If you’re new to PSC or looking to increase your engagement, PSC’s offerings may seem overwhelming at first, but once you unpack them, they are stepping stones to a rewarding membership experience that serves you and PSC. To help you understand all that is available to you, we recommend three critical elements to aid in successful membership engagement:  

1. Start   with   a   PSC   Membership   Orientation   or Engagement Session. They allow us to sit with you and your  team  to  officially  introduce  the  organization  and get  everyone  on  the  same  page.  An engagement  session  is equally  effective  in  reinvigorating  engagement  for  veteran members,  when  new  staff  come  on  board  or  if  you simply need a refresher.  We’ll discuss your reasons for joining PSC, your objectives, and offer recommendations on the ways you can utilize your PSC membership to engage with our community for maximum impact.

2. Getting properly onboarded, along with orientation, establishes the framework for membership engagement. A membership  orientation  outlines  the  breadth  of  opportunities for  members  of  your  team,  then we strategically align your staff to key engagement channels.  The  PSC  Membership and  Policy  teams  can  make  recommendations  for  specific committees,  councils   and   taskforces   to   help   you navigate   the   member  journey,  so  contact  us  for  support. Since  the   membership   is   corporate,   anyone   from   your organization is welcomed and encouraged to participate. But, we  recommend  organizing  your  involvement  into  key   users (C-Suite,   government   relations,   business   development,  and comms/marketing  leads)  and  staff  users  (other  interested employees  or  emerging  leaders  from  your  team).  Expanding engagement  in  PSC  to  many individuals is an important step in engaging with PSC as efficiently as possible to maximize the return on your investment. You’ll  also  want  to make sure that your personal and corporate profiles are updated with the most accurate information. PSC uses corporate-level information such as your company size and business category to develop relevant programming and communications. Updating your individual information ensures we communicate with you on topics relevant to your function and interests.

3. Communication  is   key   to   successful   membership engagement.  PSC  relies  on  members  to  communicate  their priorities and objectives to us. Many of the policy issues we address come from a groundswell of feedback we receive from you. Whether your concerns stem from a  member  service  issue  or  from  a  policy  challenge  you  are  facing,  we  encourage you  to  bring  them  to  our  attention. This opens the door for dialogue about how we can address your specific needs as well as the needs of  the  broader membership.  You  can  communicate this  your challenges  with  us  through  a  variety  of  vehicles including,  contacting  our  executive  leaders  and  policy  team members  or  by  discussing  areas  of  interest  during  your Market  and  Policy Briefing. This tailored resource allows us to address your challenges  amidst  the  budgetary,  political  and policy  drivers impacting your work with specific agencies.

The PSC staff is focused on ensuring that you receive the maximum return on your investment. As stewards of your investment, we facilitate opportunities for you to maximize participation and reinforce your partnership with PSC as your go-to association for resources, tools, and support. Activating these three elements of member engagement will go a long way in ensuring your investment in PSC returns dividends, year after year. 

This article was published in the Spring 2019 Service Contractor. Click here to view a PDF of this article.