Robinson Receives Jackson Award/DYN Gets Summit

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Bishop Gene Robinson was awarded the 2012 Patrick Jackson Award at the chapter’s annual meeting November 15 at UNH’s Franklin Pierce Law Center in Concord.

Established as the Yankee Award in 1988, the Patrick Jackson Award recognizes a professional who is not in the public relations field but nonetheless successfully uses public relations principles to benefit his or her organization and society. The idea of the Patrick Jackson Award is to recognize excellence in the practice of public relations and acknowledge the recipient’s proven track record of building relationships that earn trust.

Gene Robinson is the Ninth Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire. Widely recognized for his work on civil rights for gay, lesbian, and transgender people; he is also a known advocate for debt relief, socially responsible investment, and access to healthcare. He initiated “Fresh Start,” a two-year mentoring program for all clergy in new positions in New Hampshire, and co-authored the Fresh Start curriculum, now in use in nearly half of the dioceses of the Episcopal Church.

The 2012 Summit Award
Dyn, the world leader in Internet infrastructure-as-a-service, was given the chapter’s Summit Award for excellence as well. The annual Summit Award recognizes excellence in a specific area of focus, which varies year-to-year. The 2012 Summit Award recognizes excellence in the engagement of employees as ambassadors as an integral component of an organization’s public relations philosophy.

Dyn (pronounced “dine”), based in Manchester, was recognized for believing in the value of employees as ambassadors, applying this philosophy to nearly every aspect of their operations. Rather than simply relying on their sales force or marketing team, they see every single employee as an ambassador of the Dyn brand: in product and culture.

Chapter Leaders Wanted

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Each year, dedicated volunteers step forward to help lead Yankee Chapter PRSA. Serving on the board of directors or a committee is a prominent leadership opportunity within the public relations industry in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. Yankee Chapter’s Nominating Committee is authorized by the chapter Bylaws to present chapter membership nominees for the slate of officers, which the chapter votes on at the annual meeting.

This year Yankee Chapter seeks to fill the following board positions:

  • President Elect (three-year commitment)
  • Secretary (term expires 12/31/13)
  • Treasurer (term expires 12/31/13)
  • Assistant Treasurer (term expires 12/31/13)
  • Director (term expires 12/31/14)
  • Director (term expires 12/31/14)

Strong boards need exceptional leaders. Yankee Chapter’s Nominating Committee encourages dedicated members to consider and volunteer for the open positions, as well as to lead and serve on various committees.

If you would like to nominate yourself or another Yankee Chapter members, please contact Susie Stone, chair, Nominating Committee at susie.d.stone@gmail.com or 207-662-4840.

2012 Awards Program Announced

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Yankee Chapter seeks entries for the 2012 Summit Award and nominations for the Patrick Jackson Award – Deadline October 1

The 2012 Summit Award recognizes excellence in the engagement of employees as ambassadors as an integral component of an organization’s public relations philosophy.

Employee engagement has long been a public relations tactic for internal communication. Employees as ambassadors takes this one step further and empowers engaged employees to publicly communicate key messages and foster important external relationships on behalf of the organization. When executed properly, an employee as ambassadors program can be a highly successful brand management strategy.

The award winner (individual, team, or business) will be recognized for positively impacting the organization’s reputation through effectively engaging employees as ambassadors. For more information go to the SUMMIT AWARD APPLICATION.

The Patrick Jackson Award recognizes a professional who is not in the public relations field but nonetheless successfully uses public relations principles to benefit his or her organization and society. The purpose of the Patrick Jackson Award is to recognize excellence in the practice of public relations and demonstrate a track record of building relationships which earn trust.

In light of the fact that an organization’s success in relationship management often is a result of a team, the award may recognize the head of an organization or movement, or, if appropriate, an organization (for-profit or not-for-profit) which exemplifies the principle of sound public relations. For more information go to the PATRICK JACKSON APPLICATION.

Congratulations To New APRs

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Congratulations the Yankee Chapter’s newest accredited members: Jane Law APR, director of  communications at
New Hampshire Housing, Mary Ellen Hettinger, APR, communications manager at Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains, and Terri Rosenstock, APR, public relations coordinator at King Arthur Flour.

