My husband became a law enforcement officer in 2016, and let's just say I spent the first few years of his career developing a deep appreciation for quality leadership and training in his field. In 2019, he became a School Resource Officer (SRO), and it has been a fantastic fit for him and our family.
An SRO is a fully-trained officer who spends most of their time in a school. Of course, safety is a large part of their role, but they do so much more. They help with safety plans, student mental health concerns, family disputes, teach in the classroom on topics such as bullying, and more. Most importantly, they develop relationships with the students, becoming a safe space for them.
Their job goes beyond what is taught to regular officers, so they need all sorts of specialized training. For SROs in Indiana, this is where INSROA, the Indiana School Resource Officers Association, becomes pivotal.
A board of SROs from across the state runs INSROA, and in 2021, my husband was fortunate enough to join the board. This has allowed him to play an active role in both the state-level and national-level conferences and trainings.
Designing a New Website
As great as INSROA was, they had one major downfall... their website. In my initial conversations with INSROA, it quickly became apparent that we needed to "burn the house down and totally rebuild." Planning to launch the new website at their summer conference, I had to push pretty hard on this one, but I am so happy we could meet the deadline.
I attended the first day of the conference to tie up some loose ends, including taking board photos, which allowed me to connect with their leadership.
The organization was thrilled with the new site! I built lots of helpful features into it, including:
Membership purchasing
Training calendar
Events and conference registrations
Sponsorship and vendor registrations
Payment systems with both online and offline options
Members-only area of the website with a directory, shared resources, and group discussion
A couple of months following the conference, I was hired to manage all their communications and many parts of their business operations. The back end of their Wix site gives me basically every tool I need for this process, including:
Managing 450+ members as a CRM
Send member emails, including designed newsletters
Create and send invoices for vendors, memberships, and event fees
Manage registrations for their large conference
And more!
If you ever consider working with me, know this - I am not okay with doing things halfway. As an Enneagram 1 (if you know, you know), I verge on being a perfectionist, especially when it comes to the work I do for other people. When I took over INSROA's management, there was a great deal of organizational cleanup. With close to 500 members, this cleanup has been a gradual process - a big ship that I am slowly turning. While there are inevitable bumps in the process, overall, I am really proud of how I've been able to come alongside this great organization and breathe life into the way it presents itself to the world. That's what a communications professional should do - make you look good while giving a positive experience to your leadership and those who benefit from your services.
Professional membership organizations are immensely vital but are typically run by volunteers who, let's be honest, do not have the time to run all aspects of the organization. This is where an online business & communications manager can be so valuable! I am eager to find two or three more membership organizations to work with, like INSROA!
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