Banner LA Organizer

July/August 2008                                                                                                           Volume 15, Issue 5
In This Issue
President's Message
NAPO-LA Chapter Meeting Information
New NAPO-LA Members
Special Member Announcements
Ventura County Community Service Project
Golden Circle
NAPO in the Schools
NSGCD Annual Conference
CD Support Group
Educational Development Committee
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Quick Links
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

Who's Who

 
Board of Directors
 
President
John Trosko
323-512-7039 
president@napola.org
 

Vice President
Jodie Watson
818-590-7800 
vicepresident@napola.org
 

Treasurer
Josef Csongei
213-422-0765 
treasurer@napola.org
 

AbbeyKeuschHeadshotSecretary
Rosalind Lakomy
310-625-4154 
secretary@napola.org
 

Kathryn MasciDirector of Administration
Kathryn Masci
805-300-2876 
administration@napola.org
 

Director of Communications & Technology
Susan Culligan
661-713-3723
technology@napola.org
 

Director of Membership
Chantale Bordonaro
310-600-2601 
membership@napola.org


HeatherFurlong Director of Marketing
Heather Furlong
805-577-8267 
marketing@napola.org


Leslie Haber1Director of Professional Development
Leslie Haber
323-935-9235
professionaldevelopment@napola.org


Immediate Past President
Chris McKenry
323-525-0678 
pastpresident@napola.org

 
Mini Board Minutes

June 2008
  • The new Board Member term started in June for 2008-2009.  Guests at the meeting included the President and Vice President of the NAPO-San Diego Chapter.
  • Organizing Awards sponsorship packages have gone out in the mail.
  • California now has 4 chapters, the newest Chapter is Sacramento.
  
Coordinators &
Committee Chairs
 
Associate Members
Barb Schmit
 
Database/Directory
Heidi Chianta
 
Educational Development Committee
Jean Furuya
 
Golden Circle
Ann Gambrell
 
Greeter Coordinator
Christie Gelsomino
 
Greeters
Jennifer Birner, Elizabeth Butler, Leslie Haber, Charlotte Mathews, Barbara Ricketts
 
Historian
Christie Gelsomino
 
Librarian
Cindy Duffy
 
Meeting Assistant
Beth Florida

NAPO in the Schools
Deborah Kawashima

New Member Orientation
Jean Furuya, Ann Gambrell

Photographe
Sara Getzkin

Volunteer Coordinator 
Abbey Keusch
volunteer@napola.org

Website Coordinator
Susan Culligan
technology@napola.org
 
Webmasters:
Heidi Chianta, Claire Flannery, Carol Hogg, Katherine Macey, Kathryn Masci

 

Volunteers

 
Volunteers of the Month

February: Fay Wolf

March: Sara Getzkin

April: Abbey Keusch

Volunteers of the Year
2007 Volunteer:
Cary Brazeman
2006 Co-Volunteers:
Kristine Oller and Claire Flannery
2005 Volunteer:
Deborah Kawashima
2004 Co-Volunteers:
Dee Saar and Laurie Clark
Membership

Membership Report

June Chapter Meeting
44 Members
14 Visitors
58 Total Attendance


NAPO National Membership

Annual Dues
:
$200 - Active Member*
$150 - Associate-Branch
$250 - Associate-Local
$550 - Associate-Corporate
$20 - New Member One-Time 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.

$165 - Level 2
Yearly dues, all meeting fees (with discount) and Website Listing in the "Find an Organizer" section of our website.
(This Membership option is only available from October 1 through December 31.)

$80 - Level 3
Same as Level 1, but for members who live 50 miles from the West Side or from ZIP Code 90064.

$25 - One-Time New Member Processing Fee
$25 - Lapsed Member Processing Fee


Associate Members:
Dues are prorated quarterly and are reduced by 25% each quarter.
$150 - Branch Associate Member - operates as a local branch or regional office of a Corporate Associate Member
$250 - 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.

