Introduction
It has been such a pleasure to chair the Central New York Chapter of The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) the past two years. As 2022 wraps up, we want to take time to celebrate another year of success and look forward to what 2023 will bring. Throughout the last year, we’ve continued to adjust to the new normal that COVID-19 has brought, with the goal of continuing to grow membership and drive programming based on the interests of our local members. We’ve hosted a handful of virtual and in-person events and have partnered with other local PRSA and PRSSA chapters to continue supporting public relations and communication professionals in Central New York and beyond. Planning for 2023 is already underway and we think you will be pleased and excited with the line-up when it is released early next year!
The following pages include a review of initiatives and opportunities occurring during 2022. Thank you for your continued support and interest in PRSA-CNY, I look forward to working with all of you in the year ahead!
Sincerely,
Anja Godlewski-Dykes
President, Central New York Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America
2021 Board of Directors
President Anja Godlewski-Dykes, Terakeet
President Elect Melissa Richards, APR, Hamilton College
Treasurer Amy Cronin, APR, New York Six Liberal Arts Consortium
Secretary Kristy Smorol, American Heart Association
Membership Chair Diana Dibble, APR, American Dairy Association North East
Program Chair Kristin Halpin, Ramboll
Publicity Co-chair Alice Maggiore, NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets
Publicity Co-chair Jared Paventi, National Grid
PRSSA Liaison Alexis Bowering, The Ronald McDonald House Charities of CNY
Membership
At the beginning of 2022, we had 60 PRSA members in our area, which included 47 active CNY chapter members and 13 chapter prospects who are national PRSA members within Central New York.
By November, membership stood at 61, with 41 Active CNY chapter members and 20 chapter prospects. This represents a 2% increase in PRSA national membership and a 12% decline in chapter membership.
Activity throughout the year included 7 new members and 7 reinstated members. There was a loss of 16 members. This is typically due to a change in job (including retirement) and/or relocation. It should also be noted that many PRSA chapters share the same issues in
post-pandemic operations, which includes membership declines.
As we do every year, we’d like to take this opportunity to welcome our new CNY chapter members!
- Laurie Clark
- Deanna Delmonico
- Moon Lee, Ph.D.
- Ariel Maciulewicz
- Meredith Page
- Joseph Provost
- Kelly Vann
Programs
Based on input and feedback from all of you, we offer several professional development programs throughout the year focused on the topics that you provide to us through emails and day-to-day interactions with Board members. This year’s programs included:
June: Managing the Media: How to Prep for Successful Media Interviews
Media training for your organization’s spokespeople is no longer optional – it’s a must in our media-saturated culture where comments can instantly go viral. Communications and PR professionals are often their organization’s spokesperson and/or responsible for media training top executives and experts. To be successful, you need to be able to develop and deliver key messages on camera, in print and across digital channels with confidence, authority and credibility. During this webinar, media training expert Erin Hennessy discussed tools and tactics for delivering your message through interview techniques and nonverbal communication, as well as how to craft sound bites that resonate with your audiences and to field tough questions.
September: Media Speed Networking
Given shrinking newsroom staff, a constant influx of emails and tight digital deadlines, PR professionals must know how to craft the right pitch and understand how to best reach our local media representatives. During this speed networking event, attendees got to know (or catch up with) local news and media members and learn about their interests and how they like to be pitched. This year’s media members included representatives from CNYCentral, NewsChannel 9, Spectrum News, Syracuse.com, and WRVO.
September: 4 Steps to Pursuing an APR – and 7 Reasons Why You Should
The CNY, Finger Lakes and Rochester Chapters of PRSA hosted a joint virtual program on the benefits of earning your APR and key steps that lead to accreditation. The program included a live panel discussion with professionals who have earned, or are in the process of earning, their APR, with a question-and-answer session about their journeys. Our speakers included Melissa Richards, PRSA CNY President-Elect and VP for Communications and Marketing, Hamilton College; Melissa Greco Lopes, APR, PRSA Rochester, Past President and Assistant Director of Marketing and Communication, St. John Fisher University; and Jen Swain, APR, PRSA Finger Lakes Chapter, Past-President and Vice President of Communications and Marketing, Elmira College.
December: Annual Meeting
This year’s program includes networking and presentations from the PRSA CNY Board of Directors as well as local chapters of PRSSA as we look back on 2022 and ahead to 2023. Our meeting this year will feature special guests Kelly Gaggin, Assistant Teaching Professor, Public Relations at Syracuse University's Newhouse School of Public
Communications, and Elle Hanna, Senior Director of Communications & Media Relations at CenterStateCEO. Kelly will provide an annual update on the PRSA Northeast District, while Elle will discuss the current state of economic development in Central New York with a focus on Micron's investment in the region.
