AWC Des Moines

Job Posting: Communications Coordinator

The Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines seeks a qualified individual who will support and contribute to effective communications strategies by coordinating the development, implementation and promotion of member outreach activities, webinars, community development activities and other projects that promote awareness of the Bank and its mission.  Project management and administration of the arrangements necessary to successfully implement the Bank’s seminars and conferences.

>> View job description (in pdf format) below:

Download fed_homeloan_bk_comcorr.pdf

Send resume, cover letter & salary history to careers@fhlbdm.com, fax 515-699-1220, or mail to HR, Home Loan Bank, 801 Walnut Street, Suite 200, Des Moines, Iowa 50309.

Chrysalis Update - April 25, 2008

The next Chrysalis Communications and Marketing Committee Meeting meeting will be held Thursday, May 1st at 12:00 noon at the Chrysalis office.  We hope you can join us!  Please RSVP your attendance to Leslie at lgarman@chrysalisfdn.org if you have not already had an opportunity to do so.

Chrysalis Foundation Programming for May 2008

3rd Annual Mother's Day Soiree
Friday, May 9, 2008
Aimee, 432 East Locust, in the East Village (Des Moines)
5:00 - 8:00  p.m.

Come celebrate Mother's Day and all women and girls with a fun soiree at aimee!

Admission $25 with T-shirt; or $15 no T-shirt. All proceeds going to the Chrysalis Foundation. A special 25% discount off aimee stock.
Fees: - $25
Please SECURELY register and pay here.!
Registration Deadline: Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Chrysalis HerStory Celebration - Chrysalis After School 10-Year Anniversary
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Parents Hall at Olmsted Center, Drake University (Des Moines)
4:00 - 6:00 p.m.

Chrysalis After School 10th Year Anniversary! Please join us for this gala event celebrating the work of the young women in the Chrysalis Foundation's signature program building future leaders!
Please register here and plan on joining Chrysalis for this FREE event!

Registration Deadline: Friday, May 9, 2008

Chrysalis Foundation Barnes & Noble BOOKFAIR
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Barnes & Noble, 4550 University Avenue, West Des Moines
1:00 - 3:00 p.m.

• Learn about the Chrysalis Foundation After-School program for girls! Create a butterfly card to be sent to a woman or girl who has made a difference in your life!
• Don't miss Story time from 1-1:20 p.m. and from 2-2:20 p.m.
• Please plan on joining us for this FREE event! No registration is required.

   

AWCDSM May Meeting

Our May speaker is Lori Day, President of FocusFirst, Inc.

DATE: Wednesday, May 21
LOCATION: United Way Conference Center, Room F
1111 Ninth Street
Des Moines, Iowa 50314
515-246-6639
*The United Way building is located between I235 and University on Ninth Street.

COST:
$20 for members
$25 for nonmembers
Late Registration/at the door $30
Students $15

LUNCH: Catered by In the Bag - Summer Picnic (BBQ sandwich and sides), if
a vegetarian choice is needed please indicate when you RSVP.

HOSTESS: Mary Mendenhall-Core

AWC Monthly Meeting: A Slip of the Tongue

DATE: Wednesday, April 16            

LOCATION: First Federal Savings Bank of Iowa
                120 South 68th Street
                West Des Moines, Iowa 50265
                515.226.0800            

*First Federal Savings Bank is on 68th east of Jordan Creek Mall and north of George Mills Parkway            

TIME: 11:30 a.m. - Registration / Networking | 12:00 noon - Presentation   

COST: $20 for members | $25 for nonmembers | Late Registration/at the door $30 | Students $15
LUNCH: Catered by Baratta's             
HOSTESS: Brooke Brokaw Ruddy
RSVP to: Joyce at jperkins@peodsm.org or (515) 255-3153 by noon Monday, April 14.

Cancellation policy:
If you need to cancel, please let us know by noon Monday, April 14, to avoid being charged for the meal. Call Joyce at 255-3153.             