 
Associate Members

ClosetSolutionslogo
Custom Closet Systems
Email Barbara Howell
310-294-0155



ConejoClosetsLogo
Custom Closet Systems & RotaBob
Email Fred Gallegos
805-373-9991



EsselteLogo
Office Organization Products
Email Barb Schmit
714-328-7973
   

GarageEnvyLogo
Custom Garage Systems
Email Cary Brazeman
310-205-3590


ClosetSolutionslogo
Furniture Assembly
Email Heather Ross
310-776-0933


GarageEnvyLogo
Custom Garage Systems
Email Gus Gougas
818-232-7683

ScanDigital
Photo Scanning Services
Email Anderson Schoenrock
888.333.2808  


ClosetSolutionslogo
Onsite or Offsite Storage
Email Peter Given

818-365-3408



SteriCleanLogo
Extreme Cleaning Services
Division of Crime Scene
Ster-Clean LLC
Email Tammy Chalmers

888-577-7206

The Los Angeles Organizer

The Los Angeles Organizer

Newsletter Staff

JenniferBirner
Editor: Jennifer Birner
 editor@napola.org


BethZeiglerHeadshot
Assistant Editor: Beth Zeigler assistanteditor@napola.org


AbbeyKeuschHeadshot
Publisher: Fay Wolf, publisher@napola.org


Proofreaders:
Claire Flannery
Sheila McCurdy
Toni Scharff
 
Submission Guidelines: Published six times per year (January, March, May, July, September, November). All articles are copyrighted. All rights reserved. Submit text to the Editor as a Microsoft Word file or type directly into email message; attach images as jpeg files, 72 dpi.
Deadline: All articles must be received by the 1st of the month of publication.

Advertisements: Ads appear as icons on an html page and include a hyperlink to your website. 
Ad Size:
125x100 pixels
Ad Price:
$25 Members, $35 Non-NAPO Members

Coupon: This feature allows the advertiser to provide 50-75 words of text, for a more detailed description than the sponsor link.
Coupon Price: $35 Members, $45 non-NAPO Members

Submit camera-ready art as jpeg files, 72 dpi, to the Publisher.
Deadline: All art and payments must be received by the 1st of the month of publication. Payments to be arranged with the Treasurer at treasurer@napola.org.

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NAPO-LA is not responsible for the products and/or services advertised.

Visit our Advertisers:

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NAPO-LA CALENDAR

July
12 Westside Neighborhood Group, 1:00pm
13 Hollywood Neighborhood Group, 9:00am
13 Ventura County Neighborhood Group, 10:00am
19 Golden Circle Meeting, 11:00am
28 Board Meeting, 2:45pm
28 Chapter Meeting, 6:15pm

August
9  EDC Financial Workshop (see article below)
25 Board Meeting, 2:45pm
25 New Member Orientation, 4pm
25 Chapter Meeting, 6:15pm
 
September
6  Westside Neighborhood Group, 1:00pm
7  Ventura County Neighborhood Group
8  Inland Empire Neighborhood Group
9  CD Support Group, 6:00pm
14 Hollywood Neighborhood Group
22 Annual Organizing Expo, 5:30-8:30pm
25-27 NSGCD Annual Conference
 
President's Message
AbbeyKeuschHeadshotTravel This Summer With
Business In Mind


By John Trosko
President, NAPO-LA

Summer is definitely here. So is summer travel and (for some) what could be known as a slow-down with clients traveling too. But a lazy-hazy summer doesn't mean you should put marketing on the back burner. Why not take advantage of your travels, and visit a far-away city's professional organizing colleague, or stop by a sister city's NAPO Chapter meeting? It makes good business sense.
 
When I travel, I always try to connect with other organizers I've met online, through the NAPO National Chat, or while visiting National Conference. This past month when I was on the East Coast, I made plans to attend the New York City NAPO Chapter meeting. I have to tell you, I was treated like royalty when I stepped off the train in Penn Station.  A quick email beforehand to the area Presidents (the New York City and Central New Jersey Chapters are very close to each other) mentioned my visit to the Big Apple. I was met for an informal dinner with Chapter members from the BCBO Board and NAPO National Board. All were eager to get to know each other, and learn a bit more about organizing on different coasts of the country.
 
