NPPA Board Hears Of Progress Toward Goals
By Denise McGill
DURHAM, NC (July 18, 2011) – NPPA's board of directors held a mid-year meeting July 16 and 17 via conference call where the board heard updates on the organization’s activities and finances through the first six months of the year. The only actions were minor reallocation of funds for the second half of 2011. In January, the Board approved $1.245 million budget.
Executive director Mindy Hutchison said cost-cutting measures in the operating budget, along with better-than-expected advertising and membership revenue, put finances ahead of schedule so far this year. “Membership rose 3 percent over this time last year, and our ranks include over 6,500 members,” Hutchison said.
"I am encouraged that we have seen an uptick in membership," NPPA president Sean D. Elliot said. "Given these hard times it is a good sign. It is my hope that our efforts will continue to prove that NPPA membership has a tangible value in addition to the less measurable importance of the NPPA's role in the field of visual journalism."
All of NPPA’s recurring educational events turned a profit due to strong sponsorship and careful spending, the executive director reported. “Each of the event chairs made extraordinary efforts to keep costs low, and it is reflected in the profits,” Hutchison said.
The Business Blitz, a new traveling event, completed its first leg in Virginia on June 10 to positive feedback. Business Blitz is subsidized with funds the organization received from the Author's Coalition of America, and it will make four more stops across the country this year .
Planning continues to co-sponsor an event in New York City to honor the tenth anniversary of 9/11. “Witness to Tragedy and Recovery” is a being done in partnership with Pace University.
Hutchison said preliminary response is strong to the announcement earlier this month that NPPA will award five $3000 Short Grants for community photography projects.
A complete redesign of the organization’s Web site is progressing, the board heard. A Web Committee led by past president Bob Carey expects to review site redesign proposals in September.
The redesign is easily the Board’s top priority, said president Elliot. The Web site received over a million unique visits in the last 12 months. News stories and the revamped Job Information Bank received the most hits.
Tony Overman, Programs Committee Chair, reported that most of NPPA’s regional and quarterly contests are improving as far as ease of judging and quicker notification of winners.
The Best of Photojournalism Committee is reviewing the 2010 contest year and making plans for 2011. Judging for the still photographs was conducted entirely online for the first time this year, and more changes are expected.
Alicia Wagner Calzada, Advocacy Committee Chair, said the Committee continues extensive legislative and judicial advocacy efforts related to journalists rights. The Committee recently played a role in blocking efforts to restrict photography in Ft. Lauderdale and opposition to Florida banning photography on farms, as well as in getting an Anti-SLAPP law passed in Texas. NPPA is a plaintiff in a lawsuit related to the Ft. Lauderdale incident and in a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security for suspicionless searches of journalists’ laptops.
NPPA’s Advocacy efforts are gaining notoriety, Calzada said. NPPA general counsel Mickey H. Osterreicher has been quoted in numerous media stories across the country. Calzada, who was NPPA president in 2005, is now an attorney and is on retainer for NPPA.
"The efforts of the NPPA's Advocacy Committee and Mickey Osterreicher so far this year have been a great bright spot," Elliot said. "Their work continues to build the NPPA historic legacy of fighting for the rights of visual journalists."
NPPA’s budget reflects tough times in the industry. But there is consensus among board members to capitalize on the organization’s strengths. “We don’t want to shrink ourselves to greatness,” said board member J. Bruce Baumann.
Doing more with less will require an increase in volunteer commitment. Hutchison unveiled a new page on the Web site to coordinate volunteer efforts.
Board members agree that a high priority is improvement in communication with members, including improvement in social media, doing more to engage students and regions, and supporting regional Web sites.
"I want to thank the board from taking time-out from their busy summers to gather and evaluate the progress the NPPA has made so far this year," Elliot said.
The virtual meeting brought together NPPA board members on three continents. Newly-appointed director Melissa Lyttle took the Oath of Office while on assignment in Pakistan; and new director Scott Mc Kiernan was sworn in while at a conference in the Czech Republic. Directors opened the meeting with a moment of silence for photojournalists killed since the first of the year.
The Board’s annual business meeting is held each January in Durham.
NPPA Marketplace
- Insure Your Equipment
- You go where the action is….so should your insurance! Hays delivers comprehensive insurance for your gear - covering cameras, computers, editing equipment and rental.
- Join the NPPA
- NPPA members receive a wide range of benefits, from educational opportunities to mentoring, exclusive discounts, insurance options, business tips, and much more.