MARK YOUR CALENDAR. The next monthly luncheon is Wednesday, May 21st, 2008.
Cost: $ 20.00 Members, $ 25.00 Non-members

Presented by Barbara Mack, Professor of Journalism at Iowa State University              

This  brief history of the English language is educational and humorous and always well-received.            

Why do we raise sheep but eat mutton? Why do we use French terms for English royalty, except for "king" and "queen," which are Norse? Why are we honoring Thor every week? How did Tagalog become a part of English? Mack willl present a witty look at the history of the world's craziest language.            

Barbara Mack is a Professor of Journalism at Iowa State University, where she has taught for the past 20 years. Before joining the University, she was a reporter, an assistant city editor, a lawyer and the Vice President and General Counsel. She also is a food writer, whose articles appear in DSM magazine and Bon Appetit. She and her husband Jim live in Des Moines with two cats (WhyNot and Mizewell) and a her horse, Mikki.

Upcoming Chrysalis Events

AWC member Leslie Garman, would like to invite AWC members to attend upcoming Chrysalis events. Chrysalis is the “adopted” non-profit partner of our local alliance of AWC.  Below you will see a listing of these opportunities. In particular, Leslie hopes you will join her MONDAY for the Chrysalis “Community Celebration” event which will be held at Moberg Gallery from 5 – 7 pm. To learn more, please contact Leslie Garman at 255-1853 or lgarman@chrysalisfdn.org.

CHRYSALIS COMMUNITY CELEBRATION to honor the "100th BIRTHDAY OF CHRYSALIS FOUNDER, LOUISE NOUN!"
Date: MARCH 31 (NEXT MONDAY!)

Time: 5 - 7 p.m.

Place: Moberg Gallery, 2921   Ingersoll Avenue, Des Moines

Cost: $25 per person

Join the fun!

The celebration will include music from Las Guitarras de Mexico,

food and refreshments, as well as the beautiful artwork of Moberg Gallery.

Please RSVP by Friday, March 28 to info@chrysalisfdn.org or call 255-1853

APRIL EVENTS ALSO INCLUDE: 

APRIL 4 (Friday) Lunch and Learn: "Online Predators: What You Need to Know"
Mike Ferjak, Iowa Department of Justice - Office of Iowa Attorney General
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., Waveland Hall - Plymouth Congregational Church,
4126 Ingersoll Avenue (no charge for event; $10 if you'd like a box lunch)

APRIL 18 (Friday) Lunch and Learn: "Identity Theft…Don't Let It Happen to You"
Susan Kerr, Consumer Protection Division - Office of Iowa Attorney
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., Waveland Hall - Plymouth Congregational Church,
4126 Ingersoll Avenue (no charge for event; $10 if you'd like a box lunch)

APRIL 22 (Tuesday) After Hours Networking: Your Image and Your Future"
Rebecca Esposito, International Trainer and Consultant - Esposito Communications (Austin, Texas)
6-7:30 p.m., Meeting Room #3, Central Library in Downtown Des Moines
(no charge for event; coffee and dessert provided)

Local AWC Member Involved in Bone Marrow Drive

Local AWC member Mary Core, has been very involved in a special effort to help those with cancer by sharing bone marrow.  At the March 26 Alliance meeting she shared a special volunteer opportunity where you can help too. For those unable to attend (and for those who would like additional information) please find attached detailed information regarding this life-saving opportunity.
Download BoneMarrowDonorDrive.pdf

If you’re interested in participating, Mary also shares:

“Please note that if you plan to sign up that evening, you will need to bring a list of current medicines and the contact information for two emergency contacts (this is back up in case you are matched with a patient and the Marrow Network is unable to locate you, i.e., moved, phone number change etc.). If anyone would like to contact me directly please feel free to do so. Note: This event is made possible by personal donations.”
 