Following dinner, I attended the New York City Chapter meeting. Held on the 20th floor of a high-rise at 8th Avenue and 35th Street, over 40 members participated in the lovely meeting. Their meeting was just as colorful and professional as ours, somewhat different, but the outcomes were the same: education, networking and business building. Laura Leist, NAPO National President-Elect, was our featured speaker and talked for about an hour on NAPO's strategic mission. I rubbed shoulders with the likes of Linda Rothschild (former President of NAPO National, and LA Chapter remote member), Donna Goldberg, Karen Koedding  (a visiting Australian Professional Organizer who relocated to Sydney from Manhattan), former New York Chapter Presidents Ann Bingley Gallops and Janine Sarna-Jones, Ellen Palestine (NAPO National Director), and the incoming NY President, Diana Soll. Many of our New York City colleagues have visited our meetings and attended our events. I was so impressed with their spirit and their dedication to the profession.

NAPO-NY Meeting June 2008







  
 






Pictured (l-r): Nancy Heller (NAPO-NY Vice-President), Ann Bingley Gallops (NAPO-NY Immediate Past President), John Trosko, Diana Soll (NAPO-NY President), Laura Leist (NAPO National President-Elect), Linda Rothschild (former NAPO National President, former NAPO-NY President and current LA-Chapter member) and Janine Sarna-Jones (NAPO National Director and former NY President).

Following the New York City Chapter meeting, about two dozen members and I joined together for a post-meeting reception at a nearby restaurant (open 24 hours a day of course). There, we exchanged stories and business cards. I casually built up interest in the 2009 Los Angeles Organizing Awards, and several members wanted more information on joining the Los Angeles Chapter as their businesses takes them to LA on occasion.
 
My point in telling you of my travels is simple. Take business advantage of your travels. Check to see if there is a local NAPO chapter meeting happening in the location you'll be visiting. Even if you're not planning on going far, there are three excellent chapters relatively close by (San Diego, San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento). Send the President or Membership Director a message announcing your visit. Ask for ideas on how to meet with your colleagues for drinks, dinner or some simple summertime activity. Don't be afraid to talk about business and include yourself. Work up a referral relationship if and when opportunities come knocking. This simple investment can pay off in friendship, and your bottom line.
 
NAPO-LA Chapter Meeting Information

Welcome to Our 2008-2009 Board!

Awards08Volunteers

Pictured (l-r), front row: Chris McKenry (Immediate Past President), Susan Culligan (Director of Communications and Technology), Chantale Bordonaro (Director of Membership), Josef Csongei (Treasurer) second row: Kathryn Masci (Director of Administration), Leslie Haber (Director of Professional Development), Jodie Watson (Vice President), Heather Furlong (Director of Marketing), John Trosko (President), Rosalind Lakomy (Secretary).


Leslie Haber

"Kudos" from Last Meeting
From Leslie Haber
Director of Professional Development
Ready, Set, SAFE!
I wish to send a heartfelt "THANK YOU!" to our June chapter meeting speakers! Mark Levy (aka "The Mold Guy"); Lauralee Asch, Crime Prevention Coordinator for the Santa Monica Police Department; and our own Sascha Escandon of REHABITAT. They provided valuable information on safety in the home, with our clients, and out in the streets. I've been doing Sascha's stretches at home (and even with some of my clients!), and have even signed up for the June08Meetingcomplimentary "Krav Maga" self defense class provided by Officer Asch. Mark Levy, The Mold Guy, provides a line of green cleaning products worth looking into. Visit his website, www.TheMoldGuyInc.com, for further information. I was delighted with the positive feedback on the meeting, and members got a kick out of the safety whistle gift. Thanks again to our gracious volunteers, Mark, Lauralee, and Sascha, who helped create a great kickoff to summer. See you in July! 
 
 
Upcoming Chapter Meetings
From Leslie Haber

Director of Professional Development

 
July 28
21 Tips from Business Professionals
 
Join us on Monday, July 28 when we meet seasoned business experts from the fields of finance and marketing who will offer practical, economical, and proven tips to apply to our businesses.  Whether you are new in business, or an experienced veteran of the industry, these smart and sensible tips offer the chance to grow, improve, and add value to your existing business.  Don't miss this opportunity to build your business and learn from the pro's.
 
