NAFE Enewsletter

Photo from 2009 NAFE Top Companies for Executive Women Awards Luncheon on March 18 in New York City. From left to right: Carol Evans (President, Bonnier Working Mother Media); Liz Smith (GM, Infrastructure Access Services, IBM); Irene Chang Britt, President, North America Food Service, Campbell's Soup); Dr. Betty Spence (President, NAFE).

Recession Special: Want to promote your business? For NAFE members for a limited time only, a banner or skyscraper ad in one issue of the NAFE E-Newsletter will cost you just $75.00. (Regular rate is $150.00.) Contact newsletter editor Paula Damiano to place your ad. [Note: you must be an active NAFE member to receive this special rate.]

Welcome, New Network! A new NAFE local affiliate is forming in Southern California. The Business Professionals Alliance invites you to join them for not-your-ordinary-networking-experience on the evening of April 13th at the Moorpark (CA) Country Club. For full details, contact founder/organizer Carol Pilkington: 661-298-1229, 661-313-4578 cell, carol@personalandbusinesssolutions.com.

Sister to Sister, Let's Talk. On Sundays April 19th and May 3rd from 6:30-7:00pm Eastern Standard Time, please join the FREE biweekly Visionary Expressions' International Women's Empowerment Radio Show: Sister to Sister, Let's Talk. Tune in for stimulating discussion and to hear new ideas! Call in at 347-215-7088 or log on at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Jacqueline-Cherry.

Grants for Local History Projects. Save Our History is an Emmy Award-winning strategic philanthropic initiative that launched in 1998, designed to further historic preservation and history education. The program supplements the teaching of history in America's classrooms. Awards totaling $250K to history organizations partnering with schools to engage students in learning about, documenting, and preserving the history of their communities. Deadline: June 5. Learn more here.

Working Mother Turns 30! In celebration of its 30th birthday, Working Mother magazine will select and honor 30 Working Mothers of the Year. These notable women are being profiled at workingmother.com and in the May 2009 issue of Working Mother magazine. They will be congratulated at a Gala Birthday Luncheon at Cipriani's in Manhattan on May 8th. Click here for further information.

NAFE Discount on Whirlpool Products. Through a special arrangement with Whirlpool, NAFE members can reap big savings on Whirlpool appliances, accessories and other Whirlpool items. You and your family can purchase up to 12 products a year under the VIPLINK program and get substantial savings on everyday retail pricing. Go to the NAFE website to sign up for the discount program – just click on the Whirlpool banner at the top of the NAFE home page.

Linda Tancs has written a book about trademarks and the trademark application process for laypersons. Published by Oxford University Press, the book is entitled Understanding Trademark Law: A Beginner's Guide. It is part of Oxford's Law for the Layperson series. Linda says, "We often think of patents as the most valuable intellectual property. But for many companies the trademarks underlying their branding strategy are their most valuable assets."

Five Tips for Using LinkedIn for Better Business Networking

This issue's 5 Tips come from Kay Luo, a NAFE member who is also Director of Corporate Communications for LinkedIn. Now you can find NAFE on LinkedIn, the FREE online network linking professionals worldwide – 858 NAFE members have already signed up! LinkedIn allows users to create professional profiles and interact with former colleagues, clients and partners.

LinkedIn is the world's largest professional network with more than 16 million members, and women are currently the fastest growing demographic in its membership. Women professionals can use the LinkedIn network to:

1. Keep the pulse of relationships alive
It's important to keep in touch with former colleagues, but maintaining those relationships can take more time than the workday allows. LinkedIn allows women professionals to keep the pulse of their relationships alive by easily and efficiently keeping in touch. Using LinkedIn, it's easy to see who's been promoted, switched jobs, moved, won an award, and more. LinkedIn's inMail messaging system is a perfect way to reach out and keep your connections fresh, without cutting into your personal time.
2. Make smarter decisions
Being a great leader is not always about becoming an expert at everything – it's really about knowing where to find knowledge and expertise when you need it. THE LinkedIn ANSWERS feature allows women professionals to quickly and easily solicit input and gain perspective from their own connections or from the broader LinkedIn community. Learn how others approach new markets, revamp processes, and resolve problems. Draw on the collective knowledge of your trusted connections --and their connections -- and benefit from the experience of others.
3. Prioritize where you spend your time
Everyone understands the importance of time management in today's accelerated workplace environment. Successful women professionals are often beseeched with requests from unknown people for meetings, events, speaking engagements, and more. The LinkedIn network can be used to quickly and efficiently check out these contacts and requests before committing. A quick search reveals anyone you might know in common, gives you a capsule impression, and helps you allocate your valuable time wisely. And if you need to prepare for a meeting, the Advanced Search feature can also save time by allowing you to find specialists on almost every topic, industry, or company you want to research.
4. Connect more deeply
Many of us come into contact with hundreds, or even thousands, of fascinating people each week, but unless you have the time to truly get to know someone, those interactions can often be an inch deep and a mile wide. LinkedIn helps to enrich your interactions by providing common touch points – nuances of peoples' backgrounds, experiences, and interests that can allow relationships to develop more quickly and meaningfully. Sometimes, just knowing where someone went to school or they love dogs can help elevate the conversation and allow a deeper connection.
5. Help your team succeed.
Most successful professionals already have a great network, but LinkedIn allows you to utilize your connections to help your entire team. By making introductions or sharing your network connections with those you work with, you can truly harness the power of your network to accelerate your business.

What are YOUR views on the current economy? Let the world know what you really think. Connect with others; learn and share. Have YOU blogged today? Visit the NAFE blog page today.

Are You Taking Full Advantage of Your Membership?
Click HERE to view the complete list.

For a complete list of events, see our online Calendar!

Philadelphia, PA
April 16, 2009
Local affliliate NAFE Philadelphia invites you to breakfast… Learn how to make every connection count! Breakfast buffet, networking and lecture. Presented by Diane Lemonides, Chairwoman of the Luxury Marketing Council of Philadelphia & President of Verve Marketing & Design. Venue: Lacroix at The Rittenhouse Hotel. Click here for more information.

San Pedro, CA
April 18, 2009
The For You Networks of Southern California will hold their 5th Annual For You Spring Fling Fundraiser at Ports O Call Restaurant. Luncheon, Hat Contest with prizes. Entertainment, Silent Auction, Vendor Booths, Door Prizes and lots of networking. Come one, come all! Full details here.

Kennesaw, GA
April 23, 2009
The Siegel Institute for Leadership, Ethics, and Character presents its Annual Phenomenal Women's Conference. The theme of this year's conference is "Women Leading Social Change," a topic which focuses on areas in which women are at the forefront of change. The event includes inspirational keynote speakers, panel discussions and workshops. Learn more by clicking here.

Go to the NAFE website to view our ever-expanding Calendar of Events for opportunities around the country. The new Search function makes the Calendar even more useful and accessible.
Use the Event Submission Form online to let us know about events in your area. Events submitted for the website will also be considered for the NAFE E-Newsletter - twice the exposure for one listing!