|
|
January/February
2010
Volume 17, Issue 2
|
|
|
|
Who's Who
|
|
Board of
Directors
 President
Chantale Bordonaro, CPOŽ, CRTS
 Vice
President
Katherine Macey
310-806-2580
 Treasurer
Nicole Ballard
562-235-1908
 Secretary
Regina Lark
818-400-9592
 Director
of Communications & Technology
Susan Culligan
 Director
of Membership
Cynthia A. Smith
310-827-3705
 Director
of Marketing
Heather Furlong
805-577-8267
 Director of Profes-
sional Development
323-935-9235
 Immediate
Past President
John Trosko
323-512-7039
Coordinators
&
Committee Chairs
Education
Program Coordinator
Jean Furuya
Database Coordinator
Golden Circle
Greeter Coordinator
Christie Gelsomino
Greeters
Donna Rosman
Sasha Escandon
Kim Rocke
Historian
Christie Gelsomino
Librarian
Cindy Duffy
NAPO in the Schools
Deborah Kawashima
Neighborhood Groups
Glendale:
Robin Davi, CPOŽ
Hollywood:
John Trosko
Orange County:
Gail Gray
South Bay:
Beverly Clower
Inland Empire: Millie
Hinkle
Ventura:
Kathryn Masci
Westsiders:
Toni Scharff
New Member Orientation
Toni Scharff
nmo@napola.org
Nominations Committee
John Trosko, Chair
Leslie Haber
Marcy Melton, CPOŽ
Online Ambassador
Erin Haas
Photographers
Sara Getzkin
Donna Rosman
Silent Auction
Lenora Thomas
Visitor Liaison
Website Coordinator
Webmasters
Heidi Chianta
Claire Flannery, CPOŽ
Millie Hinkle
Shari Richardson
Kim Rocke
|
|
Meeting Information
|
|
Meeting
Attendance
Mini-Minutes
from
Board Meeting November 2009
- Avery-Dennison
confirmed as Presenting Sponsor for 5th Organizing Awards
- Board
voted on Volunteer of the Year to be announced at the Organizing
Awards
- 2008-2009
Income & Balance Sheets submitted to NAPO National Year-End
Financial Reporting
|
|
Membership
|
|
NAPO National
Membership
Annual Dues:
$200 - Active Member*
$150 - Associate-Branch
$250 - Associate-Local
$550 - Associate-Corporate
$20 - Processing Fee
*Provisional member dues are $180
plus a one-time $20 processing fee. You are an active member* if you
have completed your provisional membership year, or are a new NAPO
member with more than one year of professional organizing experiece.
NAPO National dues can
be paid online.
Proof of paid dues is required at time of joining NAPO-LA. NAPO
National submits its renewal notices directly to members on their
anniversary dates. NAPO-LA annual membership dues are renewed each
September. You can also join NAPO-LA online.
NAPO-LA Chapter
Membership
Regular Members:
Dues are prorated
quarterly by 25%.
$100 - Level 1
Yearly dues and Website Listing in the "Find an Organizer"
section of our website.
$25 - One-Time Processing Fee
$25 - Lapsed Member Processing Fee
Associate Members:
Dues are prorated quarterly by 25%.
$175 - Branch Associate Member
- operates as a local branch or regional office of a Corporate
Associate Member
$300 - Local Associate Member
- a locally-based, self-operating retailer, supplier, designer, or
independent sales representative engaged primarily in the manufacture,
distribution, and/or sales of organizational equipment, supplies, or
organizing-industry related services.
NOTE:
All members are required to sign a Code of Ethics as part
of their membership.
For more information
on becoming a NAPO-LA member, click here
For the NAPO Code of
Ethics, click here
|
|
Newsletter
|
|
The Los Angeles Organizer
Acting Editor
Acting Publisher
Susan Culligan
Proofreaders
Millie Hinkle
Donna McMillan
Toni Scharff
The
Los Angeles Organizer is published bimonthly
(January, March, May, July, September, November). The newsletter is
e-mailed to NAPO-LA members, NAPO national board members, and NAPO
chapter presidents, and is available to the public on our website. All
contents are copyrighted. All rights reserved.
Submission Guidelines
Articles: NAPO-LA members are encouraged to contribute to this
newsletter. Articles are not to exceed 500 words in length. Submissions
must be received by the Editor no later than the 15th of the month
preceding the month of publication. You may send your article as
a Microsoft Word file attachment or directly in the body of an email.