August 25
Topic to be announced
 
 
 
Silent Auction Information

July Auction

Chantale Bordonaro
CPO®
Simplicity Source

Chantale B1Chantale Bordonaro is a Certified Professional Organizer and the founder of Simplicity Source operating in Los Angeles and San Francisco. She is a relocation specialist and a professional organizer who followed her passion to make people's lives simpler. 
 
Chantale's organizing and business skills originated from 21 years of sales, marketing and management experience working for several large movie distribution companies.
 
Newlywed and still living apart from her husband six months after the party, she decided to move from Los Angeles to San Francisco in 2003.
 
That made it move #26 for her. Two weeks later, Simplicity Source was born.
 
By now she has moved 29 times and with the help of her teams of independent contractors and vendors, Simplicity Source has helped over 200 clients (21 moves so far this year) through this life-changing experience. Chantale and her teams also love to organize garages or anything that has to do with residential team projects.
 
She believes moving and organizing can be fun as well as an opportunity to create behavioral changes. She has been called a life and a marriage savior by many of her clients as she minimizes stress and helps them save time so that they can focus on the important things in life.
 
She currently serves on the NAPO-LA Board as Membership Director as well as the BCPO committee for Professional Organizer certification. 
 
Other Professional Affiliations: 
· Business Development Network 
· Women's Council of Realtors
 
 
August Auction
Robin Davi CPO®
Simply Arranged
 
AbbeyKeuschHeadshot
Robin began her organizing business in 2001 and is a proud member of NAPO and NAPO-LA. She has served as Secretary, Treasurer and President of NAPO-LA. Robin sat for the inaugural CPO® exam in 2007 and is a Certified Professional Organizer. 
 
Her combined studies in home economics and business administration give her a unique perspective on organizing.  She is just as effective helping a homemaker organize a kitchen or closet as she is teaching a business executive how to manage paper.
 
 
Robin's 20+ years of experience in office management have taught her the value of being organized - from the client's point of view. She has honed her problem-solving, time-management, paper-management, and space-organizing skills in the real world - and now shares these talents with her clients.
 
 
Her specialties include home offices, paper and file management, records retention, residential organization including closets, kitchens and garages. Anything that needs organization, Robin will find it a home. Robin operates according to a very simple organizing philosophy: to give her clients the gift of time by organizing their space and paper. "I make a space more functional by organizing my client's belongings in a 'visual' way, so they can see and find things when they need them."
 
 
Robin's greatest organizing strengths are working with all kinds of paper as well as her talent for visualization. She can look at an unused or disorganized space and envision a practical and aesthetic plan that can be utilized effectively for her clients. Her goal for clients is to assist them in developing systems to organize their lives and give them the gift of time to do what they love.
 

New NAPO-LA Members


Welcome to Our Newest Members

New Members


AbbeyKeuschHeadshot
 

Heather Busby
Impeccably Organized
Los Angeles, CA 90027
650-483-3919
buzzwest@comcast.net

AbbeyKeuschHeadshot


 

Sascha Escandon

Rehabitat
Los Angeles, CA, 90036
818-425-8771
sarscha9@gmail.com

AbbeyKeuschHeadshot



Rachelle Lobato
Glendale, CA, 91201
818-241-0945
rachellelobato@gmail.com
 

AbbeyKeuschHeadshot




Lindsay Payne
Los Angeles, CA 90027
310-804-5397
lindsayapayne@gmail.com





New Associate Members



AbbeyKeuschHeadshot

Scan Digital
Anderson Schoenrock & Matthew Stone

El Segundo, CA, 90245

1.888.333.2808 

schoenrock@scandigital.com
www.scandigital.com


AbbeyKeuschHeadshot



Konkord Assembly, Inc.
Heather Ross
310.776.0933
heather@konkordassembly.com
www.konkordassembly.com

Special Member Announcements

Add Your Photo to Your NAPO-LA Website Profile
From: Susan Culligan, Director of Communications and Technology 
 
1. Format your photo as a jpeg file, 60 pixels across, 72 dpi, saved as "FirstLast.jpg" (your name, no spaces) 
2. Log in, then from Members Only click on My Profile
3. Click Edit in the upper-right corner (below the banner)
4. Scroll down to Personal Image, and click Add Picture
5. Click Browse, navigate to your photo on your hard drive, and click Upload
6. You'll get a message that the picture has been uploaded and you must
Save to make the changes final
7. Click OK
8. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and press Save
Your photo should appear now.


