Ohio Counseling Association

Leadership Institute:Your Association Leadership Tool Kit

Victoria Kress, OCA Past-PresidentKara Kaelber, OCA President

Growing Leaders is Essential to a Association’s Success

Mission

Our mission was to empower branch leaders (i.e., chapter and division leaders, committee chairs) to focus their vision, and develop the knowledge and skills required to be successful leaders.

Initial Steps

• Needs survey sent to leaders• Establishing the Program focus• Establishing the program length and location • Costs• Who can attend?

Topics Covered

• Strategic Planning /Mission/SWOT

• Running Effective Meetings

• Organizing and managing association data

• Bylaws

• Motivating Volunteers• Technology and Social

Media Resources• Growing Your

Membership • Planning and Managing

Continuing Education Events

Panel Discussion Leadership from the Trenches:

Lessons Learned from Leading

For you, what does it mean to be a leader? What does “good” leading look like?

What leadership efforts are you most proud of and why? Describe a struggle you have had as a leader, and what did you learn from that struggle? What is one mistake you witness leaders making more frequently than others? What advice would you give someone going into an association leadership position for the first time? How do you motivate volunteers?

ACA/OCA Infrastructure and Leadership Opportunities

Consolidating Your Learning (small group discussions)

When you consider your future, where do you see yourself as a leader in say five and then ten years? What does your chapter/division do to grow leaders and what else can you do in this regard? After hearing the reflections today, what take-away messages will you bring back to your chapter/division? Which practical resources and information do you see yourself taking back to your chapter/division?

Summary

• 45 attendees • All reviews were positive • We challenged our chapters/divisions to take

leadership conversations back to their associations.

• Annual Event• Provided a Leadership Packet