Presidents Report Winter 2024

Article from Volume 11, Issue Number 1, 2024

By John Propowich | Other articles by John Propowich | Regular Column

We need you! Welcome to winter!

So far it looks like it will be a good one, but don’t hold your breath.

We are now more than half way through our fiscal year at CCI Manitoba, so it’s time for me to evaluate our membership growth. While our membership numbers are up slightly from last year, they are still down from pre-pandemic levels. How to increase our membership numbers is a problem we have always struggled with.

Our Membership Committee has done a wonderful job this year and has challenged itself to a target of 300 new members. We are on track and I am optimistic the goal will be achieved.

Increasing membership is difficult, as our opportunities to promote CCI are limited. We operate on a tight budget, so most of our efforts focus on renewals, social media and knocking on doors. Our advertising and outlook are limited to getting our message out to prospective members.

A number of years ago our renewal system was inefficient, resulting in the loss of quite a few members. Our efforts this year on renewals have improved the situation and we hope it will continue into the future.

We have been using social media platforms such as Instagram for the past couple of years but our number of followers is not what we would like and is increasing at a slow pace. While CCI National is focusing on social media, I do not agree with it being a main focus. I think social media is just the internet’s equivalent of word of mouth. To be effective, it’s necessary for messages to be reposted or forwarded, which I feel is no different from doing it by talking about it. We still need to keep our existing members, so social media has a place. But I don't think it’s an effective way to recruit new members.

A good portion of our membership comes from word of mouth or knocking on doors. Even my own condominium corporation became a member of CCI only after someone mentioned CCI to me. We did not know CCI existed until then.

I tell everyone who will listen that I would love to see the CCI logo on every bus stop bench in the city. Unfortunately, that would be extremely expensive. In fact, most forms of advertising are expensive.

So how do we increase our membership when we have a limited budget for advertising? There is an old saying: “You need to spend money to make money.” I feel it is the same with increasing our membership numbers. We cannot spend a lot on advertising but we can spend a minimal amount wisely, targeting it to where we think it will do the most good.

Besides memberships, CCI relies heavily on sponsorships; without

sponsorships we would have a difficult time operating. I feel we need to do the same as with advertising and sponsor a few select events where we think we would benefit. It has been suggested by board members that we sponsor events of the Professional Property Managers Association (PPMA). I think that is a good start. It would be a great way to get our name out to property managers who are not members and, I hope, recruit the condominium corporations they manage as members.

There are also other organizations we can get involved with. We have had a relationship with the Manitoba Real Estate Association (MREA) and possibly we can do something with it.

I plan to address the issue of promoting ourselves at the next Sponsorship Committee meeting and I’m confident we will come up with a lot of fresh ideas.

Condominium boards and owners are everywhere; we just need to connect with them. We cannot limit ourselves to organizations such as PPMA and MREA. No matter where I am, I always promote CCI. It does not have to be at an event related to condominiums. I talk CCI wherever I am — at work events, when traveling, whenever and wherever. The more people who know about CCI, the more likely they are to spread the word.

At my office, we have a monthly marketing touch target for every employee. A marketing touch is about getting our brand out. It is not about selling or drumming up business, but simply a way to get our name on everyone’s mind. When the opportunity comes up, we want our name to be the first thing they think of.

We need you, so here’s my challenge: Over the next few months, mention CCI Manitoba to at least five people who are not members of CCI. Mention us anywhere you go — a wedding, a dinner, a sporting event. Just mention us and, if you like, keep doing it. If every member we have now mentions us to five people, I am positive a portion of those will turn into new memberships down the road. That would be wonderful.

I have not given up on advertising. I still think it is needed to expand our organization. I have not given up on seeing the CCI logo on bus stop benches. I will seek out advertising for CCI and as our membership grows, our budget will too.

If you have any ideas, I would love to hear them. You can email me at ccimanitoba@cci.ca.

The National Leaders’ Forum will be held in Halifax May 29 to June 1. Advertising for CCI will be on my agenda.

Stay safe.

John Popowich is the president of CCI Manitoba and its representative on CCI’s National Council.