2007-2008 Membership Survey Results Available
From: Chantale Bornonaro, Director of Membership 
 
Once every two years as noted in NAPO-LA Bylaws, our membership is surveyed on a variety of topics. Input from the survey helps to shape our agenda and refocus our agenda.
 
As we've mentioned recently, over 55% of our membership responded. A Task Force has been formed to review survey responses and recommend suggestions to the Board to enhance operations. I am pleased to announce that the results are now available for members to view, and print out at their leisure.
 
Click here to view the Survey (requires member log-in).

The biannual survey is a continuing effort to ensure that chapter meetings, events, educational opportunities and community participation will closely reflect the majority of chapter interests while broadening our agenda and enlisting greater membership involvement. If you have any questions or comments, please contact me at membership@napola.org. I also invite your participation on the Task Force. The Board appreciates the time respondents gave to voice their concerns and provide feedback.
 
 
Discount from OfficeMax!
From: Beth Zeigler, Newsletter Assistant Editor
 
Barb-OfficeMaxDiscountThere is a great discount card and catalog offered to NAPO members through OfficeMax. Barb Schmit handed out these great cards and catalogs at a previous meeting. For those who weren't present, you can email me at beth@bneato.com for the OfficeMax Retail Connect Card (you print it from your computer). You then take it to the store for a discount or use online at for purchases. The Catalog can be ordered through Edbarnes@officemax.com or Barb Schmit can bring extra catalogs to the next NAPO-LA meeting if you contact her at BSchmit@Esselte.com. Happy shopping!
 

Looking for the Assistant List? 
 
Login to www.napola.org to see the current list!
 
NAPO-LA Ventura County Neighborhood Group Performs Community Service

By Linda Levine-Quackenbush

On Saturday April 26, members of the NAPO-LA Ventura County Neighborhood Group donated their organizing services for a special one-day community service project on behalf of their neighborhood group, transforming a garage of one lucky couple in Westlake Village.

According to Ventura County Neighborhood Group member Carol Hogg (Organize Now), "Our neighborhood group is a combination of NAPO-LA membersVenturaGroupBefore and NAPO National members in the Ventura County-area who meet informally on a bi-monthly basis for networking and business building.  Because the group is so new, we unanimously wanted a way to publicize our professional organizing efforts in Ventura County". The result was to locate and organize one lucky couple and tackle a common Southern California headache:  the family garage. As part of Carol's efforts with the NAPO-LA Ventura County Neighborhood Group, she volunteered to search for a suitable client in need, and eventually located one by contacting a local church in the Westlake Village-area, Calvary Community Church and A.C.T.I.O.N. (Area Christians Taking Initative on Needs).

Eight members of the networking group donated an entire day of their organizing services, accomplishing a significant transformation which will have a lasting positive impact on the lives of the winning couple.  Lori Gersh (Leave It To Lori), a member of the group, talks about the challenges: "A few of the special challenges we faced that day were the fact that this garage had floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall clutter and temperatures were well into the 90's." Teine (Dana) Kenny (organizethishome), an organizer with experience working with hoarding issues, worked with the group to transfer practical organizing and safety techniques. The results were a completed job and a filled 20 foot trash bin donated by Hobbs & Son of Westlake Village and dump fees paid by Calvary Community Church. Linda Levine-Quackenbush (Organize4Life), member and photographer of the event, added: "Not only did we perform anVenturaGroupAfter extraordinary public service for one lucky couple, but we built camaraderie within our group and continue to publicize the process and benefits of better organization in Ventura County and all of Southern California."

