By Betsy Model, President
The “Whaddya Want From Us?” Survey is Under Construction and Coming Soon to Present and Future Chapter Members
Thanks to the diligence of board member Dan Vukelich, a survey is being created that will go to all existing SPJ New Mexico members – and prospective members – asking the critical question “what do you want from us?” in the coming year. Thanks to Dan asking the elephant-in-the-room question of “what makes joining SPJ New Mexico relevant to journalists in a time of uncertainty and in a sea of other professional organizations to choose from?” we are – under Dan’s efforts – creating a survey asking just that question as well as what YOU want to see out of this chapter in the coming year.
In order to start formulating the questions and the survey’s format, Dan did an impromptu twelve-person survey with past, present and prospective members and walked away with great ideas, suggestions and what appears to be the starting point for some serious questions aimed at serious results for our members. As Dan notes, “…tight budgets have led newsrooms to cut memberships and associated training for their people. An opportunity exists for New Mexico SPJ to meet individual journalists’ needs at the same time it offers a value-added opportunity for their employers through practical, relevant and low-cost journalist training at the “brown-bag lunch” level.”
With an eye to creating the kinds of programs and learning opportunities that everyone in the state can access – including via podcasts, audio files and archived workshop videos – Dan is helping the board, through you, create the content, programs and opportunities that make belonging to SPJ New Mexico worthwhile.
Surveys will be administered via email soon and the results made public soon after. If you have associates, bosses (!) or friends in journalism that you think would have their own unique take on what’s needed for them to join, please send their email address to Dan Vukelich at dvukelich@comcast.net for inclusion in the survey mailing.