Benefits of Partnerships and Marketing for Growth of IECA
Over a year ago, IECA President Philip Handley called to ask me to chair a task force that would support the board and IECA staff to effectively initiate partnerships and developing relationships with other organizations including, but not limited to, other non-governmental organizations, universities, and governmental agencies. The task force would create a set of questions and yardsticks for those partnerships and relationships.
The primary idea in establishing the criteria for decision making by IECA is to evaluate who we develop external relationships with, what IECA gets out of the partnership, and what IECA provides or shares with the partner.
As a result of these guidelines, IECA now has a clear picture of how to proceed working with universities and others in a “give and take” relationship that will provide mutual benefits. As we learn from each other, IECA acquires a new and improved forum to demonstrate the value of IECA membership, IECA education courses, the value of networking, and continuing education training through our organization. Environmental Connection 2014, which offers new educational courses, plus up-to-date product information, demonstrations, and practical field applications, is just one of the IECA products that have achieved wider dissemination through partnerships.
IECA Live is another benefit that brings education and training directly to partners or individual companies, which in turn brings more credibility to the company and makes it more feasible to stay current and in compliance with EPA guidelines.
All of these approaches, partnerships, wide-ranging access to educational opportunities, and networking are now part of IECA’s new marketing strategies. IECA’s new marketing manager, Laura Felux, and newly elected board member, Craig Benson, along with Director of Education Jimmy Eanes form a dynamic marketing team. Our strategy was to reach out to a list of like associations to help with marketing efforts. IECA’s marketing team was pleasantly surprised when it received many positive responses, the most significant response being to help promote IECA’s eLearning and Environmental Connection conference. We now give more efforts to other related fields and groups and their potential marketing opportunities.
Placing more emphasis on new and improved marketing relationships, our products will give IECA a chance to expand its reach, bring top-notch education to more people in the industry and beyond, and grow our profession with such offerings as the CPESC, CISEC, CPSWQ, CESSWI, and CMS4S Exams and Review Courses at Environmental Connection conferences. If you are involved with other organizations and would like to learn more about these opportunities, contact Laura at mailto:[email protected].