Members of the NAPO-LA Ventura County Neighborhood Group who participated in this project included NAPO-LA members Teine (Dana) Kenny (organize this, Newbury Park), Linda Levine-Quackenbush (Organized for Life, Calabasas), Lori Gersh (Leave it to Lori, Westlake Village), Heather Furlong (OrganizingWorks, Simi Valley), and Carol Hogg (Organize Now, Agoura). Members of the Ventura Neighborhood Group and NAPO National included Jonathan Marder (Garage Specialists, Thousand Oaks), Yvette Reisig (All in Order, Moorpark) and Barbara Brooks (Be Better Organized, Thousand Oaks)

We would also like to extend special thanks to Wayne Hogg, Calvary Community Church and Hobbs & Sons Sanitation.

Before and after photos by Linda Levine-Quackenbush.
Golden Circle

Get The Word Out ...Network

By Dolores Kaytes
Golden Circle Member

If you lament that the clutter-ridden, disorganized public has yet to discover how talented and wonderful you are, consider networking. You have to get the word out there, and networking is a well-established marketing tool. You can spend small fortunes on a direct mail postcard blitz, web sites and print ads, but the best way to build your business is by expanding the network in which you operate. Like the politician who wants your vote, you have to let people see you, experience you, hear your voice and make a connection with you that will make them want to hire and refer you.

Networking in Person - Building Relationships

Types of Networking:

Peer Groups

As a member of NAPO and NAPO-LA, you are already networking with peers and colleagues. I always point out to new members and visitors that, though we all belong to the same profession, we all have unique talents and strengths. Use this opportunity to call attention to yourself by doing a Member Spotlight and letting your colleagues know that bringing order to garages and attics makes your heart sing, or that creating and installing filing systems and office set-up are your specialties. Referrals will grow.

Restricted Membership  
Usually these groups are made up of one representative from each profession to eliminate competition within the group. They generally require a weekly commitment. They can work really well, as some of our NAPO colleagues can corroborate, or be an expensive waste of time. The success or failure relies on how "referrable" you find the other members of the group. The upside is that you have an audience of 10 to 40 professionals every week. These individuals become your salespeople. Sooner or later, they are going to tell people about you. The downside is that you only have an audience of 10 to 40 professionals every week or month and it could take up to six months for the referrals to start.

Diverse Professions
NAPO member Steve Skidmore once told me that to build his organizing business, he networked weekly at scrambled egg breakfasts, buffet lunches and rubber chicken dinners. Chambers of Commerce are the most notable groups that attract a large pool of diverse businesses. Other networking venues include NAWBO (National Association Of Women Business Owners) and WRS (Womens' Referral Service), service clubs such as Rotary and Optimists, and a plethora of new groups being launched regularly.

These groups, I feel, offer the biggest ROI (return on investment). It's more like fishing in the ocean instead of a pond. You will get to meet more potential power partners and professionals with whom you can make strategic alliances. They also permit you to choose the time of day and frequency level that suits you best. Remember, it sometimes only takes one connection or referral to pay for your membership and meals for a year.

Networking on the Internet
I'll include an honorable mention to Internet Networking. Google the term "business networking" and see where the surfing takes you. You will find a veritable "how to" promote your business.

Limitless choices await the undaunted.You can change the lament of the undiscovered to a celebration of success.
Go for it!

Dolores Kaytes, Highly Organized, Inc.
Copyright © 2008 Dolores Kaytes

 

Golden Circle TIPS

1.
Don't know what's for dinner?  Keep take out menus in the refrigerator inside the door.  When you look there for food and there is none...the menus will be available. Sort and purge regularly so they do not become clutter.
--Leslie Haber, An Organized Life, anorganizedlife1@aol.com, 323-935-9235

2. Always have a "marketing ideas" folder where notes can be stored.  When business slows, take out this folder and put one of those ideas into action!  This notes folder can either be electronic or paper-based.  Ideas can be ones cut from newspapers or magazine articles, ones that you have heard about from seminars or workshops, even ones that you may come up with from time to time but don't have time to develop and put into play.  Although business experts say that we must ALWAYS do marketing even when we're super busy, these ideas are NEW ones that we can pull out of our back pockets when the phone occasionally stops ringing!
--Karen Simon, PC Tech Associates, Honolulu, HI
 
About the TIPS Program:
NAPO-LA's TIPS Program is managed by the chapter's Golden Circle members. Ann Gambrell is the chair and invites all chapter members to submit their organizing tips via email or on index cards that will be available at the monthly chapter meetings for deposit into the "Organizing Tips" box. TIPS are requested in two categories: 1)
"Tips from Pros" are organizing tips for clients/the public. 2) "Tips of the Trade" are tips for organizers to use in their businesses.  When submitting TIPS, you are invited (optional) to include your name, business name and contact information. This will serve to promote you when the client/public TIPS are posted on the NAPO-LA website's home page.