Photos should be .jpg, 72 dpi, sent with your article. All article topics
and content must be approved by the Editor. Submit editorial to editor@napola.org
Advertising: Ads must be received by the 20th of the month
preceding the month of publication. There are two types of ads
available.
Web site Link: This is a small ad containing a link to your website,
located in the left side column of the newsletter. The ad can be your
logo, a photo, or a short message. Format: .jpg, 72 dpi, 125
pixels w x 100 h.
$25 NAPO-LA Members
$35 Non NAPO-LA Members
Full Ad:
This is a large block located at the end of our newsletter. Should
provide details about your company or service, along with a logo and/or
photo. See current newsletter for examples. Format: Submit ad
copy (100 words max) as a Word document or email, and no more than one
logo and one photo as .jpg, 72 dpi.
$35 NAPO-LA Members
$45 Non NAPO-LA Members
Submit ads to editor@napola.org
|
|
|
|
NAPO-LA
CALENDAR
|
|
January 2010 - Get Organized Month
17 NAPO
Hollywood Neighborhood Group, 9am
18 New Member
Orientation, 3:30pm
18 Fourth Annual
Leadership Forum, 6:15pm
24 NAPO Orange County
Neighborhood Group, 1pm
30 Los Angeles
Organizing Awards
31 Los Angeles Organizing Awards Brunch, 10:30am
22 NAPO-LA Chapter
Meeting, 6:15pm
27 Educational
Development Workshop, 9am
22 NAPO-LA Chapter
Meeting, 6:15pm
11 Golden Circle Spring
Meeting, 12noon
21-24 NAPO
National Conference, Columbus, Ohio
|
|
President's Message
|
|
|
 by Chantale Bordonaro, CPOŽ, CRTS
Simplicity Source, Inc.
and NAPO-LA President
The
NAPO National newsletter this month reminded me how proud I am that our
chapter was where it all began. Twenty-five years is a major milestone!
The excellent articles from Beverly Clower, Ann Gambrell and Maxine
Ordesky showed me how far we, as a group and as an industry, have come.
The
great news is that NAPO-LA is not resting on its laurels. We keep on
raising the bar. This past year has been a challenging one for many of
us but change and adversity always make us stronger. Your Board
members and all of the amazing volunteers work hard every day
to make this team and this chapter one you want to be affiliated
with.
We
are starting the year with an amazing line-up.
The
Leadership Forum happening on January 18 will help to define the next
Board leaders for 2010-2011. It will also teach us how much our
individual involvement can help us to grow both individually and as a
group.
There
is an amazing buzz going on for the 5th Annual Los Angeles
Organizing Awards to be held at the Raleigh Studios on January 30. This
is our very own special event to celebrate individuals, retailers,
authors and the media that have made our business a mainstream
business.
Friends
are calling me from all over the world (no lie) and telling me they are
coming to the event! Kim Coles is really excited to host and I
cannot wait to get all "glamoured up" to walk the Red Carpet,
enjoy the excitement and see the friendly faces!
The
Task Force is putting the last details in place for the Organizing
Awards Brunch the day after the Awards. It promises to be another fun
gathering that you won't want to miss. Needless to say, I am pleased
and excited as NAPO-LA goes forward into 2010.
Cheers to another great year!
|
4th Annual Leadership Forum
|
|
|
by John Trosko
NAPO-LA Immediate Past President
and Chair of the Nominations
Committee
4th
Annual Leadership Forum
January 18th
"Dream
Big"
Presented by Lorenda Phillips, MCC
Our world has experienced intense change over the past few
years. Professional Organizing, once a cottage industry, has grown into
a viable business profession complete with certification, national and
world recognition, and operating models that were once only a dream.
Along with that big dream comes great challenge and opportunity for
leadership.
In continuing to inspire you to build a better business, NAPO-LA
supports you in providing the keys toward leadership. Whether you
choose to lead in your business, your community, or in our own chapter,
leadership is critical to your personal and professional success.
Join your colleagues on Monday, January 18, for an extraordinary 4th
Annual Leadership Forum, featuring acclaimed business coach Lorenda
Phillips, MCC. In this interactive event, Lorenda will inspire you to
dream, design and produce a great year so that more great years follow.
Whether you're a novice or an industry expert, you'll gain better
insights into how leaders bring together resources, develop strategies,
achieve their objectives and organize and pace activities.
These dynamic tools can transform you from someone who merely
understands leadership to a person who successfully leads in the real
world.
NAPO-LA welcomes you into a new decade. You now have an
extraordinary opportunity to create a new beginning and "Dream
Big."
