RNIA: Are You Connected?

Issue 5, 2007 • Are You Connected?

We thought it best to share with you the progress we're making in our early formative stages:

STEERING COMMITTEE

Until a full Board of Directors is formed, it was decided that a Steering Committee serve as an interim governance body. The Committee is made up of the following members:

• Jay Deragon, Link to Your World


• Mike Fesler, KMA Capital Partners, INC.


• Adam J. Kovitz, RNIA


• Norm Myers, eFirmM


• Margaret Orem, Execsolution, Inc.

The Committee has accomplished the following over the past few months:

• Completing incorporation of Relationship Networking Industry Association, Inc.


• Filing for 501(c)(6) Status


• Launching www.RNIA.org, the main RNIA website


• Launching RNIA's online community, thanks to Founding Member Sossoon.net and Jay Deragon


• Adoption of RNIA's Vision, Mission and Objectives


• Finalization and adoption of RNIA's Bylaws (available on the RNIA.org site Bylaws)


• Developing Board Procedures and an Operations Manual


• Initial Fundraising Strategies


• Initial Budget


• Developing RNIA's Founding Member Program


• Developing Membership Dues Structure


• Develop CBOK Group Initiatives.

Over the next few weeks, the Steering Committee will be putting its full attention on:

• Developing and recruiting a fully-functional Board of Directors of at least 7 members


• Continuing fundraising efforts, and


• Continuing other recruiting activities.

CBOK GROUPS

Margaret Orem of Execsolution, Inc. and RNIA Founding Member has agreed to serve as CBOK Coordinator for RNIA. Margaret will be working with all Group Leaders and Advisors to ensure consistency of product produced and report to the Steering Committee on group progress.

Filling the gap of Employment Group Leader, now that Margaret Orem accepted her new position, is Patrica Diver of McMaster University.

The initial fourteen CBOK groups have been reworked into ten:

1. Collaboration, led by Dan Garvin (Seamless, LLC) and Ron Sukenick (Relationship Strategies Institute)


2. Customer-Product Relationships, led by Chuck Dennis and David Hall


3. Education, led by Dr. Sue Barnes (Rochester Institute of Technology, Social Computing Lab)


4. Employment, led by Patricia Diver (McMaster University)


5. Member-based Organizations, led by Scott Forcino (ProRealEstateCity.com)
   
6. Metrics, led by Chris Kuelzow (Zybic, Inc.)


7. Organization as a Person, led by Matthew Best (Best Solutions)


8. Principles (formerly "Practices"), led by Rick Weaver (Multicultural Business Council)


9. Relationship with Self, led by Tia Carr Williams (Amodus Consultants), and


10. Technology-Driven Platforms, led by Jay Deragon (Link to Your World)

Several of the groups have begun their regular conference calls and started seperate Wikis for more collaborative online work. Currently, each group has been tasked with developing five areas of improvement in their respective areas (50 in all). Margaret will be collecting these and disseminating to the RNIA Community.

Over the next months, the groups will be recruiting new members as they develop intiatives (up to five per area of improvement). The ultimate goal for each group is for the CBOK groups to continually produce best practices and recommended procedures.

WHAT CAN I DO?

Successful growth and expansion of RNIA depends upon its voluteers. Here are some suggested ways to forward a seamlessly-driven Relationship Economy:

1. Get involved with one or more CBOK Groups - this is where all the action is! Join with other thought leaders as you take part in determining the future of the Relationship Networking Industry.


2. Tell your friends, co-workers and associates about RNIA - using the populistic and viral nature of the internet, RNIA desires as many interested parties as possible. Whether you work for an industry giant, are a thought leader, are passionate about relationship networking or just want to be part of this new and exciting industry, WE WANT YOU!


3. Share your thoughts and ideas with the Community - RNIA is about YOU. We want to hear from you. Do you agree with the current direction of the CBOK Groups? Do you have ideas for areas of improvement that were missed? Let us know and let your voice be heard.


4. Become a Founding Member - our Founding Member program has been extended into the Fall Season. All Founding Members receive the following:




• One or more years of paid membership


• Your name or company name, plus live web link on the Founder's Board of our main website


• Permission to use "Founding Member of RNIA" in all promotional materials


• For more information about the Founding Member program, contact Adam J. Kovitz at (215) 945-3411 or by emailing Adam.Kovitz@RNIA.org.





5. Pay your Membership Dues this Fall - for all others using the RNIA Community. We will be collecting membership dues this coming Fall Season. More information to follow.

IN CLOSING

We're in a rapidly-changing world. There are ever-expanding, yet more confusing ways to connect than ever before. Our hyper-networked youth and technological advances are forcing an internet society that is akin to the US's "Wild, Wild West" of the 1800s. Offline networking is not that much better and just as confusing.

Corporations, big and small, are working to make sense of this new world while end users do the same and are caught up between knowing they need to network but not knowing the best ways to do so. Our schools have still not developed the best ways to teach relationship and team building.

Isn't it time, we worked to change this?

RNIA

New world, new rules, new economy

Adam Kovitz

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RNIA: Are You Connected?