November 2004

Accreditation Committee

APR Update
by Julie Marranca, APR

Preparation for the new APR exam has begun for several members of the Buffalo-Niagara chapter who attended an orientation session on Monday, November 17, 2003. The meeting covered the logistics of the exam process, the content of the exam and how to prepare for the test. Ron Smith of Buffalo State College also reviewed the agenda for his preparation class, which will be held for six weeks beginning in early March.

For more information on the exam and how to apply, call Julie Marranca at (716) 856-2932, Ext. 238. Remember, you must have five years of public relations experience in order to be eligible to take the exam.

We are also looking for accredited members to serve as readiness review panelists, who act as examiners and mentors for the exam. Please contact Julie if you are interested.

Finance Committee

Committee Meeting - Nov. 3, 2004
by Mike Barone

Status of Accounts:
Checking = roughly $1,700 ($2,600 less than at August’s meeting)
Vanguard Money Market = roughly $5,150 ($350 more than at August’s meeting)

Review of 2004 Budget to Date
Current Issues/Concerns:

Sponsorship – Guidelines have been submitted and reviewed by the board on 10/27, and the program committee on 11/3). The guidelines have been very positively received, and the consensus is that it will work for our 2005 efforts, understanding that some leeway will exist, and some bartering may be needed in year one with our potential sponsors.

In addition, the board has decided to form a stand-alone sponsorship committee to handle all of the outreach and fulfillment efforts between sponsors. This committee is being formed with two representatives from each of the finance, membership and program committees, and Virginia McAuliffe and Lori Vallon have agreed to be ours. We are aiming to have that committee in place by November 15, and I and select board members will meet with that committee to help get them up & running with their sponsorship outreach – which must happen soon as most companies are finalizing their 2005 budgets as we speak.

2004 Taxation Issues – We have been told by PRSA member Kathy Kirst that Gaines Kriner & Elliott will be happy to handle our CPA consulting at a reduced rate. Mike will be attempting to have an initial meeting with them before December 1.

Setting the 2005 Budget – Committee reviewed the 2004 budget to date, plus a summary for the last three years. Mike also created what he believes will be 2005 budget categories. Although a little different, with all sponsorship revenue now categorized for either full-year, single event or website revenue streams. In addition, the Sunrise Seminars and Membership Party are no longer been broken out as separate items, since their income falls within either the monthly programs or sponsorship categories, and the expenses don’t have anything unusual about them. Due to the scope and uniqueness of the Excaliburs, however, they have been kept as stand-alone line items for both revenues and expenses.

ACTION ITEM FOR ALL COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Based on the 2004 budget-to-date, the 2001-2003 average, and the knowledge we have going into 2005, please take a moment to review the 2005 categories and begin thinking about what a reasonable estimate for each line item will be. This will be the primary focus of the next committee meeting, which we’ll hold in a much less formal and more enjoyable location (see below).

Other Ideas / Issues: We changed checking accounts from M&T to First Niagara in October. First Niagara offers a “Totally Free” account with no minimum balance and unlimited check writing and deposits.

The board approved the purchase of general liability insurance ($350), which was obtained on October 5. We elected to hold off on the purchase of the officers and directors coverage ($700), and re-visit it some time in 2005, when/if our cash flow situation improves.

Next Meeting: January 6, 2005, Pearl Street Brewery, 5 p.m.

Membership Committee

Committee Meeting - Nov. 18, 2004
by Barb Byers, APR

In attendance: Barb Byers, Jenn Hickok, Brenda Schwamborn, Dick Shaner, John Senall, Kathy Kirst, Jackie Ghosen, Therese Hickok, Kathryn Good, Jennifer Kurzdorfer.

Membership Update: Renewal letters sent to: Lynn Casteel – Travers Collins, John Della Contrada – UB, Tara Erwin – Travers Collins, Arleen Kromer Kreusch – International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Study, Virginia McAuliffe – Univera, Kathleen Rooney – Travers Collins, John Senall – Roswell Park, Mary Lou Simmons – Roswell Park, Elizabeth Smith, Joanne Yates – Northern Digital

Lapsing members to receive phone call: Kelly Johnson (Kathryn Good), Lori Vallon – Child & Family Services (Jackie Ghosen)

Dropped members: None

Reinstated members: Susan Kirkpatrick – Crowley Webb, John Moscato – Women & Children’s Hospital

Ambassador Program: New members: Anastasia Malagisi – GPS Construction Services (Kathy Kirst), Jennifer Malfa— First Niagara (Jenn Hickok), Kristin Riemer – UB Art Galleries (Jenn Kurzdorfer), Marni Ellen Rodman – Eric Mower (John Senall)

Mentor request: New member Seema Bhalla of First Niagara inquired if chapter has a formal mentoring program. She would like to develop her writing skills and asked if PRSA has resources she could access. Action taken: John Senall will contact members in the banking industry and make them aware of Seema’s request. He also will direct her to National’s young professional group and will share with program committee a suggestion for a half-day event for professional development.