About Lorenda
Phillips
 Lorenda Phillips, MCC, is a nationally acclaimed business
coach with more than twenty years experience in sales, marketing and
sales management. She has coached hundreds of entrepreneurs,
executives and small business professionals. In addition to coaching,
Lorenda designed and delivers courses for small business owners and
professionals including the popular "Structures for Success,"
as well as her groundbreaking "Dream Big" events in Los
Angeles.
Lorenda received her bachelor's degree from San Jose State University,
is a graduate of Corporate Coach University and is a member of
International Coach Federation (ICF). She was awarded the prestigious
designation of Master Certified Coach for ICF, and has also received a
RSP-Retirement Coach Certification from Retirement Options, Inc. Visit
her at www.phillipscoachingandconsulting.com and
www.dreambigevent.com.
*********************************
This program is
free to ALL NAPO-LA members and only $89 for non-chapter members.
Note
change of regular meeting date from the 4th Monday to the 3rd Monthday
(for January only).
|
|
2010 Los Angeles Organizing Awards
|
|
 by Linda Levine-Quackenbush
and Event Chair, 2010 Los
Angeles Organizing Awards
Happy New Year to you all.
We have finally entered the homestretch in preparations
for The
5th Annual Los Angeles Organizing Awards to take
place on January 30 at Raleigh Studios, Hollywood.
The Awards Task Force has been hard at work for months
putting together what promises to be a spectacular event. This is
a last-minute reminder for everyone to get out, enjoy an elegant and
fun-filled evening, and support our Chapter in its biggest fund-raising
effort of the year.
Along with our featured presenter, Peter Walsh, we have
presenters and attendees traveling from Canada and even Australia to be
here with us, plus a great show is planned. In addition to our
wonderful host, Kim Coles, we have two exciting vocal performances
planned - one from our very own Fay Wolf and the other from Audrey
Lavine all the way from New York. There are also lots of new
elements to the show so you won't want to miss it.
Be there to rub shoulders with the elite of our
profession, have your photo taken on the Red Carpet with local and
international organizing celebrities, and network with your peers. Also
new this year, you can be interviewed on the Red Carpet and order a
video clip from the video production company that can be
used to enhance your business. Information on ordering your
clip will be found at the registration desk as you enter.
HOME HOSTS NEEDED
With so many attendees traveling from far away we are in
need of NAPO-LA members to step up and open their homes to host our
fellow organizers. This allows organizers to travel to LA and
attend the Awards without
worrying about hotel costs. It's also a great way to bond with
new friends during the Awards
weekend and create the feeling of a NAPO family! Home
hosting is offered to NAPO members only. If you would be interested in
hosting, please contact Robin Davi at awardstravel@napola.org.
The
2010 Los Angeles Organizing Awards will culminate
on Sunday, January 31st, with a special Awards Brunch to be held at 'The
Farm of Beverly Hills'. This is a great opportunity to spend more
time with new friends and have a chance to get to know them on a more
casual level. It also provides a chance to say 'goodbye' to old
friends from out-of-town that you don't see too often. The ticket
price is $35 and tickets can be purchased online.
Finally. I would
like to thank the Board of Directors and the Task Force for all of
their continued encouragement and for supporting me as the architect of
this special event.
Hope to
see you all on the Red Carpet.
|
|
NAPO-LA Chapter Meeting
Information
|
|
by  Leslie Haber
An Organized Life
and NAPO-LA Director of Professional Development
2010
Meeting Schedule
Getting
Answers to Your Legal Questions: Client Contracts & More
Join us as attorney David R.
Masci answers the tough questions relevant to our field and discusses
the ins and outs of legal matters specific to our industry. Members are
invited to bring their own contracts/client agreements along with their
questions. In addition, members will learn the most important and
basic points required to properly manage their small businesses and
their clientele.
David R. Masci has been working
in Family Law and Probate since 1994 and was admitted to the California
Bar Association in 1996. His passion is resolving cases where everyone
involved can come to terms that are acceptable with everyone's
dignity intact. Whether the divorce is contested or
uncontested, settlement is the goal. David is trained as a
Mediator and a Collaborative Divorce Attorney and is a member of The
Coalition for Collaborative Divorce as well as the International
Academy of Collaborative Professionals. He has been on the board of
directors of the Ventura County Bar Association twice and donates time
with the Volunteer Legal Services Program as a Pro Bono Attorney. A
native of Ventura County, he still resides there with his family.
