General Membership Meeting and Elections Make Your Vote Count

Message from the President
Sharon Telle s, CRS, GRI, LTG
2003 California State Chapter President

What an exciting year—a wonderful year for WCR. This year has brought our new branding for WCR. With this new branding has come many changes: New Logo: Women’s Council of REALTORS“ Where It All Comes Together; Articulating the WCR Brand: Who We Are; What We Stand For; Who Belongs & Who Should Join; and Our Benefits, as well as the Dimensions of  the Chapter Experience, and the New 2003 Chapter Excellence Awards Program.

In November at our National Conference in San Francisco, we will be rolling out the new Performance Management
Designation for WCR. The first new course will be “Negotiating Skills for Today’s Real Estate Professional”, which will show
you how to consistently secure the best outcomes for your clients and communicate effectively under pressure. This course
will be held on Wednesday, November 5th and Thursday, November 6th. What a great opportunity to hone your real estate
skills.

Here in California, your leadership team has been moving our State Chapter to the next level. We started off the year with our
new Website ; our Governor/District Vice President structure to give our local Chapters more support and to free up the
Governors so that we could go out and spread the wonderful benefits of WCR and to form more Chapters throughout the state.

This has been a very positive change with each of the District Vice Presidents actively working with 3 chapters. They are there as a resource for the Chapters, and the Chapters hopefully are calling on them and including them in their Chapter activities. Thank you to all of the District Vice Presidents for the great job that you are doing.

The Governors are working with the District Vice Presidents, as well as starting new Chapters. We have two new very excited chapters: San Luis Obispo and Victor Valley. In addition, there are several chapters in the works: Antelope Valley, which should be close to chartering, as well as Burbank, Santa Monica, and El Dorado Hills in addition to a couple of other requests that I have recently received requests for. Congratulations and thank you to our Governors. You’re doing great!

In June 2003, our State Chapter rolled out a new format for our State Chapter Meetings. Our meetings started off with a First Time Attendees Orientation. On Monday, we had Committee Meetings, Governor/ DVP/ Chapter Forums as well as informative Speakers such as Alex Creel, C.A.R. Lobbyst; C.A.R. President, Toby Bradley and Treasurer, Jim Hamilton,  Johanna Cunningham, and ten Chapter Round Tables. On Tuesday, we had the Governing Board Meeting. The new format was very well received by all who attended our State Meetings. I appreciate all of the many comments and suggestions on the evaluation. Your input will help us to continue to take our State Chapter to the next level.

The Casino Riverboat Cruise hosted by the Placer and Sacramento Chapters on Monday night and the wonderful Hospitality Reception on Tuesday evening sponsored by American Home Shield, Amerispect and JCP Geologists topped off a very productive meeting in Sacramento.

The Regional Conference in Tucson was incredible with all of the National Officers in attendance. The speakers were excellent and the breakout sessions very informative. Great job, Betty Taisch, Sue Cartun, and the hard working committees. Thank you to all our members who helped in any way with this Regional Meeting.

I have had the wonderful opportunity of joining many of our Chapters for their meeting and fundraisers. You all are doing such an excellent job with your Chapters. I am so proud of you. Our Fall meeting in San Diego is approaching rapidly. All of the local Chapter’s officers should attend this meeting. Sunday, September 28th will be the Opening Session, which will include a Networking Luncheon. Monday, September 29th will start with the General Session in the morning and Governing Board in the afternoon. On Tuesday, September 30th we’ll have our General Membership Meeting including the election of the 2003 State Officers and District Vice Presidents. (See the Schedule, Meeting, and Hotel Registration at www.wcrca.org). This meeting is going to follow the new format including your suggestions. You won’t want to miss the Dinner Cruise that San Diego has planned for us on Monday evening, as well as attend C.A.R’s Technology Tuesday and the Opening of the Exhibit Hall on Tuesday. November is our National Meeting is San Francisco. Make your reservations now to attend this meeting now. You don’t want to miss it.

As we move into Fall, it is a time of transition. The leaves turn colors and fall off the tree, and for the 2003 Officers, it is the time to wind up “their” year; for the 2004 Officers, it is the time to plan for “your” year—to put your “team” together, to have your retreats. During the next 3-4 month, may I suggest that you encourage your 2004 Officers and Committee Chairs to work with your 2003 Officers and Committee Chairs. This way the incoming Officers and Committee Chairs will have an idea of what their “volunteer position” is and will move forward easily in 2004. A binder with the Job Description, goals, and other information is also a great value. This time spent working together will ensure a “smooth” transition.

I look forward to seeing you at the State Meetings in San Diego and at your Chapter as I continue to visit our incredible local Chapters.

Sharon

Greetings From Your 2003 State President Elect,
Mary Jane Cambria, GRI, LTG

Each year our California state chapter grows and evolves, this year seems to be a leap of growth, we now have 1692 National members. We have 27 chapters, our newest one Simi-Moorpark and a new one about to be chartered in San Louis Obispo.