Membership Party: 110 attendees -- 40 members; 44 PRSSA or students; 9 vendors/exhibitors; 1 former member; 16 non-members. Approximately 10% of attendees are eligible to become members.

Discussion – review successes/challenges: Barb came up with a good way to distribute drink tickets to members –tuck them in the name tag at registration table ... Brenda needs more room at registration table ... Is this the best way to do the membership party? The intended strategy is to showcase our organization and get to know prospective members. Does large student presence help or hinder this? Brenda reported we currently have 7 former PRSSA members as associate members (152 total members) ... No membership party in 2005 – 40th Anniversary Celebration held in its place.

Chapter & Board News: 40th Anniversary Celebration Committee formed. Celebration party held in summer 2005.

College Chapter Update: Discussion re: hosting a seminar each semester open to PRSSA members from area colleges on professional development topic. Also, host an orientation meeting in Sept. for college chapter presidents re: support/help available from chapter.

Barb Byers to contact Beth Donovan asking if she will attend membership committee meetings and act as point person for chapter and college chapters.

New sponsorship committee – part of finance committee – led by Mike Barone. Package of sponsorship levels – committee is looking for someone from membership committee to work on sponsorship.

Kathy Kirst to contact Therese Hickok and ask if she would work on committee.

Next meeting: Happy hour at Buffalo Brew Pub, 5:30 p.m., Dec. 16.

Scholarship Committee

Scholarship Applicants Needed
by Nancy Fredrickson, APR

The Buffalo/Niagara Chapter is currently accepting applications for the May C. Randazzo Scholarship. These $500, one-year scholarships are available to junior or seniors attending colleges/universities in the eight counties of Western New York as well as the Pennsylvania counties of Erie, Warren and McKean.

Qualifying students should have a declared major in the field of communications with an emphasis on those students pursuing a career in public relations. The application deadline is March of 2005.

The scholarship is named in honor of May C. Randazzo, a past Buffalo/Niagara Chapter PRSA president who was public relations manager at Graphic Controls. She died after a brief illness in 1997 at the age of 57. Randazzo made many lasting contributions to the profession, both locally and nationally. If interested in downloading an application, just head over the Scholarship section of the site.

Excalibur Committee

Excalibur Awards Planning to Start
by Tom Lucia

If there is a threat of snow in the forecast, then the threat of getting the Excalibur Awards Planning Committee together cannot be too far behind.

The group will meet on Thursday, Dec. 9th (at OLV) to discuss a number of topics, including a review of the chapter survey, a look into new venues, and much, much more!

If you are interested in assisting with the planning of one of the chapter's finest nights out, simply call Tom Lucia at 828-9623 or email to baker@buffnet.net.

Programming Committee

Committee Meeting - Nov. 3, 2004
by Jeff Paterson, APR

Last Meeting: The committee met November 3 at Denny’s in Snyder.

Recent and Upcoming Programs: The annual meeting was held November 9, at the Marriott, featuring a presentation on PRSA National’s priorities for the coming year. Speaker was Tony D’Angelo, APR, of Carrier in Syracuse, a National board member. Thanks to Karen Karaszewski, APR, for her work on this program.

We are working on a January program on media fact-checking. Working title is “Gatekeepers Gone Wild: Assessing the Fallout of Media Scandals.” We will convene a panel of media critics, media figures and PR pros. More to come soon. Jeff Paterson will be chairing the event with an assist from Grace Lazzara.

Other 2005 plans include: a February tour of the Buffalo News’ new presses; a March panel discussion called “Inside the Mind of the CEO,” featuring local CEOs; an April rescheduling of the ethics program; an anniversary year event in July; Sunrise Seminars in August; a follow-up diversity program in October; and the annual meeting in November.

Next Meeting: Wednesday, Dec. 1 at 8:30 a.m. at Café Denny, Main and Harlem in Snyder. 2005 plans should be finalized then.