UPCOMING 2010 CHAPTER
MEETINGS
Join us in the upcoming months
at chapter meetings to include the following topics:
- Seniors: Special Needs & Resources
- Certification: What Every Professional Organizer Should
Know
- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
- Time: Use It or Lose It!
Plus more in the works covering finance, business
evaluation, ADD clients and more. Our meetings have been based on your
requests and suggestions, and we continue to welcome your ideas for
speakers and topics. Please send meeting suggestions to Leslie Haber at
professionaldevelopment@napola.org. Best wishes for a
happy, healthy and successful 2010!
|
|
Welcome
to Our Newest Members
|
|
|
 Laureen
Lazarovici
Type A Organizing
Sherman Oaks
|
|
Educational Development Workshop
|
|
|
Computer Skills
for Organizers and Clients
Presented by Roxanne Hoerning
DATE:
February 27,
2010
LOCATION: Circle
of Care Leeza's Place
COST: $99
for NAPO-LA members
Seating is limited,
so click here to register now
This class will
help you refine your computer skills to not only enhance your business,
but also to learn things that can be passed along to your clients.
If you are currently using 2007 Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and would
like to learn more tips and tricks to improve your proficiency, this
class is for you. If you have the basics down, now is the time to take
your computer skills to the next level.
In this class you will learn practical applications to integrate
Word, Excel, and PowerPoint to take advantage of the best of each. In
addition, you'll learn many shortcuts and tips to make you more
efficient.
Excel - What you will learn:
ˇ
How to create a
database in Excel for address or client listings and for files or
household inventory.
ˇ
Ways to sort, filter,
count, paste link, transpose, and use worksheets within workbooks.
ˇ
Short-cuts for
formatting and printing: set print area, update and print multiple
worksheets within a workbook at the same time, add headers and footers.
Word - What you will learn:
ˇ
How to merge data from
a spreadsheet into a Word document to create labels and letters.
ˇ
How to create forms for
surveys or gathering information.
ˇ
How to create and use
tables for better page layout.
ˇ
How to insert pictures
and clipart within text or tables and easily size and move them around.
ˇ
How to use the review
features when collaborating on a document to track changes.
PowerPoint - What you will learn:
ˇ
Take your presentations
to the next level: learn about the Slide master, automation, layout, design
and background color.
ˇ
Link data or charts
from a Word or Excel file into a presentation.
ˇ
Other uses for
PowerPoint beyond presentations, such as creating instruction pages,
signs, or binder covers.
This workshop will include both lecture and self-paced
hands-on exercises; once you understand the concepts you will be
able to work at your own pace.You will leave the class with useful
materials for future reference.
Note: You must bring your own
laptop with Word, Excel and PowerPoint (version 2007).
Click here to
register
is extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic when it comes
to utilizing technology to create efficient, time-saving processes to
automate and track information. She founded her company, You Can be Organized,
in 2009 to enable her to branch out beyond her current role in
corporate America. She has 25 years of technology and marketing
experience and has done hands-on computer training and process
documentation throughout her career. Although new to NAPO, she is
excited to get involved with other organizers to learn and share
experiences.
|
|
|
|
Golden
Circle
|
|
 by Ann Gambrell
and LA Chapter Area Golden Circle
Liaison
I was
impressed one evening years ago when I heard Donna McMillan speak on
personal appearance and how it affects our personal and business success.
She quoted Mary Kay Ash of Mary Kay Cosmetics who said, "Look
successful and you will become successful." Both Mary Kay and Donna
should know.
Along with those
inspiring words, I would like to add the importance of professional
demeanor or behavior. A good place to start and to practice is at our
monthly NAPO-LA chapter meetings. The meetings are an excellent place to
"rehearse" a 20-second commercial regarding you and your
business. It is also a perfect opportunity to practice "working a
room" as you would in a business gathering, a networking group or in
almost any situation, including riding in an elevator or standing in line
at the supermarket. As an entrepreneur you are marketing yourself in
every situation because you never know when a potential client may
appear.
Along with
behaving professionally is dressing appropriately. Yes, you may
specialize in organizing garages or clearing clutter from attics, but
when you want to impress possible businesses or certain clients, you do
not dress in sweats or jeans...even if that is your usual working attire.
I have networked with plumbers, contractors, housecleaners and garage
mechanics. None of them showed up to business or networking groups in
their working duds. No, they didn't appear in Armani suits and ties or
expensive corporate business wear either. They were simply dressed in
appropriate business casual attire, and I was impressed with their
professionalism.
