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But it was two chapters deep in the heart of Texas-Chapter of the Year winner AMA Houston and 1^st Runner Up Dallas-Ft. Worth as well as one chapter—Cincinnati AMA—who came back for the second year in a row to nab the 2nd Runner Up spot—that stood above the crowd.

This year’s Chapter of the Year, AMA Houston, First Runner-Up AMA Dallas-Ft. Worth and Second Runner-Up AMA Cincinnati all exemplified true excellence, commitment and creativity. 

The AMA recognized the Houston Chapter as the 2008-09 Chapter of the Year for its exemplary accomplishments in the areas of leadership, membership and programming.  “This year’s competitive field was highly impressive, particularly given the impacts of the economy.  It was great to see so many chapters rise to the challenge, successfully leading their chapters to elevate the profession of marketing in their areas,” noted Christine Mathers, Professional Chapters Council member and 2008-09 CEA chairperson.

The Dallas-Fort Worth chapter was named 1^st runner up for the first time, and the Cincinnati chapter was named 2^nd runner up for the second year in a row.  All three top scoring chapters will receive a monetary award and podium banner.

The CEAs were established in 1974 to recognize local AMA chapters for outstanding achievements in leadership, membership and programming.  Judging of entries was completed over a three-day period by a panel of past-presidents of award-winning chapters and members of the AMA Professional Chapters Council.  The Chapter of the Year is awarded to the chapter that receives the overall highest score.

 2008-09 Chapter of the Year

A frequent visitor to the AMA’s CEA winner’s circle, the Houston chapter returned again this year to capture the Chapter of the Year award.  The chapter describes their experiences in 2008-09 as overcoming the “perfect storm”.  This turned out to be figuratively and literally true as Houston was struck by Hurricane IKE which caused more than $28 billion in damages to the region followed, of course, by a severe national recession.  The chapter had a crisis plan in place to address membership and programming challenges it would face in the year.

Key Houston Chapter Achievements Include:

• Exceeded member acquisition goal by 17%
• Exceeded revenue goal by 49%
• Enjoyed event growth of 32%
• Increased committee volunteerism by 12%
• Exceeded monthly luncheon attendance goal by 36%
• Exceeded SIG revenue (cash sponsorships) goal by 200%
• Launched an integrated community strategy which included increasing Facebook group membership by 1082% (39 to 422 members), growing LinkedIn group participation by 219% (173 to 378 members) and increasing the number of Twitter followers to 1,800+.

In order to thrive, and not just survive in these challenging times, the Houston chapter crafted a crisis plan that helped guarantee its success.  The chapter helped prepare for the storm by addressing the economy as a specific agenda item for the chapter’s Board Retreat, drafting a detailed chapter plan (and budget) that included stretch goals and documenting processes and procedures as well as internal communications available to board members via Intranet access.  In fact, after greatly enhancing the board intranet (which was 100% sponsored), board adoption of the Intranet increased 40% and productivity jumped 30%.

The chapter was able to effectively weather the storm by anticipating its possibility.  “In past years, we factored in the possibility of a hurricane after seeing the devastation Hurricane Katrina caused to the New Orleans chapter,” noted 2008-09 Chapter President Sherri Scott.  “This resulted in our Chapter Reserved Fund with liquid assets equal to 100% of our annual operating expenses and our Opportunity Fund consisting of excess revenues set aside to allow us to take risks on new initiatives.”

The chapter also reached out to its local distressed community.  Within 48 hours of Hurricane Katrina, the chapter established a National Hurricane Relief Fund in conjunction with the AMA Foundation which raised $1,500 in individual donations.  Houston AMA also created an online matchmaking service for members who were in need of resources or who had needed resources to share. 

To help its members recover from the challenging times, the Houston chapter also made a commitment to increase networking opportunities, enhanced content resources in its LinkedIn site, offered a social media/speed networking workshop, hosted a Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast and increased the number of volunteers by 3%, in part, due to two successful Volunteer Fairs.

