Building nation-wide value for CBA membership

by Caroline Nevin

On Sunday, May 3rd and Monday, May 4th, the Canadian Bar Association did something very unusual in the world of association management; we brought together the entire organization’s staff for a two-day Summit of information-sharing,brain-storming and relationship-building.

The Summit was a culmination of a year’s preparation and development, involving volunteers from staff throughout the organization, and with the enthusiastic support of the National Finance Committee and Executive Officers at the National and Branch levels.

When the world economy was shaken, we knew that this event was going to be even more important. We believed it critical to bring all CBA staff together to combine our collective ideas, energy and resources to build the strongest possible value for CBA membership in tough economic times.

For many of the 147 attendees, who serve our 38,000 members across this huge country, this was the first time meeting others with whom we’ve had long-time email and phone relationships. For some, it was the first time meeting any other CBA staff at all. From the one-person operations in the three territories, to the 40+ people in the Ontario Branch, this was a huge opportunity for all of us to figure out how to share strengths, ideas and experience, to provide more value to individual CBA members.

The Summit’s theme was “Staff Without Borders/Personnel Sans Frontières.” Our whole focus was on how to remove any barriers to building a nation-wide value proposition. The objectives were to:

• Deepen understanding of the roles and challenges of CBA staff across the whole organization.
• Enhance relationships between all staff, as a basis for improved collaboration and organizational effectiveness.
• Identify and address current impediments to working together.
• Take an important step in building an internal culture of cooperation, collaboration and mutual respect.

As an example of something practical for members, we intend to provide access to CBA Branch and National online Continuing Professional Development programs regardless of where you live or where the program is being delivered. That’s a huge value for our members – think about it: 365 days of access to legal education all across the country, delivered by experts in the area, and accessed by any lawyer, anywhere. At about $55 a month or less (and yes, we do offer monthly payment plans!), CBA membership gives you great access to Canadian CPD at a time when it’s now mandatory in B.C.

On the staff side, we are developing a Staff Extranet, where staff who work in functional areas (e.g. Member Services, Membership, Professional Development, Administration) can share best practices, ask each other questions, and post resources for everyone to use. There is no greater power than the sharing of information, and we want to “amp up” that power to bring greater value to every single member, every single day.

The idea behind the Summit was to have each participant leave with a clear idea of who we all are, where we are going, and how we can build on one another’s strengths to deliver exceptional value. Without question, that objective was fulfilled. I look forward to seeing the fruits of the Summit roll out over the next 12 months, and I invite you to provide your ideas and input at any time.

This article was published in the June 2009 issue of BarTalk. © 2009 The Canadian Bar Association. All rights reserved.