National Association of Professional Organizers
Washington, DC

Janet Schiesl

The turnover of the NAPO-WDC board of directors on May 15^th marks the end of my tenure as chapter president, and this will be my last blog post in this position. I hope that I have made it clear what a wonderfully encouraging, professional group this is through my posts. I hope some of you feel the same way I do – The people of NAPO-WDC are a big reason for my business success.

I’d like to thank all of my fellow chapter members who have served as board members during my term. You have made it a pleasure for me to participate, and I have learned so much from the experience. It has definitely been a situation where I have received more than I have given.

Each year at this time a new board takes over. There is a learning curve for new board members and it’s back to business for the returning ones, but everyone comes to the table with new ideas and a new enthusiasm that will lead us into the next chapter year. I am confident that the 2013-2014 NAPO-WDC board will continue to lead our chapter forward and do great things.

Once again, it has been a pleasure to serve. See you in the audience at the next chapter meeting!

If you’d like to contact our President, you can email her at president@dcorganizers.org.

Monday, May 6, 2013 @ 7pm – The Tribute Bash: A Salute to NAPO DC Volunteers 2013

$20 per member

Please direct questions to Pierrette Ashcroft at development@dcorganizers.org.

The April NAPO-WDC chapter meeting was held on Monday, April 1, 2013 in Fairfax, VA.  There were 30 members and 5 guests in attendance.

The meeting started with active networking. Members visited the Corporate Partner Meet and Greet tables hosted by Closet Factory and 1 to 1 Discovery and the Ask the Experts table.

Janet Schiesl welcomed everyone.  Maria White (in for Kimberly Gleason) introduced our 5 guests. Terri Fischer introduced our Corporate Partners in attendance:

Alonso Zamora from B-Thrifty spoke about his background and his company. B-Thrifty is more than a thrift store; they connect people in the community to distribute large amounts of donations. They are for profit, but 40% of what they make goes back into the community.

Educational Program

Pierrette Ashcroft introduced the educational program: Universal Design – Planning Ahead. Mindy Mitchell from Sun Design is a professional organizer and a certified aging in place specialist, which go hand in hand. Universal Design is about flow and function, much like organizing. The whole point behind aging in place is people’s bodies are constantly changing. This applies to the whole family – babies growing up all the way to adults retiring and getting older.

There are 7 Universal Design principles:

1. Equitable Use – useful to all abilities
2. Flexibility In Use – choice in use
3. Simple & Intuitive Use – no language barriers
4. Perceptible Information – visual, audio, tactile
5. Tolerance For Error – minimize hazards of intended use
6. Low Physical Effort – efficient with minimum fatigue
7. Size & Space For Approach & Use – regardless of body size, posture or mobility

There are 4 Universal Design concepts:

1. Barrier Free
2. Adaptable Design
3. Accessible Design
4. Visitability

Aging in place is good for multi-generational living, increases average life expectancy and can be more cost effective than a retirement community.

More information about getting certified as an aging in place specialist can be found on NAHB.org and AARP.org is a comprehensive resource with universal design checklists and more.

Chapter Business Meeting

Janet congratulated the new Board of Directors for the 2013-2014 year.

Andrea Hancock announced that all MARCPO chair positions have been filled, but she is always looking for committee volunteers.

For all those going to conference, download the NAPO app. It’s very handy!

Our door prize winner was Alisa Levy.

The night ended with lively networking.

The next meeting will be the Awards Bash held in Rockville, Maryland on May 6, 2013.

How do I like my coworkers? I love them! It may seem strange for me, as a self-employed, one-woman operation to consider the question. I’m my own boss and my own secretary, and when I delegate responsibilities, I’m really just tasking my future self. I’m making the working life of this professional organizer sound rather lonely, but I honestly can’t say I’m alone — I have my NAPO colleagues.

