By ACN Association Comms SIG Co-Chairwoman Rachel Peabody
On May 11, 2022, I shook hands and had my picture taken with the President of the United States.
U.S. President Joe Biden smiles with members of the Illinois Soybean Association
during a stop in Kankakee, Illinois on May 11, 2022.
ISA Director of Communications and ACN Member Rachel Peabody stands
just to the right of President Biden during the photo opportunity.
(Courtesy: Illinois Soybean Association)
I’ve tried to sit with that statement for a bit. It was anything but just another day at the office. And in a nutshell, that’s really what my career in association communications has been. It’s rarely just a routine day. It’s board meetings and on-farm video shoots, and it’s often agency meetings and magazine editing. Somewhere in the middle of all of that, there’s excitement in knowing that truly no two days will ever look the same.
When the association communications needs are high, and the team is often small – how does one keep a young, talented young professional engaged in a culture that centers around a fast-paced, no two days the same, high-touch member services model? I do not have any secrets to how that is done, and feel like many times I’m trying to answer that question myself. But what I do have is experience leading a talented young team through the daily demands of association communications and here are some things that work for us:
Remembering employee sellback: At ISA, we speak the words “producer sellback” almost daily. It’s important that farmers are communicated the value they receive from their checkoff and membership investments. But I challenge us as a community to think about employee sellback, too. The work we do matters. It impacts a farmer’s profitability. We bring needed educational programming, support cutting edge research and help facilitate connections with global soybean buyers around the globe – and we do it because it matters a great deal to the farmers we serve. Helping young employees see that all of their work matters is a great tool for building engagement and keeping them invested in their work.
Building the network: As a person who has worked in and out of agriculture, and who entered association communications 8 years into my career, I can confidently say that the networking opportunities I’ve received in this segment of the industry are second to none. I promote the rich programming opportunities of organizations like the Agricultural Communicators Network because it’s not only the education, but the network we gain when we support young employees to get involved in professional development groups. Having rich professional development opportunities, and encouraging employees to take full advantage of these opportunities shows our team that we are invested in their career success.
Creating lanes of opportunity: As stated above, association communications to-do lists are often long and the demands are high, and it all equates to opportunity for young professionals. In the association comms setting, you can get writing, design, public relations, event planning experience and more. It’s an environment where young talents can hone in on a variety of skillsets and gain a lot of experience very quickly. Recognizing where each employee excels, and then creating opportunities for them to capitalize on those strengths, makes for both good managers and good employees.
ACN Member and Illinois Soybean Association Director of Communications Rachel Peabody
stands at the presidential podium on a farm in Kankakee, Illinois.
U.S. President Joe Biden visited the farm to unveil plans to increase domestic fertilizer production
and incentives for double cropping soybeans and wheat.
(Courtesy: Illinois Soybean Association)
I’m lucky that my career path landed me rather unintentionally in association communications, and that I’ve been able to grow as an employee, and now supervisor, in that setting. There’s a sense of adventure in this industry, and in knowing that endless opportunities and once-in-a-lifetime kind of experiences are all within reach. May we never forget that there’s a special magic in what we do, and not be afraid to help the next generation see it, too.
Rachel Peabody is the Director of Communications for the Illinois Soybean Association.