Message from Sue Lord, March 2006

Dear ARMA friends,

Please join me in congratulating Roger Winters and the Greater Seattle Chapter of ARMA for hosting the most excellent 2006 Great NW Region Conference held recently in Seattle, WA. There were a total of approximately 165 people at the conference including attendees, speakers, and vendors. One vendor, Tim from Stellent, told me it was the best organized event that he had ever been involved in! Orchids to Conference Chairs Susan Priebe and Jennifer Winkler!

The Conference was a wonderful educational experience and was attended by Records Managers from all over our Region. We even had one attendee from California, and another from Canada! It was a GREAT event! The next GNW Region Conference will be held in the Spring of 2008 in Portland and will be hosted by the Oregon Chapter of ARMA.

Spring has sprung and that means it is time for our chapters to begin the nomination and election process in planning for the next “chapter year”. ARMA is a volunteer-based organization and your chapter needs you! I want you to seriously consider how you can help your chapter as a volunteer. How much time can you donate to your chapter and our profession? Can you donate one hour per month? If so, perhaps you can write a monthly article for your chapter publication or serve on a chapter committee. Can you give an hour or two per week? Maybe you can be a member of your chapter’s Program committee or serve on your chapter’s board of directors.

The benefits of volunteering are many! You will expand your network of colleagues and friends and you will gain interpersonal, leadership, and professional skills (Heck, I didn’t know a thing about Publisher until I began writing my chapter’s newsletter!). As BOD members you will have experiences and develop skills that can be beneficial in running a small business. All of which, by the way, are skills that are also transferable to the workplace and home. Whatever time and effort you give, it will come back and benefit you in many, many ways!

Cheryl Pedersen, CRM, President of ARMA International said, “Volunteering also provides the opportunity and ability to influence the profession in a very positive way and to make a difference for the future of the profession and the new individuals coming into it.”

So, during the next month or two, I hope you will say “Yes” when nominated for a chapter Board position or speak up and put your own name in for a chapter committee. How much time can you volunteer? What skills can you bring to your chapter, and what skills can you develop in return? How can you help?

Very truly yours,
Susan M. Lord, Manager
Great NW Region of ARMA