Engagement
PRSA-CNY, chartered in 1955, is one of 112 locally established chapters of the Public Relations Society of America. Chapter membership, now at 40+ members, is comprised of communications professionals representing business and industry, technology, counseling firms, government, associations, hospitals, schools, professional service first, and non-profit organizations across Central New York and Northern New York. To enhance efforts to engage members, promote upcoming events, and highlight communications resources, PRSA-CNY utilizes its website, http://PRSACNY.com, and presence on Social Media (Facebook and Twitter) to highlight upcoming events, provide summaries of past events and overall, raise the visibility of the chapter to and through communications professionals. PRSA-CNY continues to grow its social media presence to amplify its messaging:
On Facebook, @PRSACNY boasts 174 likes and 191 followers (as of December 7, 2022). On Facebook, administrators did not post as much as in previous years, but did post consistently when promoting an upcoming chapter event. On Facebook, PRSACNY has a high response rate, typically responding to messages within one hour. In the last year, Facebook posts reached 538 users organically. Moving forward in 2023, PRSA would like to double its organic reach and gain 100 new followers. The committee also has a goal to post more frequently, sharing good news about its members and relevant articles. PRSA-CNY could also increase its activity on Twitter at @PRSACNY. Right now, @PRSACNY has 653 followers. In 2023, PRSA hopes to grow its Twitter presence by 100 followers, and continue to keep up with regional public relations professionals’ via Twitter, sharing conversations and staying in tune to relevant content and trends within the industry.
In the final quarter of 2021, the Publicity Committee identified an opportunity for PRSA-CNY to garner additional engagement by establishing a more active presence on LinkedIn. As of December 7, 2022, the chapter had 12 members in its listed group. Throughout 2023, the Publicity Committee will amplify this following by encouraging group members to invite their LinkedIn connections who are current PRSA-CNY members to join the group. This effort can be promoted through existing PRSA-CNY Facebook and Twitter platforms. In 2023, the Publicity Committee would like to see the LinkedIn group grow by 50 followers, and stir a consistent discussion.
Financials
As a non-profit organization, our Chapter operates by a specific budget. The budget is developed at the beginning of each year, based on previous year’s financials and planned activities for the current year. The Chapter’s sources of income are annual member dues, program registration fees, and program sponsorships. It is with these sources of income that we can offer our member programs, scholarships, and other member benefits each year.
In 2022, the Chapter began with a total balance of $11,058.33 across its accounts. The Board of Directors approved a budget that included:
Revenues
- Anticipated Membership Dues: $2,500
- Anticipated Program Registrations: $2,225
- Event Sponsorships: $1,050
- Chapter Reinvestment (from savings): $0
Expenses
- General Business: $780
- Board Expenses: $400
- Leadership Assembly: $1,000
- Accreditation Committee: $210
- Programming: $1,325
- Website: $600
As of December 1, 2022, the Chapter has earned $1,615.25 in membership dues and $290.17 in event revenue. It should be noted that due to COVID-19, PRSA held only one in-person event prior to the annual meeting, budgeted accordingly. The Chapter has received 65% of the budgeted Membership Dues income, and 13% of the budgeted program registrations income.
Actual annual expenses are $1,905.42, 33% of the budgeted amount. Chapter expenses for 2022 continued to be lower than projected due to COVID-19. The Chapter held only one in-person event in addition to the annual meeting, and there were no costs for Leadership Assembly, as our representative’s costs were covered by her employer. The Chapter did not receive any applications for the budgeted scholarships or APR reimbursements this year. Additionally, no funds were moved from our savings account to our checking account as chapter reinvestment.
This year to date, PRSA-CNY has a net gain of $148.80.
Details from our Chapter’s budget, income and expenses are available to PRSA-CNY members at any time upon request to chapter@prsacny.com.
Looking Forward Our Board of Directors will meet in January to determine the events, initiatives, and opportunities that the Chapter will pursue in 2023. This meeting will include the selection of programs for the entire 2023 year, approval of a budget, and the assignment of Board positions.
The PRSA-CNY Board of Directors does have open positions available. If any Chapter members are interested in serving – at any level – please contact Immediate Past President Anja Godlewski-Dykes at godlewskidykes@gmail.com.
We welcome, and actively solicit, your input on any of our Chapter initiatives. Please be sure to sign up to receive email updates, follow PRSA-CNY on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, and reach out to any of our Board members at any time.
And remember, there’s no better time than right now to pursue your APR. We extend an open invitation to all of our members to contact us directly if you’d like help applying for the PRSA-CNY APR scholarship and getting started on the path to earn your APR.
Thank you again for your continued commitment to the industry and support of this local chapter. We look forward to another successful year in 2023.