News, insights, and advice for CWEA's volunteer leaders                     

In This Issue:

How to Shine Online

Local Sections and Committees Encouraged to Have an Info Table At AC12

There's Still Time to Submit for 5S or PICK Awards

WEF Fellows Nominations due 2/1

Local Section Treasurer Training Webinar on 2/ 8

WEF Webcasts now Free

Staff Contacts


Leadership Calendar

How to Shine Online

Your website is your virtual storefront. It's one of the first places prospective members go to find out about who you are and what services you offer. Does your website welcome new and returning visitors? These days you don't need to spend a lot of money or even have a lot of tech skills to take up shop online.

Here are some tips to ensure that your website makes a good impression.

• Set the tone. Consider color schemes and fonts that are pleasing to the eye. Make sure they all match and are consistent. Content should have a nice flow and include points of visual interest. The look and feel of your website sets the tone for who you are. We want to convey that we are helpful, conversational, inspirational, informative and professional.
  
  
• Use graphics and photos. Images have a lot to say. Your graphic content should be "above the fold" as in a newspaper. This photo, image or even video is what first catches the reader's eye and draws him/her in. It also shows your point of view.
  
  
• Keep content current. Cynthia D'Amour reviewed all of CWEA's websites for our annual leadership training and her strongest feedback was that critical data such as meeting dates and key contacts were out of date. A vacant or dusty storefront conveys an inactive group. All dates, events, contacts and logos should be carefully maintained. Broken links reduce credibility. Make sure to include all recent activity.
  
  
• Include a call to action. Website visitors need to know your mission, who you are and how to get in touch with you. They also need a way to get more involved and to interact with you. Calls to action (become a member, come to an event, volunteer, learn more) give a customer that option. Include your detailed elevator pitch to get folks involved.
  

For an unbiased assessment, check out www.infusionsoft.com to receive a free first-time assessment of your website.

Next month, we'll cover social media and why sites like Facebook and Twitter matter to both young and seasoned water environment professionals.

Excerpted in part from the WEF 1/17 website webinar (see below to find out more about this free series).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Local Section and Committees Encouraged to Have an Info Table At AC12

CWEA will be hosting its Annual Conference at the Sacramento Convention Center from April 17-20, 2012.  The conference planning committee would like to invite you to have an information table at our conference free of charge.  This annual event showcases the best and brightest of California in the wastewater and water industry, offers networking opportunities for busy professionals, and provides continuing education for everyone from front-line operations and maintenance workers to engineering staff and managers.  We anticipate over 1,000 attendees and participants from public agencies, consultants, manufacturers and vendors supporting the California water and wastewater industry. Please see the invitation letter and registration form for additional information.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There's Still Time to Submit for 5S or PICK Awards

Not ready for awards season to end? Nominate someone for a 5S or PICK award.

5S - the Select Society of Sanitary Sludge Shovelers - are nominated and selected by their peers based on their extraordinary commitments to CWEA through volunteer activities. Any CWEA member can nominate another member, so submit your nominations by March 1.

PICK stands for professionalism, ingenuity, contribution and knowledge. PICKS are awarded to members in any discipline who have contributed to the collections systems committee. Nominations are due Feb. 12.

Applications forms are available at: www.cwea.org/awards.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WEF Fellows Nominations Due 2/1

The Water Environment Federation is now accepting applications for the 2012 WEF Fellows candidates. The WEF Fellows Program recognizes the professional achievements and impact members have made in the practice areas served by WEF, including — but not limited to — design, education, operations, regulation, research, and utility management and leadership.

WEF Fellows applicants and nominees will be considered by a selection committee and approved by the WEF Board of Trustees. If you or another member deserves recognition for professional achievements and have a minimum of 5 consecutive years of WEF membership and a minimum of 10 years of professional experience in a practice area served by WEF, submit an application or nomination today. The deadline to submit applications and nominations is Feb. 1, 2012. Click for more information, or contact WEF Staff Theresa Mixon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Local Section Treasurer Training Webinar on Feb. 8
 
Calling all CWEA Local Section treasurers...spend an hour, save your sanity.  Participate in a free one-hour webinar orientation to help make your job as treasurer easier.  Local Section presidents are encouraged to attend too. CWEA is hosting a webinar to help prepare CWEA local section treasurers for their terms over the next year. Even if you are not a new treasurer, or if you have attended this webinar in the past, you are encouraged to participate to learn what’s new and share your experiences with incoming treasurers.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why financial reports are so important to the proper functioning of CWEA.
• The basic budget reporting and planning requirements.
• How to use the Local Section Budget Template to submit your annual budget and monthly financial reports.
• Answers to your questions and helpful advice you would like to share with your fellow treasurers. 

How to Participate:

RSVP by Jan 25 and we will send you the agenda, logon and call-in instructions.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WEF Webcasts Now Free

Thanks to several current and future sponsors, all WEF webcasts now are offered at no cost to participants. See www.wef.org/Webcasts today to check out WEF's upcoming webcasts. February topics include Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) - If I Knew Then What I Know Now and WEFMAX - Moderating Discussion Topics.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Membership

Latasha King x 110

Awards, Publications & Advertising
Lola Dvorak  x 114

Local Sections & Committees

Chris Lundeen  x 104

Finance

finance@cwea.org x 102

Certification

Leslie Carino x 107

Conferences & Exhibits

Julie Taylor x 103