News from NAPO-DFW! May/June Newsletter

NAPO-DFW Newsletter

May/June 2011

2011-2012 Annual Board Meeting - President Report

Samantha Naeyaert, President

I wish everyone could have joined us for the 2011-2012 NAPO-DFW Board Retreat held on April 20th.

The day was filled with bonding and discussing why we are on the board and what motivates us to remain! We welcomed two new members who will fill two new positions and shared the fun we had at our board and chapter meetings last year!

We are so excited that we have grown our chapter to 54 members which now makes us one of the largest chapters in the nation.

We plotted the improvement of marketing our association and how to connect more clearly with NAPO national. We planned out the up-coming chapter meetings and all the great prizes and give-aways we'll have. We started planning GO Month and the Organized for a Living chapter meeting.

We planned improvements and discussed ways to streamline our positions to work more smoothly with our personal and business lives. And mainly, we planned how we could make sure that we are encouraging and assisting our chapter members and corporate partners to improve their businesses through networking, professional development and the sharing of ideas.

After 5 years in this industry, I'm still excited to be a part of this growing idea to help our clients learn to lead more simplified lives in this difficult economy. I hope that you are excited too and that you will allow NAPO-DFW to help you achieve your goals!

Christine Retires from Board

Christine Shanklin

Many of you have seen her at monthly meetings, but did you know that Christine "Chicka" Shanklin has been serving as Past President for 3 years? Christine served as Director of Membership 2006 - 2007, Vice President (2007 - 2008), President (2008 - 2009) and Past President (2009 - 2011). She has definitely gone above and beyond with leading our organization! We thank you for your years of service, Christine, and look forward to seeing you at other chapter events.

New Board Members

Rachel Stockton,
Secretary

We would like to welcome two organizers to the 2011 NAPO-DFW Board: Jackie Wakin and Faith P. Tennyson. Jackie began organizing in January of 2011 and was eager to become more involved in the chapter. She'll be serving in the new role of Director of Administration. Faith Tennyson, owner of The Queen of Declutter, will be serving as Director At Large - another new role which replaces the Past President board position. Both women will be handling special projects for the Board. Please say hello to them at the next monthly meeting!

Please welcome our new members!

NAPO-DFW would like to officially introduce all new chapter members since the fall of 2010:

Blair Garner - Sorted Out, LLC

Julie Jordan-Wade - Embraceable Space

Vanessa Griffis - Organized By Design

Nicole Griffis - Organized By Design

Patty Bareford - Wide Open Spaces

Terri Fulton - Top Drawer Organizing

Jackie Wakin - Conquer Your Space

Rochelle Ross - A Simplified Space

Stacey North - Premier Organizers

Sandy Jones - Simply Organized By Sandy Subcontracting

Regen Fearon - Plumlife

Brian Honeyman - California Closets

Dave Steinman - College Hunks Hauling Junk

If you've not yet met these members, please say hello at the next chapter meeting. Welcome to all!

NAPO 2010 Conference - San Diego

Cita Sue Cox, Membership Director

This year was my first time to attend the National NAPO Conference. I'm in my 3rd year of organizing and I had decided early on to wait until I had more experience in the business before attending conference. I think the choice was right for me because I really "got it" -- I totally understood the questions being asked because I had some of the same ones in my head. And I felt experienced because I could answer some of the questions, too! I wasn't overwhelmed with information, but was ready and able to soak it in.

I thought the Ask the Organizer panel was very well executed. Lots of great tips were given from some of the best professionals in our business. The Managing Clients' Expectations workshop made me think of how I really need to be a trusted advisor and dig deeper upfront about the client's expectations for the end result. What "organized" looks like for them isn't the same as what "organized" may look like to me.

I was so excited at conference to find a seminar on photo organizing. This is an area I've been drawn to but didn't know the best way to market as a specialty. After the workshop, I now have so many ideas about how to move forward. If I hadn't gone to conference, I never would have known there is an association specifically for this niche -- Association of Personal Photo Organizers (APPO).

One of the most powerful lessons I listed in my notes was to "invest in yourself - education". Attending conference is a great way to do that. So put back some funds each month for attending the next conference. You will not only educate yourself but also treat yourself to a few days away from work - a boost for you and your business, plus fun times with NAPO colleagues!

Corporate Partner - Tip of the Month

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Need a solution for a hard-to-reach space in the kitchen? Contact Michael Pollack with Shelf Genie at (214) 551-0261.

ICD Fall 2011 Conference