In the Summer 2013 issue, focus on defining, communicating, and delivering value to your members.
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In This Issue
Many of your members don’t really know what you do or why. At least this is what Doug Rotthaus, CEO of the Omaha Area Board of REALTORS® in Nebraska, uncovered during the first stage of his value proposition development. And he’s probably not alone.
It’s not enough to be valuable. Associations must convince others of their value, and that happens through clear, consistent, and pervasive communications.
As today’s discussions about relevancy, member value, and lowering costs without diminishing services go round and round, we’re left wondering: How do we do it all, while becoming lean and fit organizations?
While at dinner with some very good friends recently, our discussion evolved to the subject of leadership. Two of us shared with our younger friends the principles of leadership we each use as our guides in how we manage and lead others. It was amazing how similar our principles could be even though our individual leadership style is very different.
For most REALTOR® associations, the e-newsletter is the most important channel for reaching members proactively. Members who open and read your e-newsletters are more likely to take the class you offer, participate in your political efforts, share the market reports you generate, and attend your events.
REALTORS® have always known that accessible and efficient public transportation boosts property values and encourages development. Especially today with gas prices, congestion, and environmental concerns making cars a less desirable way to get around, REALTOR® associations see growing value in actively supporting public transportation projects that connect people to jobs, services...
A valuable benefit of membership in the REALTOR® organization is being able to use the REALTOR® trademark. Consumer awareness campaigns at the local, state, and national level promote the value of using a REALTOR® and the difference between REALTORS® and real estate agents who are not members of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®.
My small association, like so many others, went through some belt-tightening over the past few years that made us refocus our offerings on what our members say they need and value most. Unfortunately, that left some areas that I feel are really important—such as smart growth, housing opportunity, and local legislative advocacy—relatively unfunded. We don’t have the resources to...
Showing membership value boils down to one idea, says Annemarie Howard, CEO of the Charlotte Regional REALTOR® Association and the CarolinaMLS: “Members want to see how their dollars are at work.”
The Georgia Association of REALTORS® is now known as Georgia REALTORS® after removing “association” from its brand earlier this year.
In addition to the Real Estate Association Management concentration in the full Masters in Real Estate (MRE) degree program, REALTOR® University now offers a graduate certificate program in Real Estate Association Management.
More than 400 central Ohio REALTORS®, family, and friends cleaned, painted, pruned, and planted as part of the Columbus Association of REALTORS®’ ninth annual REALTOR® Care Day on June 14.
The amount of help that poured into the tornado-stricken Oklahoma City area from REALTOR® associations nationwide was “just incredible,” says Darla Cheek, government affairs director for the Oklahoma City Metro Association of REALTORS® (OKCMAR).
After 26 years, the three REALTOR® association shareholders of the Regional MLS Inc. in southeast Florida voted in June to dissolve the corporation.
For the second year in a row a majority (52 percent) of associations surveyed for the annual Membership Marketing Benchmarking Report from Marketing General Inc. report a growth in membership. Slightly more than 30 percent reported a decline in their membership for this year’s survey of nearly 700 associations nationwide.
A Florida court awarded $2.7 million to the Key West Association of REALTORS® in its copyright infringement action against Robert Allen, a local real estate practitioner.
Real estate listing portal and agent ratings Web site NeighborCity.com took a blow in its lawsuit against the National Association of REALTORS® and Metropolitan Regional Information Systems Inc. (MRIS) on June 10 when Federal District Judge Alexander Williams Jr. dismissed all seven counts of its antitrust claim.
When the National Association of REALTORS® dues increase went into effect two years ago, the Fort Collins Board of REALTORS® made a promise to its 750 members to bring those dollars back to the northern Colorado community in the form of grants from the REALTOR® Party.
Working closely with a well-established coalition of like-minded partners, the Wisconsin REALTORS® Association led an independent expenditure campaign for the re-election of Justice Pat Roggensack, one of the four-justice majority seen as favoring property rights on Wisconsin’s Supreme Court.
The California Association of REALTORS® launched its 2013 consumer advertising campaign this spring boasting the theme, “California REALTORS®. Champions of Home.”
To the surprise of the Tennessee Association of REALTORS®, the highest grossing program from its educational foundation last year was its special “Celebrating Homeownership” automobile license plate that generated $16,500 from the approximately 1,100 REALTORS® in the state who ordered or renewed the plate.
The Florida Association of REALTORS®, in partnership with the Military Warriors Support Foundation, donated a house to a wounded Florida veteran and his family.
The newest commercial, Satellite Earth, in NAR’s Market Momentum campaign speaks directly to homeowners who may have been waiting through a down market to sell their homes, explaining that buyers are in the market and given the shortage of homes for sale in many parts of the country, now may be the right time to think about selling.
The California Association of REALTORS® launched a Finance Helpline in February that provides members with assistance on issues related to short sales, funding, REOs, deeds in lieu, and finalizing transactions. Members can either call the helpline or submit an online inquiry to be connected to a lender liaison for one-on-one assistance.
Knowing how to best present the value of the REALTORS® Federal Credit Union (a division of Northwest Federal Credit Union) services to members just got easier with the appointment of Victoria Gillespie, who will work primarily with AEs to develop and tailor credit union offerings to meet the needs of individual associations nationwide.
La Dawn Anderst, Miki Bass and Tessa Hultz.
These 12 REALTOR® association executives earned their RCE (Realtor® association Certified Executive) designation after an extensive course of study and exam in March.