Getting involved in my local chapter of NAPO has given me great opportunities to work and socialize with other organizers. I seek out events and ongoing projects where I can volunteer my time collaborating with NAPO-WDC members to promote our organization. I had a wonderful time working together to create a fun and interactive GO Month presentation as part of our community partnership with Building Better Futures. We spoke with local teenagers about time management as it applies to their lives, now and in college. Another great opportunity to volunteer with NAPO-WDC presented itself when I was asked to be involved in planning MARCPO, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference for Professional Organizers. Getting involved in the marketing committee has opened my eyes up to tons of valuable skills and tools for getting the public interested in an event, so my own business will benefit from the practice I’m getting marketing MARCPO.

Without the chances to meet other professional organizers beyond the formal setting of our monthly meetings, I probably wouldn’t feel as connected to my work as part of a larger industry and body of knowledge. We ask each other questions, share our experiences, and even serve as referrals for more business. I feel so lucky to be part of a community of volunteer-minded professionals in my field.

Cecilia Anderson of Splendidly Organized developed a passion for organizing early in life. Moving around frequently, she learned countless practical ways to make life and its transitions smoother. Cecilia brought these skills to her teaching practice by keeping an organized, productive classroom. Her success in helping special needs adolescents in organization and time management has paved the path for a future in professional organizing.  You can find her on Facebook at facebook.com/splendidlyorganized.

Do you ever pass up an opportunity and then think to yourself, “Gee, I wish I’d done that?”

Sometimes a missed opportunity comes in the form of a sale, if you don’t return a phone call fast enough, for example, or a prospective client winces at your quoted price. Maybe you’ve hesitated when asked to give a presentation to a group or don’t take a job that is a little outside of your comfort zone. How does that make you feel? Less than exceptional? Sometimes relieved? Both? We all learn something when we feel that we missed an opportunity, and vow to do things differently the next time.

Coming up is the biggest NAPO opportunity of the year – the 2013 NAPO Conference and Expo! It will be held in New Orleans later this month, and there is no better opportunity for a professional organizer to learn and grow their business. Ask anyone who went to the conference last year in Baltimore, and they will tell you. I know the cost of travel is keeping some from attending again this year or maybe new members are hesitating for fear of the unknown, but I just want to take a moment to urge you to reconsider. Many NAPO-WDC members are attending the conference and will return with a wealth of information and stories to tell.

If you choose not to attend, how will you justify this missed opportunity to yourself? I don’t want you to think, “Gee, I wish I’d done that.” I hope to see you there!

If you’d like to contact our President, you can email her at president@dcorganizers.org.

Monday, April 1, 2013 @ 6:30pm

Kena Shriners

9001 Arlington Boulevard

Fairfax, VA 22031

Universal Design – Planning Ahead

When organizing for senior clients are you incorporating elements of Universal Design? Aging in Place reflects the notion of multi-generational living to support every family member, no matter what their age or ability.

Mindy Mitchell will discuss what is Universal Design and how it came about. We’ll learn what we should look for when a client is ready to adapt their home so they can age-in-place.

Mindy is a Design Consultant with Sun Design. She has more than 25 years experience as a professional organizer and uses her unique talents to see and create solutions to her client’s challenges.

Mindy has been awarded the Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS) certification through the National Association of Home Builders. She speaks, writes and lives the concepts of unique design and solution-based living and has been recognized for numerous award winning projects.

In addition to being an avid traveler, Mindy enjoys writing, holistic health and looking forward to her next great adventure.

The March 2013 NAPO-WDC chapter meeting was held on Monday, March 3, 2013, in Bethesda, MD.  There were 34 members and 3 guests in attendance.

The meeting started with active networking.  Members visited the Corporate Partner Meet and Greet tables hosted by B-Thrifty and Book Bliss Online.

Janet Schiesl welcomed everyone. Kimberly Gleason introduced our guests. Mary Malmberg introduced our Corporate Partners in attendance:

Alex Powers spoke about Junk King.  After much of the initial donating and purging has been done at a home, Junk King clears out all the remaining items. When clients use Junk King, they save money and time because they don’t have to clear out the junk themselves.  Junk King is fully insured and veteran owned.

Educational Program

Pierrette Ashcroft introduced the educational program: Dinnertime. Unscrambled. By Aviva Goldfarb, founder of Six O’Clock Scramble.

Aviva spoke about how to take the scramble out of dinner time.  Meal planning, dinner time, and grocery shopping can be a source of stress for many families.