For additional information please contact Mary Mendenhall-Core at 246-6639 (work) or 210-7148 (Cell)

March Meeting Update

DETAILS FOR THE UPCOMING MARCH 26 LUNCHEON

Speaker: Beth Dalbey, Communcations Editor, Great Ape Trust of Iowa

Topic: "Ditching Journalism and Reinventing Myself at Great Ape Trust of Iowa"              

Synopsis: "This has been a fascinating journey. I haven't had that many jobs, but had profound experiences at three newspapers: The Dallas County News in Adel, the Fairfield Ledger in Fairfield, Iowa, and Business Publications Corporations' Business Record."

"I have written stories that have resulted in changes in state law, prompted the development of a safe-house network for domestic abuse victims and stopped a lake project requring the condemnation of several people's land. I felt good about those and similar stories because they  did result in some good changes, but they are nothing in comparison with the mouth-gaping surprises that I encounter every day at Great Ape Trust."              

Come be inspired by this multi-media presentation about Des Moines'  landmark facility, Great Ape Trust of Iowa.

Date: March 26, 2008              
Time: 11:30 a.m. - Registration / Networking; 12:00 noon - Presentation
Location: Applied Art & Technology, 2430 106th Street, Urbandale, Iowa 50322
Lunch: Palmer's Box Lunch              

RSVP: Monday, March 24th
Cost: $ 20.00 Members,  $ 25.00 Non-members

Postcard-sized Newsletters?

(Ideabook image)

Chuck Green at Ideabook may be on to something. In a recent article he wrote,

"Conventional thinking says a newsletter is a good way to keep your name in front of prospects and customers. And that producing one is both time consuming and costly. Conventional thinking also says a newsletter should be a minimum of four 8.5 by 11 inch pages and costs at least the standard letter rate to mail.

All well and good. But if you’re going to grab attention in the chaos of today’s marketplace, you’ve got to think outside convention. You’ve got to reinvent big business ideas in small business terms—smart, practical, and cost-conscious. In this case—by boiling a conventional newsletter down to its essence—a postcard newsletter."

Green, then does what he does best: gives us step-by-step instructions on how to implement.

I have mixed feelings about this type of direct mail. As a consumer, would I read it? Could I read it?  I'm used to scanning postcards, and I'm not sure I would change my ways to glean column after column of what surely must be "downsized" text.

What about you? Would a postcard-sized newsletter work for you as a communicator? Would it serve your communications needs? How about your preferences as a consumer? Tell me your thoughts by submitting a comment!

-- Brenda Friedrich

Chrysalis Event March 3

CHRYSALIS FOUNDATION PRESENTS

“NETWORKING & NEGOTIATIONS” EVENT

 
Des Moines -- The Chrysalis Foundation will host a free “Networking and Negotiations” event on Monday, March 3^rd from 5:00 – 6:30 pm at Tero International, 1840 North West 118 Street, Suite 107, Clive. 

This event is part of the Chrysalis Business Partner Program. Started in 1999, this program unites local business leaders to support girls who participate in Chrysalis After-School Program.”

“This is first in a series of Chrysalis Business Partner Programs,” says the event’s Chair, Nicole Hinton. “Each program will provide opportunity for networking and strengthening strategic business skills -- all while strengthening the success of the girls and women Chrysalis supports.”

Tero International’s Deb Rinner will give her sought-after presentation on win/win negotiations. Tero is generously donating this presentation because of their interest in a successful business community and in Chrysalis’ mission.

Established in 1989, the Chrysalis Foundation is a Des Moines-based community foundation with a mission to develop strong women and girls in Greater Des Monies through education, grant-making and philanthropy.  100% of all contributed dollars are invested into Chrysalis programs including Community Grants and Chrysalis After-School, the Foundation’s signature program.

The Des Moines Alliance of the Association of Women in Communications supports the Chrysalis Foundation. 

March Meeting Rescheduled

March 26, 2008 is the new date to hear Beth Dalbey, Communications Editor at the Great Ape Trust of Iowa.

Please keep this date free and keep watching for emerging details!