Save The Date: Spectrum Conference On May 10

Photo by Sean Dreilinger

The Community Service Public Relations Council’s annual Spectrum Conference will be on Tuesday, May 10, 2011, at the Holiday Inn Southwest-Viking Conference Center (Watson Rd. and Lindbergh Blvd. in Sunset Hills, Mo.) The theme for this year’s conference is, “Bright Futures.”

Spectrum is the only one-day conference in the St. Louis metropolitan area that’s designed exclusively for nonprofit organizations. Spectrum offers four program tracks and explore topics of special interest for,

• executive directors and board members,
• marketing and communications professionals and volunteers,
• development staff,
• newcomers to the nonprofit world,
• and those who are in a new role at a nonprofit and need to gain skills in various areas.

Conference attendees can follow one track throughout the day or attend other sessions.

Conference registration isn’t open yet, but if you would like to be added to the invitation list, please send an e-mail to info@csprc.org or call (314) 416-2237.

Spectrum Conference Delivers Outstanding Professional Development

If you’re within 100 miles of St. Louis and looking for an outstanding one-day professional development seminar in nonprofit marketing, fundraising and leadership, don’t miss this conference.

Course listings are available and online registration is underway for the Community Service Public Relations Council’s (CSPRC) annual Spectrum Conference.

When: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Where: Viking Conference Center, Lindbergh Blvd. & Watson Rd., Sunset Hills, Mo.

Cost: CSPRC Member: $85 ($100 if registered online or postmarked after April 20);
Non-member: $95 ($110 if registered online or postmarked after April 20); Full-time student: $70 ($85 if registered online or postmarked after April 20).

Join CSPRC now and save on both SPECTRUM and your membership for the balance of 2009!Special SPECTRUM membership: Now through December – $45 (Regular membership: January–December – $85)

The Spectrum Conference will have 16 breakout sessions that fall into four tracks: Executive Director/Board, Development, Marketing/Communications and, what I call, “newbies.”

Here’s a sampling of the sessions:

• “Seven Deadly Sins” of Nonprofit Organizations
• Marketing to Donors in a Tight Economy
• Talking a Good Game: How Understanding Sports Can Help You Succeed
• Pitches That Work: The View from the Media Side
• IN YOUR FACE(book)! Easy, Efficient Uses of MySpace, Twitter, YouTube and More

There will be two keynotes:

• Aiming for Truth: The Pitfalls of “Objectivity” by Charles L. Klotzer, Founder, St. Louis Journalism Review
• On Target to Your Dreams: Seven Steps to Becoming INVALUABLE, by Dale Furtwengler, President, Furtwengler & Associates, P.C.

CSPRC is a nonprofit organization composed of members from public and private community service organizations concerned with improving and maintaining the highest standards of public relations, communications, media relations and fundraising.

In the interest of full disclosure, I’m currently vice president of CSPRC. I hope I’m the organization’s biggest cheerleader. CSPRC is an outstanding community asset that strengthens many levels of the nonprofit sector in our community. CSPRC is to marketing and communications what AFP (Association of Fundraising Professionals) is to development and fundraising. Marketing and communications can and should be influencing and enhancing all aspects of a nonprofit organization.

As I look back on the Spectrum Conferences I’ve attended, I left with great ideas and new concepts. Take a day to stimulate your creativity and innovation.

Spectrum is an outstanding opportunity to build relationships and network with other nonprofit marketing and communications professionals. One thing that can kill one’s spirit and motivation in nonprofit work is isolation. Take a day to attend this conference and connect with other professionals. You might find a solution or, even better, help someone else solve a problem or challenge.

Barb MacRobie and Janet Vigen, co-chairmen of the Spectrum Conference, have assembled a great lineup of presentors. The course listing is probably the most diverse you will find at any conference of its kind. Here’s a sampling of the presentors:

• Donna McGinnis, departmental coordinator; Non-Profit Management Program,
  Washington University in St. Louis
• Christy E. Gray, executive director; Whitaker Foundation Christy E. Gray, executive director; Whitaker Foundation
• Allison Collinger, principal; AHC Consulting LLC
• Yvonne S. Sparks, senior manager, community development; Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

I’ll try to highlight more sessions in future posts.

Plugging The Spectrum Conference

The Community Service Public Relations Council (CSPRC) is a group of marketing and communications professionals who serve non-profit and charitable organizations in the St. Louis area. They hold an annual professional development conference, called Spectrum. It’s an outstanding professional development opportunity for a non-profit marketing/communications professional.

This year’s conference will be held on Tuesday, May 12, at the Holiday Inn-Viking Conference Center in Sunset Hills. There will be three tracks for attendees: new communications professionals, development and fundraising, and executive directors.

Visit csprc.org for more information. Registration forms will be mailed to CSPRC in late March and online registration also will be available.

In the interest of full disclosure, I’m currently vice president of CSPRC. I thoroughly enjoy the camaraderie and networking the organization provides. Monthly lunch programs are rejuvenating and consistently helpful for new professionals or veterans.