Let’s Get Membershipping

By Martha Mintz, ACN President

Verbification isn’t just a fun way to terrorize your editor, it’s a fantastic way to empower nouns for greater emphasis and meaning. Take the word “membership.” You’re getting The Byline, so you are a member of ACN. But are you membershipping?

I might have membershipped a little too hard as I somehow ended up ACN president this year! As cliché as it may be, what you get from ACN—or any other organization you’re a member of—is closely tied to the effort you put in. I’ve personally gotten a lot out of membershipping in this group. As president, I’m hoping to increase awareness of membershipping opportunities and provide more avenues for every member to membership a little harder.

Daily: Social media is an opportunity to membership daily. I have taken to visiting the ACN Facebook page regularly. There I find examples of award-winning work by fellow members, important announcements—such as the Regional Workshop Nov. 6 in St. Louis, Missouri (Register Here)—and opportunity for connection through the new #ACNGrowingTogetherChallenge.

The #ACNGrowingTogetherChallenge is a new program I initiated with the goal of interacting with other members. So far, I’ve seen fantastic photos, wonderful articles, and learned things about fellow members I thought I already knew well. The posts have inspired back and forth messages and, hopefully, some professional growth. I encourage you all to visit the page and complete a challenge or two…even if they’re ones that have long passed. Give your fellow members a chance to get to know you!

Monthly: Read The Byline, the product of some dedicated membershipping by Bill Spiegel and Kenna Rathai. Within this month’s issue there’s at least one call to action for members (see the Diversity article). Getting involved on a committee or on a special project yields many benefits including connection with others, working outside your comfort zone (which is the only way we grow), and potentially having a very real impact on the organization or even the industry. The ACN Future Ag Communicators Committee, for example, is working on some truly inspiring stuff. Thank you, Ryan Tipps, Courney Girgis, and Steve Werblow for some amazing membershipping!

Also look at attending one of the Special Interest Group (SIG) online workshops or webinars. Jessie Scott is heading up the effort to bring these educational opportunities back into regular rotation. Thanks for membershipping, Jessie! If you have specialty knowledge, you can membership by volunteering to be the speaker for a SIG webinar. Or you can membership by writing an article for The Byline.

Yearly: Attend an in-person event such as Ag Media Summit or a regional workshop. Both are the result of some very serious membershipping by a long list of amazing people including, but certainly not limited to, Holly Spangler and Betty Haynes who have spearheaded the upcoming regional workshop. The education opportunities are amazing, but some of the best benefits come from those conversations in the hall or over dinner with a friend, new or old.

Like Jim Carrey discovered in the movie Yes Man, saying “yes” has resulted in tremendous personal and professional growth for me. Membershipping requires a “yes” or two even if it feels uncomfortable. I look forward to connecting with each of you as we membership our way to a vibrant professional community capable of delivering opportunity, growth, guidance for our industry, and camaraderie and support for our members.

Come find me on the ACN Facebook page. I look forward to membershipping with you!

All the best,

Martha