Dear members,

I am nearing the end of my term as PRISA President and it has been a very full and interesting year indeed. When one takes office one is always bursting with flowery ideas. However, I have experienced that only a few things should be promised every year to the PRISA community to ensure that all of these are implemented. I thank the team at the PRISA national office, as well as the hardworking members in the regions for lending their egoless support to help solidify the few ideas and suggestions I proposed when I took office. To add value to PRISA members’ lives and work should be a continuous effort for all future presidents. In so doing (or trying) the legitimacy and credibility of our profession should be illustrated.

So where does this leave PRISA and what have we achieved in 2011?
• Membership increased
• Finances have improved over the last year
• A member needs analysis has been completed – 2012 will see report back and actions
• PRISA has cemented new strategic partners
• The website has improved and PRISA is more visible in the social media arena
• A blog, “Talk to Ronel” has been introduced. Members are encouraged to comment about issues that impact on the profession and connect with members
• Our student chapter is to be more involved – as they are our future communicators
• PRISA has created a lobbying committee that is linked to the Communication Portfolio Committee in Parliament. You might remember that PRISA also had its say in commenting about the Secrecy Bill, and is starting to grow ‘teeth’
• PRISA associates closely with educational institutions to improve public relations education and training
• PRISA is enhancing relationships with other African public relations associations
• Created a regular e-newsletter to connect with members, business and the community

What do we need to do?
• Improve our own reputation. Although we have developed a marketing plan, PRISA should become more visible in the mainstream media
• Find alternative sources of funding
• Build a culture of sharing success stories of members online

As my term is coming to an end, I have the pleasure of introducing the new president elected, Tshepo Matseba APR.

Tshepo is currently working as the senior corporate communication manager for Huawei, the global information and communications technology (ICT) solution provider. He has over 10 years experience in brand management, media relations, media analysis, government relations, events management, corporate social investment, and overall reputation management. He has worked in a range of industries including higher education, financial services, telecommunications, and information communication technology (ICT) in Africa and the Middle East for a number of brands including UNISA, MTN, Momentum, and Huawei.

• To get closer to the regions and to improve relationships amongst these regions;
• to get our students on board because they are the leaders of where PRISA will be heading in the future;
• to grow membership;
• to look at alternative ways of raising funds, improve the budget and to simplify membership payment of fees;
• to form strategic alliances with like-minded associations and institutions;
• to get closer to government and to get a lobbying committee together – allowing PRISA to have “teeth” to shame or fame;
• to have a needs analysis to find out what PRISA does wrong, right and what it can do to add value to the lives and work of our members;
• to make our website a little more attractive and even “sexy” by being current, having links to sites to aid PRISA to stay in touch with best practices and relevant debates;
• and to start a blog.