For the eight months ended August 31, 2012, PRSA’s net financial results are tracking better than 2011, better than the 2012 budget for the same period and are poised to meet or exceed our annual goal of returning 1% of annual operating expenses back to the reserves.

Continue reading " PRSA on Track to Hit Financial Targets in 2012 "

That was the question posed by PRNewswer Editor Tonya Garcia in an article about what she called the “ongoing feud” between the J.R. O’Dwyer Company and PRSA.

To answer Ms. Garcia’s question, yes, I am tired of it. PRSA members also are tired of it, especially those who have been personally targeted by Publisher Jack O’Dwyer, but more on that later.

The latest shotgun blast in this “feud” stems from PRSA’s decision not to extend press credentials to Mr. O’Dwyer, which would have allowed him to “report” on our Leadership Assembly meeting and International Conference, which took place Oct. 15-18, in Orlando, Fla.

To be sure, this was an unprecedented step, and one we did not take lightly. We understood that we would face criticism from those who may not understand why an organization that represents public relations professionals would take an action that seems to fly in the face of established public relations tenets.

For this reason, we explained our position in a statement, in an extended conversation with Bill McCarren, executive director of the National Press Club, and in a 23-page letter sent to Mr. O’Dwyer, which outlined our concerns with his professional conduct. (The letter was at the link provided at the time of this writing.)

Continue reading " ‘Aren’t you tired of it by now too?’ "

Delegates to PRSA’s 61^st Assembly, and the second annual PRSA Leadership Assembly, turned their attention to the Society’s financial future as they met prior to the start of PRSA’s 2011 International Conference, “Imagine. Create. Inspire. Envisioning the Future of Public Relations,” in Orlando, Fla.

Following nine months of discussion and debate, Assembly Delegates overwhelmingly approved a proposal to increase PRSA’s membership dues by $30, not to exceed $255 annually. The proposal passed by a nearly 4-to-1 margin (209-to-53), with the increase scheduled to go into effect Jan. 1, 2012.

Members who renew (regardless of their renewal date) or initiate PRSA membership by Dec. 31, 2011, will still receive one additional year of membership at the 2011 base membership rate of $225.

Discussion of the proposal lasted less than 10 minutes. Delegates appeared to understand the rationale for a dues increase, given the Society’s efforts to cut expenses and realize new sources of non-dues revenue, as well as the increased costs of business and the current economic climate.

Continue reading " Leadership Assembly Approves Membership Dues Increase "

PRSA’s release of the results of the 2011 Membership Satisfaction Study has generated some questions from members, particularly regarding methodology and data interpretation. Ketchum was pleased to manage the research for PRSA’s 2008 Membership Satisfaction Study, the Society’s 2009 Chapter Survey and the current study of PRSA’s members. As the person at Ketchum responsible for the research, I wanted to share a bit about the methodology and what we found.

First, the technical details:

• Sample size — 1,126 current members, 202 lapsed members and 584 people who have never been a member. To put that into perspective, most surveys you see in the news have a sample size of 1,000 for the entire American public. Results of this study are projectable to the overall populations within the respective margins of error at the 95-percent confidence level.
• Margin of error — Ninety-five (95) percent of the time if you were to repeat this same study 100 times, you would get answers within +/- 2.2 percent for members, +/- 6.9 percent for lapsed members, and +/- 4.0 percent for “never members.”
• Weighting — Responses were weighted to the overall profile of the PRSA membership in terms of tenure in the PR industry. This is to ensure results approximate the membership as closely as possible, and is a standard practice in survey research.

Continue reading " Analyzing the PRSA 2011 Membership Satisfaction Survey "

Editor’s Update (Aug. 31, 2011): Some PRSA members have asked to see the complete results of our 2011 membership satisfaction survey. The top-line findings are available here and can be downloaded at the end of this post. For competitive reasons, some proprietary information pertaining to PRSA’s products, services, membership and marketing have been excluded. PRSA members may request access to specific data from the survey by sending an email prsay@prsa.org.

PRSA members are many things. They are public relations professionals, first and foremost. Industry leaders, Silver Anvil Award winners, mentors, educators, senior professionals, new professionals and a whole host of other descriptors also apply.

In short, they represent the best of the diverse and growing public relations profession.

They are also incredibly satisfied with the value of their PRSA membership.

All of this and more was detailed in PRSA’s latest Membership Value Perception and Satisfaction Study. As a data-driven organization, we strive to measure the impact and value of PRSA’s services. Conducted every three years, our 2011 Membership Satisfaction Study revealed numerous positive indicators concerning PRSA’s growth, its value to the profession and our members’ role and value to their clients and employers. The study surveyed current PRSA members, lapsed members and non-members.

A few highlights:

• Member satisfaction has improved since 2008. Seventy-nine percent of current members report that they are likely to renew their membership. Active Chapters remain vital to member satisfaction.
• PRSA’s Code of Ethics remains the most valuable member benefit — unequivocally.
• Access to current news and information, advocacy and professional development are all exceedingly important to PRSA members.
• Seniority, by itself, has little impact on public relations professionals satisfaction with PRSA. Career stage is more complex than the typical references as junior, mid-level and senior.
• When it comes to professional development, members prefer free webinars* and show the most interest in strategic planning, social media and measurement and evaluation.
• Promoting the value of public relations to the business community is the advocacy initiative of choice for members and non-members.

* PRSA announced recently that with the passage of a proposed dues increase, it will be able to provide all PRSA webinars free to all members.

Continue reading " Reflecting On the PRSA 2011 Membership Satisfaction Survey "