IABC currently has 14,162 members, including 3,901 members who are part of corporate packages and 10,261 individual members. This is an increase of 422 members since April (275 people took advantage of the Join-and-Go option at World Conference, which combines membership and conference registration).

IABC is a grassroots organization. When our leaders have what they need to do their jobs, members are happy, and the organization grows. What's on your mind? Where can we do a better job of serving your needs? Please take a minute and complete this brief survey.

We'll get back to you with the results and incorporate your feedback into a strategy that meets your expectations.

Pictured above: Images from CW iPad app

Want to share the new digital CW magazine with your chapter members and prospects? Here’s how:

Web edition: For a limited time, the web browser edition of the magazine is available to the public, so feel free to share it with prospects and colleagues. A link to the web edition is emailed to all members the first Wednesday of each month.

Apps: In addition to the web edition, IABC members can access the magazine through apps for mobile devices. The apps allow you to download each issue to read at your convenience, without a Wi-Fi connection, and are tailored for each device.

iPad: An interactive CW app created especially for the iPad is available in the Apple app store. 

Apps are also available for the iPhone, Kindle Fire, and Android devices.

For detailed instructions on how members can access the apps (as part of their IABC membership), view the IABC FAQ page.

Resource: This IABC informational flyer details how to get CW, and includes links to the app stores.

Since CW went digital-only in May of this year, it has had more than 9,000 visits and 90,000 page views, with an average of 81 visitors a day. Make sure your chapter knows about this important member benefit.

IABC welcomes you to New Orleans for next year’s Leadership Institute, which will be held from 6–8 February 2014.

Cajun and creole cuisine aside, we’re cooking up a sweet deal that makes pralines and beignets look like amateurs. We’re exploring opportunities to deliver high-impact senior leadership training in advance of our meetings to add even more value to your IABC leader experience. We’d like to make Leadership Institute a highlight of your volunteer experience. Ideas? Please email Claire Watson, ABC, at cwatson@iabc.com.

Leadership Institute 2014 will be held in the center of all the action at the Loews Hotel across the street from Harrah’s Casino, two blocks from the Aquarium of the Americas, IMAX Theater and Riverwalk, and three blocks from the French Quarter.

Mark your calendar, take advantage of the opportunity to find a reasonably priced flight, and start working on those entries for the Chapter Management Awards! We’ll share more details when plans take shape.

We’re very excited about working with AwardSentry, our online provider for the 2014 Gold Quill Awards. AwardSentry will make it easier for both entrants and evaluators to participate in the program. In preparation for aligning the Gold Quill program with regional and chapter awards programs, we have negotiated a reduced fee for chapters and regions with AwardSentry. Details will be provided in the near future.

The 2014 Gold Quill Awards program is scheduled to launch in mid-September, and will offer a number of enhancements to the 2013 program. Look for more information in next month’s Leader Letter.

Our 2014 volunteer committees are hard at work on a number of fronts.

A task force researching how IABC can better support its chapters is being led by Sue Heuman, ABC. The group will include a core group of members representing diverse chapters around the world. We've heard from some members who want to be involved, but we need more. If you’re interested, contact Sue at sue@focuscom.ca by 19 August. If you are not selected for the task force, you may be asked to participate in other ways.

The task force will conduct research and offer recommendations on how IABC can more effectively support chapters globally. These recommendations will feed into the work of IABC's strategy committee focused on IABC's strategic direction.

Other international executive board committees are gearing up for a productive year as well. Priya Bates, ABC, MC, will lead a committee to research the positioning of IABC’s brand among internal and external audiences, and Karin Basaraba, ABC, leads a group gathering insights to the youth market.

The career road map committee (CRM) 2.0, led by Anna Willey, ABC, MC, and Amanda Hamilton-Attwell, ABC, is working with IABC staff to develop an online career diagnostic, and curriculum that supports each stage of a professional communicator’s career. Gloria Walker, ABC, and her team lead development of the new certification program under the CRM committee. We are making tremendous progress on that front.

The accreditation committee has processed 28 written exams in the last 60 days, and 21 new ABCs were accredited. All grading will be complete by 30 September.

IABC’s technology platforms and infrastructure are in transition, and this is causing disruptions in service. Many chapters have been unable to access the Membership Management Area (MMA). If you are experiencing problems, please email Gary Hill at ghill@iabc.com, and he will assist you. If you haven't had the chance to update your chapter leadership information, please do so at: http://www.iabc.com/leaders/bdform.htm.

We are currently finalizing details of a plan to provide enhanced support for all IABC-hosted websites that are using the WordPress platform, and will be sending information about the great benefits and improved service that will unfold over the next week. Our target date for transitioning chapter and regional websites to the new service provider is 1 September. Meanwhile, if you are experiencing problems with your IABC-hosted website, please email Claire Watson, ABC, at cwatson@iabc.com. Thank you for your patience as we prepare for this transition in service.