2009 Association Executive Committee Goals
Committee/Subcommittee/Forum Name: Association Executives Committee
Liaison: Bill Powers
Chair: Gary Clayton, RCE, CAE
Vice Chair: Dave Phillips, RCE, CAE
Goal #1:
Facilitate open communication between the AEC and other NAR committees whose goals and activities may impact REALTOR® association policies, procedures, and management operations.
Expected Outcome:
AEC liaisons to NAR committees serve as the communication link between the AEC and other NAR committees. Liaisons ensure that issues discussed in the respective committees have the benefit of the AE perspective and that the AEC is apprised of issues being considered during and between NAR meetings, including issues that surface through on-line discussions and at local, state, and regional meetings. AEC leadership engages in communication with NAR officers to ensure that all levels of the organization coordinate efforts to best serve the members.
Action/Update:
AEs were appointed to serve as liaisons to NAR committees and beginning with the 2009 Midyear Meetings these liaisons are asked to keep the AEC informed of key issues that impact REALTOR® associations. The liaisons are also expected to communicate information from the AEC to the respective committees for which they serve as a liaison.
AEC leadership will meet with the NAR officers at a regularly scheduled time during the Conference to keep them abreast of issue developments
Goal #2:
Coordinate efforts and offer input to AEC subcommittees that provide professional development and outreach programs, products, and resources to REALTOR® associations.
Expected Outcome:
REALTOR® association staff and volunteer leaders have access to the tools and resources they need to continue their professional growth, to strengthen their leadership partnerships, and to provide a higher level of service to the members.
Action/Update:
With support from AEC leadership the AEC subcommittees and work groups are empowered to implement new and ongoing initiatives at their regularly scheduled meetings to meet their specific objectives.
Goal #3:
Review and revise the REALTOR® Association Models Online Planning Tool to ensure that the questionnaire assesses aspects of REALTOR® association management that are applicable in today’s real estate market and to ensure that the models continues to serve as a valuable planning tool.
Expected Outcome:
REALTOR® associations can use the REALTOR® Association Models Online Planning Tool to identify their operating philosophy, determine where they are and where they want to be in delivering services, and determine their current and desired style of governance.
Action/Update:
The models document was revised during the work group’s two meetings at the 2009 AE Institute and the Midyear Legislative Meeting. Staff is revising the questionnaire to correspond to the revised models document. With the revised document and questionnaire the work group will now turn to its marketing efforts. A survey was disseminated to all AEs in April to determine how widely the models are used and for what purposes. The work group will use the survey results to make the tool more effective, develop a marketing plan, and create a facilitator process to accompany the planning tool.
Goal #4:
To identify how different generations are viewing internet communications and technology networking opportunities and how AEs can best use these options in communicating with association staff, leadership, and members.
Expected Outcome:
AEs will have access to information that offers guidance on how different kinds of social media can be used to communicate with members and how members can use social media for their real estate business.
Action/Update:
The work group is creating a Facebook workbook with NAR REALTOR.org staff Hilary Marsh and NAR social media staff Todd Carpenter. The workbook outline includes the following sections: -Facebook 101; Profiles vs. Pages vs. Groups; Facebook as a marketing and communications tool; Helping members use Facebook effectively.
The work group will review a draft of the workbook and provide input to NAR staff during a virtual meeting prior to the November 2009 REALTORS® Conference and Expo.
Goal #5:
Help prepare associations for chief staff executive transitions and assist AEs in developing exit plans for retirement.
Expected Outcome:
REALTOR® associations have access to guidelines and procedures that leadership and staff can follow when the chief staff executive leaves the association; AEs have access to sample exit plans to help them prepare for their own retirement.
Action/Update:
The work group is focusing on the following three AE transition areas and plans to provide information and resources for these various AE constituencies:
-Helping associations transition to a new AE.
-Preparing new AEs so they can get up to speed to serve their REALTOR members.
-Providing peer-to-peer retirement planning input from recent AE retirees.