Our goal this year is to get a 4th Governor. In order to do so we need to get seven new chapters and approximately 300 new members by December 31, 2003…we can do it!

As President elect I am beginning to plan and build the leadership team for our state chapter 2004; I would encourage all local chapter president elects to do the same. Members with a working knowledge of Women’s Council of REALTORS® are needed to fill the positions of chairs, vice chairs and committee members. I am looking for members that are team players, the quiet ones who work behind the scenes, members with experience, new and seasoned members with enthusiasm.

As many of you have served as officers and worked on committees this year, you are in a unique position to see how members work ingroup situations and to discover the exceptional members; those are the ones I am looking for. Please send me their names and please include yourself if you are interested in participating at the state level and let me know your interests.

You can e-mail me at Maryjane@pacbell.net or call me at 714-593-4853.

Please send me their names and please include yourself if you are interested in participating at the state level and let me
know your interests. You can e-mail me at Maryjane@pacbell.net or call me at 714-593-4853.

We have a wonderful year ahead of us and I am looking forward to a great year in 2004

Warm regards,

Mary Jane Cambria, GRI, LTG

Budget Planning 2004
By Jean Tietgen, LTG
2003 State Treasurer

The summer will soon be over and many chapters will be conducting Fall retreats to plan for 2004. Besides brainstorming ideas for your chapter’s educational programs, the next MOST IMPORTANT planning your chapter has is your budget.

Your governing board should be determining what revenue producing events can be planned so that the chapter can fund as many officers and/or committee chairs to the State and National meetings. Depending on the size of your chapter, events should be planned that will produce the most profit with the least amount of stress on your officers and members. For example, some chapters sell raffle tickets starting in January and have drawings in June. Many times the money for the prizes can be donated by outside sources with the entire profit benefitting the chapter’s treasury.

Part of budget planning will be reviewing what happened in 2003. Look at expenses your chapter has had to see where the money was spent. Hopefully, a large portion of your funds went to sending your officers to State and National meetings. What I have experienced, even with my own chapter, is that the number of officers who attend State meetings from a chapter has a direct correlation with the growth in the chapter’s membership. Those who have a commitment to learn more about WCR and bring back the information to the chapter, seem to have a better chance of translating that commitment to their members.

In regard to the traveling officers, it should be discussed among the governing board what expenses can be reimbursed to the
officers. Depending also on the size and financial strength of the chapter, the expenses that are reimbursed can include
airfare, hotel and registration fees. Whatever is decided, this should be added to the chapter’s Standing Rules.

For other budget planning ideas, look at what events you had and design a plan for to increase the profit for 2004 if you decide to repeat the event. Take each event separately and look at how things worked out. Try adding a new fund-raising effort if things were not as successful as you hoped. Don’t forget to use the Policy and Procedures Manual and MOCA for many useful ideas.

For other ideas, call on the Governors, DVP’s and other State Officers for help in designing a strong financial base for your chapter’s 2004 Budget. If you have any questions, please email me at jean@jeantietgen.com. I look forward to helping you and your chapter with budgeting and auditing questions.

Jean

Mission Statement:

We are a community of real estate professionals creating business opportunities, developing skills for the future and achieving our individual potential for success.

Our Vision :

To be the premier organization for individual achievement.

Click here to read the WCR California State Chapter Bylaws.

VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE

California National Governors

It Been an Exciting Year

We are on the cutting edge of what I think are the best years of WCR so far. We are helping shape our WCR experience of the future. Local Chapter are being positioned as the resource center for real estate and our new designation program will highlight that in November.

With our new branding, the advertising campaign we have at our finger tips the tool on MOCA available for all members we are  positioned to build bigger and better chapter through out California.

It is with great pride that I share with you the work of some hard working REALTORS‚ members from the San Luis Obispo area. We are very close to chartering a new Chapter. Amy Gallagher and Virginia Wan and the San Luis Obispo Association EO Lisa Smith have arranged a meeting that will bring 45 or more REALTOR‚ members to a kick off meeting for WCR in their area. With the help of Susan Marshall, Emily Link and Sharon Telles we will share the WCR experience with these prospects and so look for them at the San Diego Meetings as our newest Chapter in California. Hats off to San Luis Obispo.

Hope to see you at the San Diego Meetings till then I leave you with this quote:

 "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."

*Thomas A. Edison {1847-1931 American Inventor}

Bobbie Nelson, CRS, GRI, LTG Governor

2003 California District Vice Presidents

A SHORT MESSAGE FROM

CYNTHIA CHIASSON,
STATE DVP

I can’t believe how fast this year is passing. Another great year for real estate at-large and for Women’s Council of Realtors®! The chapters I’ve been given the honor of representing as DVP are all doing very well and have had good representation at the state and national meetings. I’ve heard a lot of positive feedback from everyone about our June meetings, especially the  round-table discussions. We are all looking forward to our next state meeting in beautiful San Diego!

Cynthia Chiasson

State DVP for East Bay, Solano & Tri-Cities chapters

Some verbiage used with permission from the NAR e-PRO Internet Professional site www.epronar.com