Email your TIPS to: goldencircle@napola.org
NAPO in the Schools
Deborah preferred
Updated Report
By Deborah Kawashima

NAPO in the Schools Committee Chair

NAPO-LA member Beth Zeigler, a NAPO in the Schools Trained Provider for the Elementary program had a great experience recently doing her first NAPO in the Schools presentation.  It took Beth about four months to make a connection with a teacher but once she was introduced to a teacher from a friend, it was scheduled in less than a week!  Kathy Piumetti was the 3rd grade teacher that graciously opened up her classroom of 20 to Beth at Holy Redeemer School in Montrose, CA.

"The kids were so excited for me to be there," said Beth, noting that there was 100% participation from everyone. "They loved shouting out answers on how Drake could be more organized and also told me stories about how they are organized."

The students' favorite part was the hands-on organizing exercise, where they get to learn the first step of the organizing process, To Sort.  Beth suggests to get the teacher to pick out students to help pass out materials, which moves the exercises along much faster (time is limited!), and the teacher knows which students are best for the job.

"Everyone was super excited when they dumped out the contents of their bags and started sorting," exclaimed Beth. "All the kids had a different way to sort and they all wanted to tell me about it.  Even during evaluation time, the kids would call me over and tell me their organizing secrets."  She commented that one student asked her if he needed more compartments for his book bag!

For Beth Zeigler, the whole experience was awesome and she looks forward to making many more presentations with NAPO in the Schools.

Training is required of all NAPO members wanting to become NAPO in the Schools Trained Providers and is available to you as a benefit of your NAPO membership.  Training calls are now going to be offered as a pre-recorded call by the end of July.  Look for the new schedule to sign up on the NAPO in the Schools web pages, located in the "members only" section of the NAPO website.

Please contact Deborah Kawashima for any questions: Deborah@creativeOrganizer.com  or 323-656-9665

NAPO in the Schools is a community outreach program bringing professional organizers into the classroom to do an interactive presentation that plants a seed in the student's mind that being organized is important and really does make a difference.

NSGCD Annual Conference
KimAnker-Paddon
News from the National Study
Group on
Chronic Disorganization (NSGCD)
By Kim Anker-Paddon, CPO-CD, NAPO-LA Ambassador

Join some of your Los Angeles colleagues and others from around the country for NSGCD's Annual Conference. The conference will be held in St. Louis from Thursday evening, September 25 through Saturday, September 27. 

This year promises to be a fabulous learning opportunity with featured speakers Dr. Gail Steketee, Sari Solden and Nancy Ratey. The format of the conference includes seven workshops. Dr. Steketee, co-author of Buried in Treasures, will present three sessions about Compulsive Hoarding and Chronic Disorganization. Sari Solden and Nancy Ratey, both nationally renowned experts on AD/HD, will each give a workshop and all three of the speakers will be on a panel moderated by Denslow Brown.  Please visit www.nsgcd.org to see a full schedule and registration details.  

Last year's conference was truly remarkable as some of the most prominent leaders in the ADD and Hoarding fields spent two days presenting their research and knowledge and relating it to our work as organizers. All indications are that this year will be as good.

NSGC logo 

CD Client Suppport Group for NAPO-LA Members
 
September Meeting on Chronic Disorganization
By Jean Furuya

If you are working consistently and on an ongoing basis with chronically disorganized clients, you are invited to participate in an informal support group.
 
Next Meeting
Tuesday, September 9, from 6-8:30pm. Limited to 12 attendees.
Topic for discussion: Better understanding of the ADHD adult population
A simple pot luck is planned.

We will continue to work on "Resources: How can we help the indigent hoarders?" Please bring resources to share.
Time will also be spent sharing our individual issues.

