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February 2010
Greetings, everyone!
Brrrrr! It’s cold out there.....but I have some great things to share with you that will give you the warm and fuzzies.........
In looking at the stats for our PA membership – comparing September, 2009 with January, 2010 – we’ve been able to grow the PA membership by 24 members..........that’s a little more than 6% of positive growth! Kudos, PA!
Add to that the benefit of half dues that is now available (as of 1/1/2010) and I BELIEVE that we will see our number continue to grow over the next 30 – 45 days..........great job, PA! Keep up the good work!
And the last chance to sign up those prospective members (at half price) to qualify yourself for that free registration to national conference makes the deal even sweeter........but hurry, as the contest ends February 15!
There is a lot of great stuff that our council chairs are putting on the council website to keep the associations updated and informed......so please be sure to visit the site regularly to stay in the loop. And don’t hesitate to pass along anything to any of us on council that your association may want to share..........communication in PA is what it’s all about!
Conference calls with all of the PA associations are continuing......check the Conference Notes section on the council website for updates
NEXT CONFERENCE CALL
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19 @ NOON
TOPIC: EDUCATION
Call co-hosted by our PA Council Education Chair, Barbara Miller-Nelligan
Please be sure to invite your association’s education chair to join us on the call
Dial-in number: 800-908-2848 Enter # 1500022 when prompted
And now a word from our committees.......
Technology The January conference call centered on Technology. I was able to share information regarding our website and the importance of timely and accurate information. We added another tab entitled Education to our home page. It includes a listing of educational opportunities offered by our associations. I want to update our Photo Album with current pictures. Please email photos with activity, date and names so I can add them to our site. Our contract with Here's the Pitch will end in June. We would like to get bids from other vendors before deciding who to award the contract too. If your association uses another vendor or has any suggested vendors, please forward their contact information to me. My email is susan.shober@encompassins.com. Susan Shober, AIM, CPIW, DAE, SCLA Technology Committee Chair susan.shober@encompassins.com
Education I want to extend a big “Thank You” to those who responded to my request for information about educational opportunities being offered by the local associations. If it’s not already, that information will be posted on the PA Council Website – www.naiw-pa.com. As a result of this sharing of information, we’ve learned of three local associations who are offering “Confidence While Communicating” this spring. There are also some NAIW short programs being presented. Please keep up the good work. If you haven’t sent me any information yet, it’s never too late, so e-mail me any time. In this newsletter there is a Lending Library List of Programs that the Council makes available to the local association at no charge! This program allows local associations to save money by borrowing the instructor manuals instead of purchasing them. Call me if you’d like more information. I’m working on a “How To” for local associations to offer educational opportunities to their members. Stay tuned for more info on that… Barbara Miller-Nelligan, CIC, CISR, CPIW Education Committee Chair bmillernelligan@phlyins.com
Legislation The PA Council of NAIW will hold a Day on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, May 4th. We will all meet at Vince Phillips office and he will coordinate our day. An email will follow with the details, cost and a registration form. Hand-held cell phones banned from roadways – Harrisburg - Police could pull over and fine drivers for texting behind the wheel or using a cell phone without a hands-free device under a bill that passed the state House 189-6 on Tuesday, 1/26/10. The House-passed bill makes violations a “primary offense”, which means officers can stop motorists for violations without needing some other reason to pull them over, with a $50 fine. It is not clear how the bill will fare in the Senate, but last July they approved a bill to outlaw sending text messages while driving. The following are excerpts from the Insurance Agents & Brokers of PA Agent Headlines newsletters: Portion of sprinkler mandate now effective All newly constructed townhomes must have sprinkler systems as of Jan. 1, 2010, and all newly constructed single-family homes must have them as of Jan. 1, 2011. The regulation was approved by the Independent Regulatory Review Commission in December 2009.
What this means to producers: In addition to a likely higher replacement cost for new homes, members should keep this rule in mind for existing insured townhomes — and, starting next year, single-family homes. Should they be damaged and need to be rebuilt, these properties would be subject to the new requirement. That's where the "ordinance or law" and "increased cost of compliance" coverage come in. The Pennsylvania Builders Association plans to fight the regulation in Commonwealth Court. IA&B will keep members updated on the status of the challenge, as well as provide more information on what this new requirement means to agents.
Sprinkler mandate, part II: ordinance or law exposure Last week we ran an Agent Headlines article on Pennsylvania's new sprinkler-system regulation. Here we focus on "ordinance or law" and "increased cost of compliance" coverage. The new sprinkler-system mandate (effective Jan. 1, 2010 for townhomes and Jan. 1, 2011 for single-family homes) leaves the potential for insufficient coverage on existing homeowners' policies. That is where ordinance or law coverage comes in. IA&B developed an online resource on ordinance or law exposure. It covers the following: an overview of the coverages (including an article by Jerry Milton), a synopsis of the latest sprinkler-system mandates, a look at how it affects existing and new business and a link to a sample ordinance or law letter for insureds. Access IA&B's ordinance or law exposure resources
Patsy Lachat, AAI, CPIW Legislation Committee Chair
Public Relations
Public Relations Chair Survey
1. Monitoring the Press for insurance news and reporting that news to your association
2. Internal communication-how do you communicate with your members ie Newsletters, Email, phone _________________________________________________________
3. Do you use T. V. free advertising for non profit organizations for listing your monthly meetings and events? _______________________________________
4. Are you involved with updating your organization’s website and if so , please explain? _______________________________________________________________________
5. What other methods of advertising do you use to engage non-members to attend Business meetings? ____________________________________________________
6. Is your organization involved in Philanthropic community projects? And if so, please list them____________________________________________________________________
7. Do you support other insurance associations and promote your association within those Organizations? ___________________________________________________________
8. Has your association sponsored a State Council Day and if not, would you consider putting in a bid in the next year?
9. Has your association sponsored CE Classes? _________________________________ CWC Classes?________________________________
10. What can State Council do to help you in all of these areas?_____________________
_____________________________________________________________________ Below is the NAIW Local Public Relations Chapter from the Comprehensive Manual Please let me know how many areas of this you follow.
Public Relations Committee The members of this committee are • a chairman (appointed by the local president) • as many members as are necessary to accomplish the goals of the association The chairman of this committee needs to have strong writing & oral communication and visual concept skills.
The primary responsibility of this committee is to promote good public relations for the internal and external activities of the association. For the association purposes, public relations are defined as the judicious communication of internal and external performance so as to gain public acceptance, recognition, and esteem.
Some local associations require this committee to handle the NAIW Week celebration and conduct the Communicate with Confidence course. If so, consider establishing a separate subcommittee or task force for each duty.
The Public Relations Committee must closely interact with other association committees to ensure the accuracy and impact of the relayed message. This committee should publicize all of the following to inform the community and the industry of the concern, dedication, and professionalism of NAIW (International) members: • sponsored education courses • membership drives • safety projects initiated • community focus on Partners in Literacy • industry focus on Prevention of Cyber Crime
Please respond to this on or before February 27th, 2010. Your responses will be collected and shared with all 16 associations in Pennsylvania.
Alexis Adamchik Public Relations Chair
In NAIW friendship,
Peggy Zanotto
Believe... in you... in NAIW
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Certain areas of this site have been updated on: March 5, 2010 Contact Technology Chariman for questions or updates pertaining the content of the site. Website created and maintained by: Here's The Pitch, Inc.. Please contact Webmaster with any problems relating to the site.
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