Professional Development Committee

Professional Development Committee Charter

Committee Chair:

Bill Morrison
Balboa Consulting
904-221-4599
bill_morrison@balboaconsulting.com
www.balboaconsulting.com

Purpose of the Professional Development Committee:

  1. To provide members of South Council with four to six professional development seminars per year, in order to enhance their personal and professional development.
    • The committee chair will present a list of potential seminars to the board prior to the first board meeting of every year, or 1 month following installation of the new committee chair.
  2. To review and approve applications from South Council members applying for grants (to be named Janet Gurnsey Grants, in honor of a former Board member) that foster professional education and development. The approval process will be in conjunction with South Council guidelines and Board approval.
    • Examples can include, but are not limited to: tuition reimbursement, company seminars or training, external training that involve fees, or other fee-related services that are directly tied to professional education and development.
    • Applicants must submit a written request outlining the benefits to themselves and their company. This shall include all grant monies requested, and potential ancillary benefits to the South Council and/or Chamber of Commerce.
    • The committee and board reserve the right to pay these grants in whole or in part based on discussion and consensus.

Operational guidelines of the above purpose should include:

  • Budgeting must include both Seminars and Grants accordingly, taking into account South Council needs, meeting facilities, food/beverage costs, and logistics where necessary.
  • The Professional Development Committee should explore synergies where possible with other South Council committees that might enhance the attendance & overall experience of members. These might include Programs, Social, or other committees deemed appropriate.
  • Seminars should be no more than one hour in length, and take into account other South Council and Chamber activities
  • Seminars should take into account time of day for maximum projected attendance. Minimum attendance of 20 or more people should be a primary goal.
  • Grants should be reviewed in a timely fashion, and the committee should respond within 1 month of application. Monies must be coordinated with the Finance committee on at least a quarterly basis.
  • Grants must be for the sole use of the individual and company, and do not benefit a 3rd party or agency.
  • Topics for seminars should incorporate timeliness of member needs; feedback mechanisms should be put in place to gauge effectiveness of these topics (surveys, or informal polling as a minimum).
  • Seminars should benefit members in a professional capacity; therefore, topics should maintain balance and relevance with current events, or events deemed important to Council members.
  • The committee should assess the effectiveness of these programs on a quarterly basis. Adjustments can be made as needed with the committee and board approval.

1st Quarter Activities:

  • Committee meeting February 23 at Applebee's, St. John Town Ctr
  • Seminar on Social Networking (date in March TBD)
  • Announcement at upcoming South Council Luncheon that grants are available
  • Form for said grant to be developed by Committee Chair, and approved by Board (end of Feb)

Second through Fourth Quarter ideas to be voted on by committee, with dates:

  1. Managing Your Finances in Tight Credit Markets: Financial strategies, pinching pennies (effectively), managing cash flow, etc.
    (Have a lead on this from the Small Business Administration)
  2. Spider-Web Marketing: What is it, how can your business use it today, and what is the most effective way to develop your web?
    • Adjunct--Referral ROI: What sort of referrals do you really need? How do you quantify? What is the real ROI on your referrals? How do you use this effectively for both your business and your client's businesses?
      (Have a lead on this from the Small Business Administration)

  3. Local Business Development on a Micro Level: (I've seen all the stuff on a macro or regional level [Deutsche Bank, Hanjin], but haven't seen much that specifically addresses smaller businesses)
  4. Demographics: (may be before or after # 3): What are your local demographics? How do you take advantage of this? Going beyond just direct mail campaigns, how do you 'cluster' for maximum effect for your business?
  5. Healthcare for Small Businesses: Where is it headed (or not), what might be the effects of Obama's policies, can we stop the hemorrhaging of double-digit increases, etc
  6. Motivation in the 'doom & gloom' forecast for 2009: (Thinking of Jon Gordon here.....)
  7. For 1st Quarter: Teaching people how to network: targeting customers, planning which meetings to attend, how to work a room, your 15-second elevator speech, following up, 1-on-1 meetings with prospects and potential referral sources, and tracking networking success to improve your processes.
    (This is really an ROI effect on networking…not specifically the listening or speaking skills found in beginning stages)