Membership meeting May 9 focuses on committees, Member-Get-a Member Program
National Press Club President Myron Belkind gave a shout-out to the Club's committees and committee chairs at the Club's general membership meeting May 9, calling them the ``backbone'' of making the Club a place where members want to be.
For example, he said, Jerry Zremski, chair of the Speakers Committee has lined up speakers for the next three weeks including Florida Senator Marco Rubio and Donald Trump; Fay Ludicello, who runs the Travel Committee, oversaw a trip to Vietnam and Myanmar, with members or their guests accounting for almost all of the participants; and the Awards Committee, chaired by Will Lester, took the application process online for the first time this year, resulting in an 18 percent increase in submissions.
Good events are also a draw, Belkind said. He pointed out that he Club hosted its most successful Kalb Report ever on April 17, with Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Antonin Scalia as guests.
The Club had a great Meet the Press Club night on April 23 with almost 40 members, most of whom were new, Belkind said.
Treasurer Thomas Burr called on members to help bolster the Club's business by attending events and bringing friends to the Club for dinner or a beer. He reminded the membership that good business means good programing.
``Our mission is to foster free press worldwide and promote journalism, Burr said. ``You should be helping us with that.''
The Club ended the first quarter in the black, according to Burr. Snow, he said, was the Club's worst enemy this spring, forcing several events to be rescheduled. However, the Club never closed -- not even when the government did.
NPC has zero long-term debt and reserves of about $2.2 million, and is working to build on that, Burr said. A new sales team, led by Brian Taylor, will be working to boost the Club's business, he added.
A key component of Club business is membership, and the outlook for 2014 is good, Membership Secretary Marc Wojno reported. While the Club started the year with 3,226 members and now has 3,217, the number of new members being inducted is up by about 10 members a month, compared with previous years. The Club is seeing improvement in the young-member, new-member, and spouse categories, Wojno said.
Last but not least, Wojno mentioned the president's Member-Get-a-Member challenge. Beyond the joy of bringing in a friend or respected colleague, he said, there are prizes. By recruiting three or more members, Club members can get a mention in the Wire and win an NPC lapel pin.
The Club member who brings in the most new members this year will win $500 gift certificate. Second place is a $200 gift certificate and third place is a $100 gift certificate. Check out the website for further details.