State of the Guild Speech

by 2014 Board President Amanda Vail

Day of Meeting: September 07, 2014

Welcome to the annual Guild potluck!

• Thanks for coming!

• Special thanks to Mi Ai Lipe for hosting us in this gorgeous downtown Seattle location.

GOVERNANCE

• Let us pause for a moment. I’d like to offer up a toast to the guild, as we are now entering our 5th year of operating as a 501(c)6 nonprofit organization (and 18th as an organization)! Happy birthday to the Northwest Independent Editors Guild!

• This year we have 10 board members.

• Ask Board members to stand up and be recognized:

  • Elisabeth Rinaldi

  • Waverly Fitzgerald

  • Rich Isaac

  • Andie Ptak

  • Rebecca Brinson

  • David Downing

  • Tamara Neely-Tinney

  • Jennifer Hager

  • Betty Shapiro

• Four members of the advisory council:

  • Anne Moreau

  • Sherri Schultz

  • Bill Thorness

  • Kate Rogers

• Many thanks to our dedicated admin, Toddie Downs.

• The guild's healthy financial state has allowed us to increase member programming, such as purchasing the livecasting equipment and bringing Alan Rinzler back to speak to editors earlier this year.

• Five active board committees enable us to streamline decisions and operations, as well as allow board members to pursue the aspects of the guild about which they are passionate. We have:

  • Executive

  • Board Development

  • Communications

  • Programming

  • Operations

• Three members will complete their term at the end of this year and are stepping off the board, so thank you to Andie Ptak and Waverly Fitzgerald for your service to the guild! (If you’re wondering, I’m [Amanda Vail] the third who is stepping off.)

  • Currently recruiting for new board members

  • Any member can apply

  • Talk to any board member if you’re interested in applying, or email me directly at president@edsguild.org

• Julie Van Pelt is spearheading the investigation into a mentoring program. If you’re interested in becoming a mentor for a new editor, please get in touch with her directly!

• Rebecca Brinson is looking into possible retirement investment options for guild members. If you’re interested, check the listserv for a survey on the topic.

MEMBERSHIP TASK FORCE

Watch for a listserv announcement on the creation of a membership task force to examine our membership structure. Contact Rebecca Brinson today if interested.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL MEDIA

Our “new” website is now almost two years old, and continues to provide a connection point between editors and between editors and clients.

• An informal survey seems to indicate that job listings are up as well–and has anyone present gotten a job off of the job board this year?

• Facebook page has been active this year:

  • Almost 700 likes

  • Regular postings from various members

• Twitter: @edsguild

  • Active Twitter account provides a connection point via hashtags

  • Number of followers (almost 250) has more than tripled since last year

• We have a communication plan in place, and the Communications committee has begun working with volunteers to further our social media presence.

OUTREACH

• The Speakers’ Bureau, led by Beth Jusino, continues to promote editors, editing, and the guild at various area events.

  • Over 20 members

  • It’s time for Beth to pass the torch. Anyone interested in talking over leadership of the Speakers’ Bureau, please email me at president@edsguild.org.

• Guild members as individuals or panels have spoken or tabled at:

  • PNWA (Pacific Northwest Writers Association) Conference

  • AWP 2014

  • Willamette Writers Conference

  • Self-Publishing in the Digital Age

  • Northwest Bookfest

  • Book Publishers Northwest Association

• Upcoming speaking events include:

  • Geek Girl Con

  • Write on the Sound

• Potential 2015 speaking events include:

  • Eastside Romance Writers of America

  • Cascade Writers Conference

  • Fields End Writers Group

• Guild members participated in KUOW’s fall and spring pledge drives. Each was a fun, successful event that also generated some on-air mentions for the Guild.

  • Also, you have the opportunity to participate again! Contact Elisabeth Rinaldi if you’re interested in volunteering on Tuesday, October 7th from 6:00 to 9:15pm.

• Thanks to Andie Ptak, Teresa Meek, Rich Isaac, and Elisabeth Rinaldi for working on a great new flier for us to distribute to potential clients at conferences.

CAMARADERIE

• Informal, member-generated coffee hours, happy hours, and game nights continue to be popular:

  • First one was in Seattle’s Capitol Hill in March 2012

  • Since then they’ve taken root in:

    • Downtown Seattle, Bellevue, Columbia City, West Seattle, Olympia, Portland, Bainbridge Island, Spokane–and other spots!

• In the spring, we collaborated with Seattle Writergrrls and Book Publishers Northwest to host a networking mixer event. There were approximately 20 members from each group, providing great opportunities for conversation and potential work.

MEMBER MEETINGS

• Meetings have bounced between the venerable Hugo House and the spacious iLeap meeting room at the Good Shepherd Center in Wallingford.

• We have had excellent attendance at meetings, averaging around 40 attendees per meeting.

• We’ve also begun to broadcast our meetings via YouTube, enabling members to participate remotely. To date, recent videos of the meetings have gotten over 60 views each!

• A range of expert speakers and panelists

  • Website creation 101

  • Member showcase

  • Developing your “bread-and-butter” clients

  • Collaborative Editing

  • E-book formatting

• Third year of regular volunteer note takers, excellent notes on the website.

  • Marcella van Oel

  • Kathleen Walker

  • 2015 Notetakers: if interested, please email me!

• First year of regular volunteers who have set up the room for member meetings:

  • Bonnie Pasek

  • Nancy Wick

  • Roberta Klarreich

  • 2015 Room Set-up Volunteers?

• One more meeting this year on marketing for introverts with Beth Buelow

2015 CONFERENCE

• This year, we are starting our planning process about six months earlier than we did for the 2013 conference.

• Earlier this year, the board finalized a job description for a conference coordinator and posted an announcement seeking candidates. We recognized that the position of conference coordinator is both a lot of work and key to the success of what has become one of the guild’s chief member benefits and outreach opportunities.

• The conference coordinator position, overseen by the board, will provide a stable point of contact for interested volunteers as well as create a clear decision-making chain that will empower members and the coordinator alike.

• We had multiple applications, and after an interview process we have selected the two-person team of Rebecca Dietz and Carol Greene Dole of Well Done Events.

• If you are interested in volunteering for next year’s conference committee, please email me.

CLOSING:

• “The Northwest Independent Editors Guild connects clients with professional editors in the Pacific Northwest.

• We foster community among our members and provide resources for their career development”

• We are living into that mission and taking it forward into the future.

It is because of our committed members

• who volunteer their time and talents in all sorts of ways

• Editors Guild has grown from those early days in 1997 with Sherri Schultz, Phyllis Hatfield and 9 other founding members

• to where we are today — with well over 300 members.

• Thank you for all that you do!

• Also, see Mi Ae for a tour of the building if you are interested.