NYWICI in 2012: Where We’re Headed

Below, NYWICI Executive Director Maria Ungaro gives us a preview of the year ahead.

With our impending doom fast approaching (if you follow the Mayan calendar, the world ends December 21, 2012), NYWICI has been hard at work adding value to your membership before time runs out.

Here’s a quick peek at what we’ve been working on and what’s ahead…

New Benefits for Members: We continue to add value for our current members.

• This year we’ve added Zipcar, New York Sports Club and Yoga Works discounts as great benefits for our members.
• We continue to build on our ever-popular, members-only coaching salons with our NYWICI coaches. (Don’t forget: Every member gets one free coaching session. It's a great way to start the new year.)

Connect with the Women Who Connect the World: We continue to live up to our tagline, Connect with the Women Who Connect the World. In conjunction with Hearst Digital, we plan to launch a series of video mosaics at the 2012 Matrix Awards on April 23. This series will be a living archive of amazing individuals who are a part of the organization — past Matrix Honorees as well as other individuals at various stages of their careers.

In addition, we hope to add another interactive component to this project: an opportunity for our members to create their own video tributes to the women who inspire them. We see this project as a terrific way to truly bring our tagline to life.

Jobs & Skills Training: We know that many of our members are still struggling to find jobs or are in positions that don’t fulfill them, and we continue to promote our Members Hire Members initiative. If you are seeking a top top-notch professional, post the position on our job board. NYWICI Members are smart, serious, experienced and talented.

Constant learning:

• In January we will hold a members-only Executive Recruiters Panel on the topic “Changing Jobs for the Seasoned Professional: Learn the Inside Scoop — the Tips, Tricks and Best Practices from Top Communications Industry Recruiters.” 
• We will continue our popular members-only Digital Salons, which help our members hone their skills. Our next salon is January 24. The topic: “Integrating Digital Strategies into Traditional PR Campaigns.”
• For those who are ready to go beyond the basics, in 2012 we plan to launch a Digital Salon Master Series with the social media professional in mind.

Corporate Membership & Sponsorship: Last year we implemented a new Corporate Membership level, and Publicis and McGraw Hill were the first to sign on. Meredith has also just signed on as corporate member. Corporations should consider Corporate Membership (or Corporate Sponsorship — see our new video). At a time when companies are cutting back on professional development, this is a way to give employees top-notch training at a reasonable cost. A corporate membership entitles every employee in the company to NYWICI member benefits including more than 24 free members-only sessions, Coaching Salons, Digital Salons and Industry Insider events as well as discounted admission to events, access to professional contacts and more.

Those who cannot attend any of our fabulous events should consider participating in our bi-weekly Twitter chats. The next chat is is scheduled for January 10 from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. The topic will be business and career success tips for the new year.
 
Scholarships: Since 2000, the NYWICI Foundation has awarded almost $1 million in scholarships to students. This year the process has been digitized. Students of all ages who would like to apply for scholarships can apply online now; completed applications are due January 27, 2012.

We’re proud to announce a new Foundation initiative for 2012: The NYWICI Foundation Member Empowerment Grant Program, which will provide funding for longstanding NYWICI members who are embarking on career enrichment endeavors such as classes or conferences they could not otherwise afford. The application for this grant will be available on our website later this year; we’ll send an announcement to members when it's available. We'll award our first grants at the Annual Meeting in the spring.

Take advantage of all we have to offer you — and tell us what you think: How are we doing?  What do you wish we’d do more of?

I know members have heard me say it a thousand times, but I will continue to say it again and again — I am so lucky to work with so many talented and generous women. You are the reason NYWICI is the amazing organization that it is, and I thank you.

Happy New Year, everyone! I know 2012 will be our best year yet!

– By Maria Ungaro, Executive Director, New York Women in Communications