Dear GTC IFMA members,

Last month, our Chapter sponsored one of my favorite annual events: our Committee Member Appreciation Party.  Over 50 hard-working GTC members gathered to celebrate volunteerism at Travinia Italian Kitchen in Cary. The event is a small token of how grateful we are to those of you who donate your time to keep our membership “extremely engaged”.
Undoubtably, being an active participant on a committee is the best way to get to know your fellow IFMA GTC members on a more personal basis.  There is a volunteer opportunity available to suit everyone’s time and talents!  Here is a brief description of our GTC committees…visit our website today and let us know where you think you would best fit in!
Do you enjoy coordinating fund-raising activities as well as helping others? Our Community Events Committee works with a wide variety of local groups to support several worthy causes.  The fund raisers are typically paired with a social event or activity.  Next beneficiary: the SPCA of Wake County on 9/27/18. 
Do you receive compliments on your organizational skills and ability to handle details (and/or you LOVE parties)?  Our Networking and Events Committee plans the location, refreshments, theme and infrastructure of all IFMA GTC-sponsored events.  They’re the folks that bring us our awesome Membership Appreciation event each November at The Angus Barn!
Are you passionate about Facility Management education? Our Professional Development Committee works to provide educational opportunities to earn the CFM, FMP, and SFP professional designations.  They also coordinate various scholarship opportunities for the chapter. The group has facilitated the professional designations of over 40 of our current members and is working on providing their second FMP class (in a series of four) this year.
Are you secretly editing our publications (I’m guilty of this myself)?  We’ve re-established our Communications Committee to review our published materials, from CVENT invitations to the monthly newsletter.  The goal is to ensure that our messages to membership are clear, concise, and consistent.
Are you outgoing and you like to meet new people?  Our Membership Committee may be a perfect fit for you.  It’s their friendly faces you see when you pick up your name tags at our meetings and events.  They provide support to our new members and coordinate New Member Orientation sessions several times each year.
Do you like keeping up with current trends in the Facility Management world? Our Programs Committee researchs topics for our luncheon meetings and Professionals Only educational events, find the local (sometimes not-so-local) experts and coordinate our speakers and their presentations.  Our next luncheon meeting is October 17th.
Are you a “scratch” golfer?  No?  Well, that’s not actually a requirement!  Our Golf Committee coordinates the annual Mike Bradley Memorial IFMA Foundation Golf Tournament.  Proceeds from the tournament enables our
Chapter to award scholarships to deserving students that have chosen to continue their education in a Facility Management-related field.  The day of the tournament is the main time commitment…and it’s a fun way to get involved! The 2019 date has been set for April 23.
To get more out of your IFMA membership, be part of the TEAM of your choice.  We appreciate you!
Cris Karasek
President 2018-2019