Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , Calif; and Atlanta, Ga., under the guidance of David Kistle, ABC. Combined with other IABC issues management work, key themes from these sessions were fed to the Foundation for possible future research.

We capitalized Capitalized

Recorded in asset accounts and then depreciated or amortized, as is appropriate for expenditures for items with useful lives longer than one year.
 on the 15th birthday of the Foundation to put our research, development and communication houses in order. A graphic element was designed pro bono Short for pro bono publico [Latin, For the public good]. The designation given to the free legal work done by an attorney for indigent clients and religious, charitable, and other nonprofit entities.  to promote the milestone - in particular, at the international conference in June. Former Foundation chairs were feted at a pre-conference champagne reception. At the conference foundation special event in Los Angeles, Vicci Rodgers and Jennifer Floto Katz, ABC, assembled as·sem·ble  
v. as·sem·bled, as·sem·bling, as·sem·bles

v.tr.
1. To bring or call together into a group or whole: assembled the jury.

2.
 a lively event that broke from tradition. The Foundation "Be-There-Or-Be-squares" show took a page from a number of vintage television game shows, pitting three teams of senior communicators against IABC audience participants to answer communication questions. The jocular joc·u·lar  
adj.
1. Characterized by joking.

2. Given to joking.



[Latin iocul
 luncheon was topped off with birthday cake and song. The event raised U.S. $5,378. Total contributions raised during conference through the special event, sale of birthday ribbons, shirts, and the use of a large "gift" board totaled U.S. $9,525.

Communication was increased this fiscal year. A comprehensive marketing plan was produced that articulates the Foundation's relationship with IABC as well as outlines how we will position the organization as the research leader of the profession. The first Foundation-dedicated brochure in some time was distributed at conference. The plan is to update the piece annually and use it in development solicitations. The Foundation took a prominent place in IABC's InterAct presentation to chapters.

The board of trustees board of trustees Politics The posse of thugs who oversee an institution's administration. See Board of directors.  spent time on their personal development to benefit the Foundation. In addition to comprehensive orientation for new members, topics addressed included the fiduciary fiduciary (fĭd`shēĕ'rē), in law, a person who is obliged to discharge faithfully a responsibility of trust toward another.  role and responsibilities of board members including current law, and fund-raising fund-raising, large-scale soliciting of voluntary contributions, especially in the United States. Fund-raising is widely undertaken by charitable organizations, educational institutions, and political groups to acquire sufficient funds to support their activities.  practices.

A fund-raising database was refined and staff is now able to generate timely reports on many "slices" of the organization. These reports will help us track trends, thank donors properly, better match donors with their areas of interest and expertise, and proactively plan future campaigns.

Seminars, which helped stabilize stabilize

See peg.
 Foundation finances over the past few years, were presented on behalf of the Foundation in San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden , Calif.; Stamford, Conn.; and Dallas, Texas “Dallas” redirects here. For other uses, see Dallas (disambiguation).
The City of Dallas (pronounced [ˈdæl.əs] or [ˈdæl.
, with generous corporate sponsorship and the help of Lee Hornick.

An outreach Outreach is an effort by an organization or group to connect its ideas or practices to the efforts of other organizations, groups, specific audiences or the general public.  meeting with educators was hosted by Vicci Rodgers at the Los Angeles conference. The meeting is expected to help forge new alliances as our research agenda grows. Through this and some further efforts by Karen Vahouny, educators will be aggressively pursued for Think Tanks, Foundation board membership, research and other collaborative efforts.

So, there you have it: a snapshot (1) A saved copy of memory including the contents of all memory bytes, hardware registers and status indicators. It is periodically taken in order to restore the system in the event of failure.

(2) A saved copy of a file before it is updated.
 of our IABC Research Foundation. I assure you we are growing and improving daily. Take a look at us now!

[TABULAR tab·u·lar
adj.
1. Having a plane surface; flat.

2. Organized as a table or list.

3. Calculated by means of a table.



tabular

resembling a table.
 DATA OMITTED]
COPYRIGHT 1998 International Association of Business Communicators
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 1998, Gale Group. All rights reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.

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Title Annotation:includes related letter from the chairwoman of IABC's Research Foundation; International Association of Business Communicators
Author:Allan, Elizabeth
Publication:Communication World
Date:Apr 1, 1998
Words:2788
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