SNHU Student Awarded Bradley Scholarship

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Jennifer Samson, a junior at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) and a resident of Attleboro, Mass., has been awarded the second-annual James H. Bradley Memorial Scholarship by the Yankee Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.

“The James H. Bradley Memorial Scholarship was established to honor James (Jim) Bradley, a founding member of the Yankee Chapter who passed away in 2010,” said Yankee Chapter President Tara Payne. “The Chapter is proud to recognize Jim’s contributions to the profession of public relations by helping future professionals achieve their goals.”

At SNHU, Samson is pursuing a major in communications and a minor in public relations. She is vice president of the Media and Design Club and works for the University’s athletics department. Samson has been recognized by university faculty for her enthusiasm and strong work ethic.

Bronze Anvil Award of Commendation to King Arthur Flour

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Congratulations to Yankee PRSA member Terri Rosenstock of King Arthur Flour, who received a 2012 PRSA Bronze Anvil Award of Commendation in the Press Kit/Media Kit category for her King Arthur Flour Recipe for Success Press Kit.

Loeb School Offers Workshop on Producing Newsletters

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The Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications is offering a workshop on creating effective newsletters.

The day-long session on June 15 will cover identifying an organization’s readership, planning content, editing, principles of good design and the differences between newsletters for print and e-mail. It includes hands-on exercises.

The workshop is designed for anyone who produces newsletters for businesses, schools, agencies or non-profits. The goal is to help produce newsletters that serve the readers’ and the organization’s needs and that readers will look forward to receiving.

Exercises will help students identify successful design and layout concepts, however, this is not a workshop about how to use particular desktop publishing software.

The instructors are New Hampshire Bar Association Communications Director Dan Wise and award-winning newsletter designer and producer Lorraine Cline, founder and president of Cline Design, LLC, in Andover. At the Bar Association, Dan manages the organization’s member communications – in print and online – and its public outreach efforts. Cline, in partnership with David Wood, produces Construction Break, a newsletter service that serves more than 100 construction firms in 41 states and Canada. Dan and Lorraine have led workshops on editing and design; this is their first teaching collaboration.

The workshop is being offered on June 15, from 9 am-3:30 pm. Fee: $45, includes lunch. To register, call 627-0005 or go to www.loebschool.org.

New Chapter Bylaws

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To all Yankee Chapter Members:

Thanks to all the members who took time out on December 15 to attend the Chapter’s special meeting and pass the proposed changes to our bylaws! It was great to see so many of you there. Those in attendance asked some good questions and, after discussion, passed the bylaw changes by unanimous vote! Thanks also go out to the bylaws committee for their work on this necessary process. The committee consisted of Tara Payne, Susie Stone, Bob Lindquist, Gail Winslow and myself, Jane Law.  Thanks as well to Gail for providing a great explanation of the view from National on some of the bylaw changes being proposed. The new bylaws are available on our Links page.

PRServing America

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“PRServing America™” highlights the pro-bono work undertaken by PRSA’s professional and student Chapters, Sections and Districts to strengthen and preserve the local communities in which they live and work. Campaigns entered in the awards program will be featured on the PRSA website and in PRSA publications, and used to create white papers, webinars, conference break-out sessions and other learning opportunities that explore the research, planning, execution and benefits of the campaigns.

Entries in this new awards program will be due by April 1 of each year. Submissions will be judged by members of PRSA’s District Council in five areas: planning/content, originality, resources, results and potential to advance the profession. Winners will be announced at the PRSA Leadership Rally in June. Prizes will be awarded to the PRSA communities responsible for creating the winning programs. This is a great opportunity for your Chapter to earn recognition for giving back to the community in ways that are unique to the public relations profession!

Please see the entry guidelines for complete program details.

National Dues to Increase

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At the Leadership Assembly in Orlanda, Fla., on October 15, delegates voted to increase the cost of PRSA (National) dues in the regular membership category by $30 to $255 annually. The proposal passed by a nearly 4-to-1 margin (209-to-53). It is the first time in 10 years that PRSA has increased the cost of membership.

The dues increase will go into effect for individuals who renew or initiate PRSA membership on or after Jan. 1, 2012.

Members who renew (regardless of their renewal date) or initiate PRSA membership by Dec. 31, 2011, will still receive one additional year of membership at the 2011 base membership rate of $225. This rate may not be used to pre-pay multiple-year memberships.

For more information go HERE.