Most significantly, while other professional organizations were reducing or eliminating member events, the Houston chapter increased theirs with the recognition that members needed professional development opportunities more than ever.  Average luncheon meeting attendance increased and an entire SIG program was developed to help marketing professionals learn about and navigate the challenging job market.  

First Runner-Up:  Dallas-Fort Worth

Like the Houston chapter, 1^st Runner Up CEA Winner Dallas-Ft. Worth was ready to program its GPS for a journey through some challenging times.  According to 2008-09 President Paige Johnston, “Our member survey indicated a constant challenge our members face is convincing others in their companies of the critical value that marketing delivers, so we knew our programs had to provide more knowledge and tools with which to deliver results, as well as reaching out to the larger DFW community to expand awareness of what we offer.”

Building on the strong foundation set by previous Boards and a shared vision, the chapter programmed its GPS to guide it to its ultimate destination. Using the chapter’s strategic plan and budget as its roadmap, Dallas-Ft. Worth settled on a GPS theme for the year to reflect its increased focus on technology (Telecom, Mobile Marketing and New Media SIGs) and operational efficiency.

Key Dallas-Ft. Worth Chapter Achievements Include:

• Created a Volunteer Life Cycle System, with a volunteer database, forms and tracking system used to match the needs of committee chairs with the interests of volunteers
• Established a new Past Presidents Council to assist and mentor leaders
• Expanded volunteer appreciation efforts to include a Volunteer of the Month, Volunteer of the Year and Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon
• Increased member acquisition rates by 11.86%, earning 1^st Place in the chapter’s size category for the Spring Membership Campaign
• Reached out to area CMO leaders and recruited 12 new members for the CMO Roundtable
• Hosted a record 58 events with more than 2,450 attendees (120% of goal), with an average Event Satisfaction Rating of 88.4%
• Increased LinkedIn Group participation from 350 to 1,400 members and created new Twitter and Facebook sites

As they programmed their chapter GPS for success, the Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter learned a number of valuable lessons including the importance of recruiting more volunteers than needed for unexpected tasks, practicing effective people skills to deal with potholes quickly and effectively, developing reliable processes and support systems, and celebrating successes along the way,

Second Runner-Up:  Cincinnati

High energy characterized the Cincinnati chapter which garnered a second runner-up win in this year’s CEA competition.

Despite facing recruitment and retention challenges, the chapter continued to build on its legacy as a growing, dynamic chapter. Backed by a strong base of volunteers, dynamic programming and a stable financial situation, the chapter and its board demonstrated innovation and creativity in addressing the changing economic environment.  Among its many achievements, the Cincinnati chapter recorded its highest cash reserves due to sponsorships and overall financial management. 

 Key Cincinnati Chapter Achievements Include:

• Hosted 109 events (a 67% increase) with luncheons generating an average 125 attendees
• Established a chapter milestone of record cash reserves of $52,174 exceeding 2008-09 profit goal by 5%
• Enhanced board and volunteer appreciation with “Energizer of the Month” program
• Expanded CMO Roundtable membership to 23 members
• Increased cash sponsorship dollars 33%
• Hosted profitable events such as the first Digital Marketing Summit, annual Golf Outing and 2^nd Annual Marketer of the Year event
• Expanded SIG program from 4 to 8 shared interest groups, including the creation of a new Non-Profit, International and Job transition SIGs
• Created a new brand image to present a fresh, up-to-date identity in the community
• Implemented online registration to chapter website and hosted a “Blog and Beer” training event to launch the chapter’s new blog
• A new Director of Social Media directed the chapter’s social media activities which resulted in 390 Twitter followers, 331 LinkedIn members and 197 Facebook fans

The AMA congratulates all 2008-2009 CEA winners including those earning awards in the Leadership, Membership and Programming categories as well as the Continuing Excellence category.  All winners will be formally recognized at the 2010 Leadership Summit to be held in Chicago, April 23-25, 2010.