Studies have shown the benefits family dinners give children, but the planning and decision-making around this time of day can cause stress for parents.

Aviva provided seven steps on how to go from scramble to sanity at dinnertime:

1. Keep a grocery list in a prominent place in the kitchen.
2. Look at your calendar for the upcoming week to see when the family will be home for dinner.
3. Take stock of what you currently have in your fridge and see what needs to be used before it goes bad.
4. Select the recipes for the week.  It’s good to plan for dinner every night of the week except for one.  Try to include variety to avoid boredom!
5. Update your grocery list.
6. Keep the freezer stocked.
7. Do ahead or delegate.  See what you can do in the morning or if someone else can do some of the prep.  Enlist everyone in your house to help with prep, shopping, and planning!

Aviva took questions from members on how to handle challenging dinnertime issues, such as picky eaters and getting kids to eat healthy food.  Members provided techniques that have worked from them as well.

Chapter Business Meeting

Board elections are coming up, so each nominee participated in a round table discussion to share why they want to be on the board and to take questions from members.

Are you going to NAPO National – register now!  Early bird ends March 15th!

Our door prize winner was Stephen Bok.

The next meeting will be April 1, 2013, in Fairfax, VA.

by Juli Monroe, 1 to 1 Discovery

Did you know that your social media needs will change throughout the life cycle of your business? Think about it. The various social media channels have different audiences and different purposes. So I think it makes sense that your needs would change depending on your business and its stage.

Let’s take a few examples. Facebook is an excellent tool for keeping loyal customers coming back to you. It’s also good for generating referrals. It’s not as good for reaching out to a new audience. Therefore, Facebook doesn’t seem like the best tool for a new business that doesn’t yet have an established client base. However, for a mature business, it can be excellent.

Twitter is good for reaching out to a new audience, which makes it potentially better for a new business than Facebook. However, it takes time to build a following, so again, it might not be the best place to put your time. However, are you getting ready to launch a new product or service line in an established business? Twitter might be a great tool for promoting it.

What about LinkedIn? It’s great for making new contacts, finding strategic partners and using Groups to establish yourself as an expert in your field. Sounds to me like it could be useful at any stage of business.

See how it works? You can look at the audience and nature of a social media channel and decide what it’s most useful for. Then you can look at your stage of business and your needs and map those needs to a channel. Which means that as channels change, and your business needs change, you’re ready with the knowledge to change with them.

Kind of cool? Anyone want to share how social media tools are affecting you in your unique business life cycle?

With more than eight years of networking and sales experience, Juli Monroe is a networking and business coach with 1 to 1 Discovery where she helps small business owners grow their business through effective networking and word of mouth marketing.

Juli’s approach to life and business revolves around building relationships, both in person and online. She uses Twitter, Facebook and other online platforms to maintain the relationships she makes in-person and to find new friends she’s yet to meet “in real life.”

She is excited to have published a book entitled, The Enthusiastic Networker (available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble), which helps readers find and build those relationships to support them forever. It also helps people find their unique networking presence and voice.

Our newest Corporate Partner, Juli Monroe with 1 to 1 Discovery, offers services geared to the professional organizer! As an experienced coach, Juli helps us learn how to network effectively and how to use social media well – skills that many professional organizers can benefit from. Juli offers a free first session with both Network Coaching and Social Media Coaching. Contact her today to see how she can help you take your business to the next level. Welcome, Juli! It’s great to have you!

Contact: Juli Monroe

Website: http://1to1discovery.com/

E-mail: juli@1to1Discovery.com

Phone: 571-220-1891

Facebook: www.facebook.com/1to1Discovery

Twitter:@1to1Discovery

• This year we grew our Corporate Partner Program to new heights, increasing their numbers and offering videos to them for the first time.
• We have continued to be a leader among NAPO chapters in our use of technology. We have a chapter blog, vibrant Facebook page and active Twitter feed.
• We have offered a wildly successful speaker program for chapter meetings in affordable meeting spaces.
• We set our sights high with membership renewal as well as new memberships, and we have grown in numbers since last year.

If you’d like to contact our President, you can email her at president@dcorganizers.org.