Case Studies
Joint Programming

The San Francisco Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (SF/IABC) and the Printing Industries of Northern California (PINC)

The San Francisco Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (SF/IABC) and the Printing Industries of Northern California (PINC) have developed a mutually-beneficial partnership. Documented in a short written agreement approved by the boards of both associations, this partnership allows these complementary associations to profile their services to each other's members without incurring any significant costs or risks. The result is a value-added benefit for both memberships.

Evolution of the partnership. PINC's membership is comprised of 1,000 printers. An additional 300 designers, print buyers, and marketing communications professionals (individuals and small companies) are members through PINC's California Design and Media Associates subgroup. Among its many member benefits are a range of classes and seminars offered through the Graphic Arts Institute. PINC wanted to expand its reach to other, related organizations whose membership might be interested in attending these programs. With a membership of more than 250 communications professionals, SF/IABC was a logical target for outreach.

With 15 different partners, PINC clearly has a strong partnership orientation. It was with the intent of forming a partnership that Bob Davies, the staff person in charge of membership for PINC, contacted Diane Fraser in 2002. At that time, Diane served as Board President of the all-volunteer SF/IABC. Although PINC initiated the partnership discussion, SF/IABC was no stranger to collaborative efforts with other professional associations. As Fraser says, “ We have a collaborative mindset. We have good working relationships with other professional organizations. We seek to provide added-value to our members by sharing information and co-sponsoring programs .” With this shared focus on providing value to their members, the development of a formal agreement for the partnership was relatively easy.

Benefits. Through the partnership, PINC sends announcements of upcoming classes and seminars for posting on the SF/IABC website. PINC also has access to SF/IABC's mailing list for specific purposes, and only when approved in advance by SF/IABC. Both organizations' members can attend each other's meetings at the discounted member rate. PINC has offered its facility, as available, to SF/IABC at no cost as a meeting venue. The organizations also link to each other's websites.

Challenges. Davies commented on the reality of working with all-volunteer organizations: “ Things don't always happen as fast as one would like .” Fraser commented on the need to protect members from too many mailings. This is a difficult balance to strike—providing members with useful information without overwhelming them. So far, the partnership seems to have found a good middle ground.

Outcomes. Both Fraser and Davies believe the partnership has been valuable. “ It's working very well ,” stated Fraser. “ PINC offers classes that we don't, but that are useful to our members. The partnership has been good for marketing. For example, PINC let us have a booth at their annual trade show. We met potential members, and it was great for networking .” Fraser went on to say, “ In any partnership, it is important for there to be a logical connection. For us, there is a good connection and no significant overlap in services .” Davies concurred: “ The partnership is a good extension for us. There is a lot of synergy between the two associations. ”