Goal #6:
Continually review and consider NRDS policy and enforcement issues and clarify existing policies and procedures as concerns arise.
Expected Outcome:
AEs understand the NRDS policies and have the information they need to implement and respond to questions about these policies.
Action/Update:
At the 2009 Midyear Meeting the work group received an update on the membership application template. Beginning in December 2009 membership applicants can pay online via Ecommerce at the same time they submit their application. This will be optional for associations to use or not. NRDS will also include fields on the current template so an association can set their fiscal year for proration and load their association logo.
The work group also clarified and approved the following definitions for membership status, which must be used by all POEs as of January 1, 2010:
-Status S (Suspended) -- indicates that a member has not completed their Code of Ethics course by the December 31 deadline of each quadrennial. If a member does not take the COE course by December 31, the association must suspend that member (using Status S) and by must drop the member by March 1 if the member has still not taken the course. Therefore there should be no members with Status S in NRDS after March 1 at the end of a quadrennial.
When a POE drops a member, the POE should use either Status I or Status T as follows:
- Status I (Inactive) -- indicates the member left voluntarily, in good standing. The member may have resigned or retired from the business or simply decided not to renew their membership.
- Status T (Terminated) -- indicates that the member was dropped because they did not meet an outstanding obligation (such as not paying an outstanding arbitration obligation, not meeting any ethics hearings requirements, etc.). In other words, this member did not leave as a member in good standing.
Goal #7:
Review and update the Local Profile Survey questionnaire so that it can be disseminated every two years, as scheduled; review the survey summary reports and evaluate the output for other uses.
Expected Outcome:
The two-part Local Association Profile Survey provides meaningful data and statistics on AE compensation and benefits and association administration; the output of these surveys serves as the baseline for industry standards in REALTOR® association management compensation/benefits and administration.
Action/Update:
The work group is in the process of reviewing/revising the Compensation Profile Survey, which will be sent to AEs during the first quarter of 2010, with results available during the second quarter. The work group is also proposing that the Administrative Profile Survey be discontinued. The work group came to this conclusion following input from a recent focus group, which is summarized as follows:
- Participants were unfamiliar with the Administrative Profile Survey by name
- Participants were not using the results
- The survey is too long and too time-consuming; requires too much research to complete
- Participants are more likely to respond to short surveys (5-10 questions)
- Respondents don’t think the Administrative Profile Survey has much to do with day-to-day operations
In addition to reviewing the focus group results, the work group considered the low response rate for the 2009 Administrative Profile Survey. The 2009 survey yielded 167 responses (statistically invalid rate) compared to 363 responses for the 2007 survey.
The work group plans to submit a recommendation to the AEC at the November 2009 REALTORS® Conference and Expo that the Local Association Administrative Profile Survey be discontinued. In lieu of this survey, the group suggests that short, topical surveys be disseminated on an as-needed basis to local AEs. The work group recommends that the Compensation Profile Survey continue with the current every two year schedule.
Goal #8:
Identify content for a balanced mix of program offerings for volunteer and staff leadership teams to be scheduled at the Midyear Leadership Express program, the Leading Edge in Association Management program, and the November Entrepreneurial Excellence Series.
Expected Outcome:
Programming designed to strengthen leadership skills and partnerships are offered for AE and president leadership teams that attend NAR meetings.
Action/Update:
The work group is planning the following sessions for REALTOR® association volunteer and staff leadership teams: Leadership Express program (90 minute session - May) and Leading Edge in Association Management program (two hour program during Annual meetings).
Goal #9:
To determine how the AEC and local and state association staff and volunteer leaders can further benefit from the AE Competencies and Body of Knowledge document, which identifies the competencies in which an AE should be proficient to successfully serve REALTOR® association.
Expected Outcome:
To further their professional growth and development AEs can use the AE Competencies and Body of Knowledge document for themselves, volunteer leaders, and staff.
Action/Update:
The work group is identifying various ways that the competencies can become a “living” document that all AEC groups can use for programming and education initiatives.
