An Independent Educational Consultant’s Most Valuable Resource: Good Information
by Mark H. Sklarow, Executive Director, Independent Educational Consultants Association
I believe in the importance of association: through professional societies, trade associations, and membership organizations, especially for those who work alone or in small business, so individuals can easily connect to others with like minds and similar goals. Not surprisingly, some 19 years ago, when I first arrived at IECA I also joined my own association, one designed for professionals working in the world of membership societies: an association of association professionals.
Back then we were told that associations had two major goals: first, to help people connect with one another and second, to provide resources, materials, and education to keep members up-to-date in the latest trends and research.
The world has changed since 1993, and those changes have impacted associations. Facebook, LinkedIn, and other forms of social media have meant those sharing a profession or other interest can connect with one another without the bonds of membership in a professional society. Likewise, today if an IEC needs information on admission rates at Tufts, fees at Westover School, or abuses of prescription drugs, a quick Google search will provide them the information they seek beyond conferences and seminars and newsletters.
Today we’re told that those associations who have not evolved have shrunk significantly or disappeared. There was a time when 80% of all physicians belonged to the AMA. Today that figure has fallen below 25%. A few associations have grown: those that have found relevance have done so by (1) directing energies that meet real member needs on a day-to-day basis; (2) using social media as an enhancement to membership and communication; and (3) recognizing that the desire for good, solid information is no less important than it was 19 years ago, but helping members to sort through the glut of information—by serving as a filter and consolidator—is the new role.
We have worked hard to make these changes. The fact that IECA membership has never been stronger and our renewal rate approaches 97% are indicators that we are heading in the right direction. That you read this blog speaks to one aspect of this success!
Now, we launch the IECA Education Center in order to make sure we succeed at goal #3: sorting through and consolidating valuable information. The new section of our Web site, opened on January 1, will continue to evolve and grow. Immediately, it is the portal through which you register for live participation in IECA webinars on the second Tuesday of every month. A year’s worth of experts will be sharing information that you can experience right from your kitchen table or office. These will be archived and accessible for up to a year. Each webinar is free to IECA members (professional, associate, and student) and available at a very low cost to the public. CEPs may use IECA webinars toward continuing education requirements. We can’t thank our four sponsoring partners enough: College Countdown (Sourcebooks), Hillside School, Independent Small Program Alliance, and Unigo.
The IECA Education Center has also opened with a resource library of materials: research results, whitepapers, podcasts, article reprints, and much more. The quantity, diversity of topics, and sources will continue to grow. Already, many national organizations and universities have given us the rights to offer their materials in IECA’s library for members’ use. IECA’s aBookstore will soon open, powered by Amazon. This will allow members to review books—those written by members and upcoming conference presenters, new books on critical topics to 
IECs, IECA Book Club selections, and more—housed in one place, and to make purchases in just a couple of clicks.
The new IECA Education Center hopes to meet the stated goals of reviewing information and making the most pertinent available to members for review in an easy to search and find environment. In a sense, our goal is to shrink the Web down to the parts that matter most to you. Then through social media (blog, Facebook, Twitter), we hope to keep you well informed so that you are knowledgeable when working with students.
Related posts:
- Information Dump: The Summer Training Experience for Upcoming Independent Educational Consultants
- Nearly 100 Presenters will Examine Hot Topics in College Admission, Boarding Schools, Special Purpose Programs & Independent Educational Consulting
- “Getting Kids Into” Ivy League Colleges: Absolutely NOT the Job of an Independent Educational Consultant
- New Princeton Review Offerings Underscore Need for More Information, Importance of Independent Educational Consultants
- In this Weekend’s Classifieds: Become an Independent Educational Consultant
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Tagged: changes in consulting practices, educational consulting, IECA, IECA Education Center, IECA members, IECA membership benefits, IECA resource library, IECA webinars, IECs, independent educational consultants, member benefits
This is all very exciting and long awaited. The first benefit for me personally will arrive next Tuesday at noon, when in her webinar Kendra Johnson (no relation, but I’ll be happy to claim her!) will educate me about understanding and evaluating college disability offices. While I suspect that Kendra won’t make me an expert, I’m confident that when I visit campuses, I’ll have a better handle on what to look for and what to ask. And I can see coming down the road additional painless ways to learn a little about a lot. Thanks to Mark Sklarow, Akera Ray, and all the others who are making possible a whole new range of opportunities.
I applaud IECA’s creation of the Educational Center and believe that it will fulfill its goal of helping members find “good information.” As you note, the proliferation of information is its own problem. But, of course, good information is only the beginning in independent educational consulting. Equally, if not more important, is good judgement. Good matches between students and schools is rooted in good judgements regarding the “fit.”