We are heading into fall and all conversations lead to the big question of, “What are you doing next year?” Slow your roll! This Junior League year just started and we are already thinking of next year?! You better believe it! The Nominating Committee works hard at ensuring that our leadership is comprised of the best women for the job. These ladies spend numerous hours visiting committees, council meetings, and holding interviews in order to get to know us and to select the best candidate for each leadership position.

It is time to think of your future in League and think outside of your box. Craziness!

If someone had told me back in 2012 that I would be the Communications Vice President in 2018 I would have told them that they were crazy, crazy, crazy! Why you might ask? I joined the Junior League of Collin County (JLCC) to make friends outside of my retail management career. My single goal was to get involved with something that would give me joy and a circle of friends to do life with.

Fast forward to February 2016 when I was the Membership Development Chair – guiding our new members through their first year of training.  I was living the membership life – I was on that track and that was where I wanted to be!

I received a call encouraging me to apply for a few positions and one was the Publications Chair. Imagine my reaction: it was shock, confusion, and feeling flattered all at once! Publications was not even on my radar much less in my wheelhouse of skills in my mind! Being responsible for layout and content design for our internal directory and handbook? Owning the creative, the graphic design, content, and deadlines for Legends & Legacies, the JLCC magazine? Totally NOT my wheelhouse at all! I did what anyone in that situation would do – I started with a pro/con list. After that, I sat down to really look at what the role was about and talked to ladies that I had worked with previously.  I even asked some of them “Why me?” and was told that they saw a skill set that they believed would translate extremely well to being the Publications Chair.

Taking the plunge into something new.

I took the plunge, filled out an application, and a short time later I got the call that I had been selected as the Publications Chair. Taking that one step placed me on a journey that I never dreamed was possible. I learned so many things that year and realized that my skill set in retail management was uniquely suited to the role.

One role leads to another.

That year serving as the Publications Chair led to me serving as the Communications VP for 2018-19. I have learned all about how to market events, how to develop a public relations plan, how to effectively tell our non-profit story, and manage a myriad of deadlines and content from a variety of people and sources. The training I have received and responsibilities that I have had over the past few years now translate to a set of professional skills that I never imagined I would gain from a volunteer organization.

You often hear about our work in the community, but JLCC members hold a variety of different roles; from producing our annual publication to creating and managing our yearly budget.  Each role with League helps our members develop competencies that they can then take into their personal and professional lives.

I am grateful every day that I was open to a new experience and got out of my box! And you should think about getting out of your own box, too. Be open to something new. It is truly one of the best things I have done.

Interested in joining our organization and growing your skills? Visit here.

Written by Emily Moore, 6th Year Active, Communications VP 2018-19