The importance of joining a NAPO chapter

21 June 2021

Five years ago I wrote a post on the value of joining a local NAPO chapter for professional organizers. Since then, I rotated off the board of NAPO-St. Louis and joined again this year. So it seemed like a good time to update this article. After being an active member of NAPO-St. Louis for fifteen years, I still wholeheartedly believe in its value!

If you’re a professional organizer, I hope you’re lucky enough to live where there’s a local chapter of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals. And if you do live near one, I hope you’ve joined it!

When I started Peace of Mind Organizing® in 2005, the first thing I did was join NAPO. The second thing would have been to join NAPO-St. Louis, except it didn’t yet exist. Thanks to the hard work of others, the chapter was established in 2006 and I was lucky enough to be a founding board member.

Through the last 15 years I’ve remained involved with the chapter, serving on the board for the first six years of its existence, then taking three years off before joining the board again for another two-year stint from 2015-2017. After four years off, I rejoined the board this year as Director At Large. So clearly I’m invested in the chapter.

Here’s the pandemic-style photo collage of our members from the chapter website. This is a terrific group of people.

Why do I devote so much time and energy to the chapter? Because it gives so much back to me. Here are a few of the benefits of chapter membership:

Camaraderie. For new and veteran organizers alike, the opportunity to spend time with like-minded people sharing advice and experiences is invaluable.
Leadership experience. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be as good at leading my organizing teams or managing my business if I hadn’t had the experience of being president of the chapter from 2008-2010 (and again from 2015-2016). It helped form the kind of leader I’ve become.
Education. NAPO-St. Louis meets in person 11 times a year and the chapter’s programs are really valuable. (Since May 2020, we’ve been meeting on Zoom but look forward to going back to in-person meetings.) We use both outside speakers and have programs presented by chapter members—there’s an amazing wealth of knowledge among our membership! The chapter also makes conference recordings available to its members as a membership benefit. (I’m certain this is a common chapter benefit.)
Visibility. All chapter members are listed on the NAPO-St. Louis website, giving them another exposure to prospective clients.
Referrals. When chapter members receive inquiries from clients they might not be right for, they’ll sometimes send them to me. And vice versa.
Client resources. We have nine Business Partners of NAPO-St. Louis and I refer clients to them all the time. I can also look for resource recommendations from fellow members of the chapter on our online forum. The chapter makes me a better resource for my clients.
Business development. My business model focuses on providing organizing teams. I have one employee, and the rest of my team members are independent contractors. All my team members are NAPO-St. Louis members. I’ve made membership in NAPO-St. Louis a requirement for my independent contractors, because, to my way of thinking, membership shows professionalism and a dedication to their businesses. I want to use contractors who are in it for the long haul. (Some of my independent contractors have been working with me for 13 years!) I can assure my clients that all my team members abide by NAPO’s Code of Ethics.

I honestly don’t know where my business would be without NAPO-St. Louis, but I’m pretty sure it would not have grown like it has. If you’re a PO or an aspiring PO I urge you to get involved with your chapter. It will reap huge dividends!

If you’re a NAPO member who doesn’t live near a local chapter, I urge you to check out the NAPO Virtual Chapter. If you’re a member of a NAPO chapter, please feel free to comment on what you get out of your chapter!

Tagged with: napo, napo st. louis, professional organizer