Lindsey M. Welfley

You may notice this spot in the magazine is missing Diane Minnich’s usual Executive Director’s Report. As we get into the swing of things for the new year, there are a few changes we are implementing to improve our communication with our members. Starting this year, each issue of The Advocate will contain a rotating internal department report penned by one of our staff members. Our goal is to keep you up to date on the happenings of the Bar and Foundation, one department at a time. Our Communications Department has undergone some important changes in the last year that we’d like to outline.

Production of The Advocate

The first and perhaps most notable change is to the production of this magazine. Starting with the January 2023 issue, we have outsourced the production to a third-party publisher. While this magazine is a quality publication, which will remain the case, it is no longer the main source of communication with our members, given the availability and practicality of more immediate methods of communication.

Outsourcing this internal process will ultimately create an opportunity for us to better serve you – our members. We will now have the capacity to better utilize staff resources and expand our use of those other, more immediate forms of communication.

Social Media Strategy

As we have been reevaluating how we communicate with our members, one of these methods of more immediate communication is social media. For better or worse (we’ll let you decide), social media is certainly here to stay and the changing landscape can be difficult to navigate. Nevertheless, given the goals of our Board and the mission of the Bar, social media platforms are a great tool to communicate with our members quickly with measurable impact.

In 2023 we will be implementing an updated social media strategy that will guide our content, scheduling, and reporting. Our goal is to meet our members where you already are and capitalize on that ability to keep you informed. Watch for regular, relevant content on Facebook and LinkedIn!

Communications Internship

Another new opportunity we added in 2022 was the addition of a Communications Internship position within our department. We welcomed our first intern during the Summer 2022 semester and will continue to offer this unpaid internship each semester going forward. Our interns will assist with general communications work, magazine tasks, and provide support to the department, all while gaining real-life experience in a professional office environment. If you know of any college students local to Boise who may be interested in this opportunity during an upcoming semester, please have them contact me via email at lwelfley@isb.idaho.gov.

As we continue through 2023, we look forward to receiving any feedback you may have on how we communicate with you. It is imperative that we listen, improve, and reassess as needed – your input is always welcome.

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