To RSVP or for more information, contact Jean Furuya.
Email: jean@theofficejeanie.com   Phone: (310) 316-1753
Educational Development Committee

 
Upcoming Workshops


You've Gotten Your Clients' Finances Nicely Organized...Yet Your Own Are a Jumble!

Is This You? Help Is On the Way!

The NAPO-LA Educational Development Committee Presents:

Debbie Gilster Get Your Financial House in Order Bootcamp:
Create a Simple, Effective Money Management System 
for Your Small Business
Debbie Gilster, CPO®, the Financial Productivity Maven

What do you hate most about running your small business? 
If you're like most small business owners, you'll say -- THE FINANCES! 
What's the most important part of growing your business? THE FINANCES!  

Managing your money doesn't have to be feared, hated, or chaotic. As a financial productivity expert, I've been helping people for years get control of their financial operations with an easy-to-implement system. In this fast-paced, interactive class, I'll teach you my system for getting -- and keeping -- your financial house in order. You'll sleep better at night and function with more confidence during the day. 
 
After attending this workshop, you'll:
  • Say, "Wow - even though I'm not a numbers person, I can do this! I have a cash flow and tracking system that I can easily manage.
  • Have more time to do what you love in your business
  • Pay your bills on time and without penalties
  • Stop scrambling to pull together information at tax time
  • File and find your financial info easily, and quickly change from one year to the next
  • Improve your skills as a business manager
  • Identify YOUR personal game plan for achieving your business goals
About Debbie Gilster
Debbie is a recognized small business productivity and operations specialist. For over 15 years, she has taught hundreds of small business owners how to be more effective at work and still have a life. Her clients dubbed her the Financial Productivity Maven because of her unique ability to bridge the gap between computer consultants, CPAs, and financial planners. She is the part-time CFO/COO for several small businesses. She sat on the NAPO national board as Director of Professional Development, spearheading the creation of the Education program; ran three national conferences; and in her role as Vice President, was instrumental in the relaunch of the certification program. She has taught more workshops at NAPO conferences than she can count. She is a long-time QuickBooks Advisor and a certified Professional Organizer. She has been quoted in numerous magazines and books and has appeared on several TV and radio shows. Through her extensive website (www.CenterForProductivity.com), she provides personal and team productivity improvement tools, techniques, and training to help small businesses streamline their operations. 
 
Date: Saturday, August 9, 2008, check-in at 9:00am, class runs until 1:00pm. Class will be limited to 20 participants, so register early!
 
BONUS:
Sign up for Debbie's free ezine Moving Forward to get tips and techniques for becoming even more productive.
 
Cost: NAPO-LA Members: $99; NAPO National Members: $109; Public (nonmembers): $129

Location: Westside Pavilion Mall, 10800 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles CA 90064, Community Room B
(YouTube has a video on how to get to Community Room B--check it out)

For more information:
Contact: Jean Furuya
Email:  jean@theofficejeanie.com
Register for this event: Get Your Financial House in Order


Coaching Directory

Are you ready to create a successful organizing business?

Do you want to learn how to:
  • apply proven business techniques and practices?
  • find your niche and the clients who need you?
  • avoid the frustration and stress of common mistakes?
  • become an expert in this rapidly growing industry?
The Educational Development Committee (formerly the Mentoring, Education and Training Committee) provides a Directory of NAPO-LA organizing consultants available to provide guidance, advice and support to potential, new and existing professional organizers. Contact consultants directly for information and fees. Click on the link below to be connected to the Directory.

Email the Educational Development Committee
at education@napola.org with questions.

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Closets
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Call 323-525-0678 today.


 




Looking for guidance in
your organizing business?  This is the place!

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Directory of Coaches for Professional Organizers


Organizers offering their services:
Chantale Bordonaro
Simplicity Source
Jean Furuya
The Office Jeanie
Dolores Kaytes
Highly-Organized
Carol Keller
Organizing Experts,LLC
Sheila McCurdy
clutter STOP
Jodi McDaniel
CSG by Design, Inc.
Donna McMillan
McMillan & Company



For information about each organizer listed above, click here.
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