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After
a six-month process of discovery and discussion, the Press Club’s board
of directors voted on Oct. 19 to adopt a new 7-point strategic vision.
It reads:
The Press Club of the future is:
- A club for anyone interested in understanding/connecting with the important work journalists do.
- A
nimble, grassroots organization that works to connect the various other
communications communities/organizations that exist in Northeast Ohio.
- Driven more by the energy and interests of its members than by the board.
- Financially lean and self-sustaining on member dues, event fees and individual donations - rather than big-dollar sponsorships.
- An
organization that satisfies a wide range of interests by leveraging the
expertise of its members to produce frequent, timely, low-cost pop-up
events (live and/or online) that can be considered a success if they
draw 10-20 people.
- An active supporter of student journalism and related initiatives.
- Evolving
and flowing based on the desires of its members, who communicate freely
and frequently among themselves, and who feel welcome to create
initiatives of their own under the Press Club banner.
What it means
Those
seven statements outline a lot of work to be done. They recognize that
the Press Club hasn’t kept pace with the changes in the industry and
region over the past 20 years, and they seek to confront the most
important desire that arose from the discovery process: A sense of
community for the people who work in and around journalism in all of its
forms – from traditional newsrooms to non-profits to the many
one-person ventures in blogging, podcasting and other forms of
journalistic content.
From
this point on, everything the club does will be measured against the
vision. It will take years to fully realize, and it won’t happen because
19 board members come together once a month to discuss club programs
and finances.
The
vision calls on the board to focus on things that will engage more
people, and to set up processes that empower members to create their own
version of a club worth joining.
Most
of the club’s current activities – including the Hall of Fame and
Excellence in Journalism Awards – fit comfortably within this vision.
But we recognize the need to make the club more responsive to a
constantly evolving membership.
Census of journalists
As
a starting point, the board has voted to undertake a “Census of
Northeast Ohio Journalists” to identify anyone in the region who is
doing journalistic work. We envision this as an ongoing data-collection
project that can foster connections among journalists and communicators,
while creating a tool for understanding all the work this community is
doing. Over time, access to the census should become an important member
benefit, a revenue stream and a project that is emulated in other
regions.
Other
work that needs to be done will be tackled bit by bit as our capacity
increases and our vision takes shape. The board won’t be responsible for
all of this. The board’s job is to set a tone and create the tools that
allow the membership to take over.
Over
time, it will become clear how you can get involved. Getting support
from the club to create and lead your own programs will become part of
everyday business.
For
now, we need help building the infrastructure. We need people to join
the programming committee; to help improve our social media presence; to
work on the new census; to help prioritize and make possible the many
other initiatives that the new vision implies.
The Press Club of Cleveland has been around for 136 years, and with this vision we believe the best is still to come.
If
you’re interested in being part of the club’s next act, if you want to
understand it better, or if you have something to say about it, I’d like
to hear from you. Please call or write to me at bob.r@themarketfarm.com; 216-401-9342.
Rosenbaum
helps to run the non-profit Heights Observer hyperlocal media project,
and operates his own small strategic communications business, The
MarketFarm.
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