At our monthly
meetings you may not be looking to impress future clients per se, but you
might want to think about impressing other organizers who may have a need
to hire you as an assistant or to offer a client referral. Attending the
NAPO National Conferences keeps me constantly aware of the
professionalism in our industry. I may have a need to refer a potential
client to an organizer in another state or country. I want to make a good
referral for my client, friend or relative and an organizer's
professionalism, along with their knowledge and ability, will influence
my referral.
Another reason for
professional demeanor in our chapter meetings is that we have new and
potential organizers visiting each month. It is our responsibility as
chapter members to provide a professional environment for their visit.
Why? Because we want them to know we are serious business owners and we
would like them to be a part of our industry and association.
After all, we are
the National Association of Professional Organizers. And we may never get
a second chance to make a first good impression.
Mark your
calendars for Golden Circle's 2010 meeting schedule:
Saturday,
January 16
(Host:
Lynne Gilberg, CPOŽ, CPO-CDŽ; Co-Host: Donna McMillan)
Sunday,
April 11
(Host:
Nancy Miller; Co-Host: Toni Scharff)
(Host:
Claire Flannery, CPOŽ; Co-Host: Rosalind Lakomy)
Sunday, October
17
(If
you would like to Host/Co-Host this meeting, contact Ann Gambrell.)
FAMILY
INFORMATION CENTER
Establish
an information area in the kitchen or wherever the family phone is
located. Set up files including To Pay, To File, Events, Invitations,
School Rosters/Schedules, etc. Sort incoming mail into these folders.
Also set up files for Restaurants/Take Out & Delivery, Household
Appliance Warranties, Medical and First Aid, and family activity
center.
Submitted by Esther
Simon, The
Traditional Organizer
Don't
move all your possessions to your new home assuming that you will sort
through them later. It's a lot less work and much more cost efficient to
eliminate and donate unwanted
and
unused items before you pack. Then group similar items
so they will be packed and unpacked together.
Submitted by Rosalind
Lakomy, Clearing
Space
|
|
Members in the News
|
|
|
 Immediate Past President, John Trosko, OrganizingLA, was
featured in the November 2009 issue of Better
Homes & Gardens in an article entitled, "Closet
Personality: Shoe Lover." The article also mentioned NAPO-LA
Associate Member The
Container Store, along with a number of other
national organizing product companies.
Claire Flannery, CPOŽ,
Simplify,
was interviewed on KLBC
radio in November by Ann
Negendank, owner of Sensible
Space Organizing Services based in Long Beach. Ann's program,
"All Things Organized" is a weekly talk show on everyone's
favorite subject: How to get and stay organized.
Heidi
Chianta
of Your Project
Manager, Inc. was on the "Ulitmate Mommy Makeover"
team awarding one South Bay Mom a complete transformational make-over
from plastic surgery to wardrobe styling. Your Project Manager brought in
a personal chef to prep a week's worth of meals following surgery, and
also helped organize the family's scraproom/playroom. The
transformation, filmed over a six-month period, was featured at a
coming-out event benefiting Community's
Child and Visual
Impact Now, two non-profit organizations in our local
community that care for homeless and needy children.
Member Regina Lark, A Clear Path, is
LA's "Organizing Examiner" on Examiner.com, an Insider Source for
Everything Local. If you like to write about organizing and
de-cluttering, contact Regina at regina@aclearpath.com
and she will post your article, bio, and photographs to her weekly
column.
|
|
CD Support Group
|
|
|
 by Jean
Furuya
Educational Development Committee Coordinator
If you work consistently with chronically disorganized clients,
you are invited to participate in an informal support group.
Tuesday, March 16, 6pm - 8:30pm
Topic for discussion: "Goal Setting with our CD
Clients"
We will also spend time sharing our individual
issues and experiences with clients.
A simple pot luck is planned.
Limited to 12 attendees.
To RSVP or for more information, contact Jean Furuya.
Email: cdsupport@napola.org
|
|
NAPO
Los Angeles
|
|
Mission
Statement: NAPO-LA is an organization dedicated to bringing Southern
California area organizers together through networking, education,
professional growth, industry updates, support and public awareness.
NAPO-Los Angeles
PMB 134, 10573 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90064
Phone 213-486-4477
|
|
The National
Association of Professional Organizers, Los Angeles Chapter (NAPO-LA) is
a legal entity separate and distinct from NAPO, Inc. (the National
Association of Professional Organizers) and is not entitled to act on
behalf of or to bind NAPO, contractually or otherwise.
For questions on our disclosure policy, please contact our Chapter
President.
|
|
|
