RIMPA NEWS
ONE RIMPA – Proposed Approach
RIMPA (nee RMAA) has worked as a traditional association for many years with very few changes over its 53-year history. Some changes were made to improve governance, RIMPA became a company and within the context of our evolving industry, information was added to the name.
R
ecognising that society and life has changed, the Board have been inspired to consider a modernised approach for RIMPA. Location and distance are no longer barriers to participation due to the world’s digital transformation and the rapid acceptance and commonalty of virtual communications. Our next generation prefer to provide volunteer time on focused, short-term projects rather than a long-term commitment to committees such as Branches and Chapters. During the past three years the Board have worked to improve member services and ensure that all members receive value for their membership dollars. Areas such as social media, digital marketing, focus groups and extensive collaboration have been driving factors for the move to the One RIMPA objectives.
Remove state, territory and country borders to support a unified approach. The recent pandemic has demonstrated some of the confusion and inequality that can occur when one country is divided into different areas or separated from their close neighbours (NZ). Removing the border barriers place the whole membership in a position to be one voice, one industry, and one community with one positive culture. 14 | iQ June 2022
Provide consistent member services regardless of member location. There are often inconsistencies between branches because of varying reasons such as volunteer numbers, cost of venues, the population and size of the state or territory, and much more, causing members and vendors to experience diverse services for their spend.
Ensure reliable and sustainable company governance. Changing the current structure with Board, Branch and Chapters, in turn removes the need for numerous annual general meetings and elections and enables one strategic plan to be developed and managed effectively.
Improve engagement with and development of members from younger generations. As mentioned above the next generation of practitioners no longer have the time nor the inclination to dedicate to long term voluntary projects. Short and sharp with a clear outcome and not a lot of tasks is the current way of thinking.
Increase global inclusion. RIMPA continues to grow and evolve with many members beneficial projects on the horizon that is anticipated to attract global interest. Areas such as ISO standards, the recent partnership with ARMA International, development of global microcredential professional development packages, an advanced diploma in information management and the development of an accreditation scheme for auditors in the management of records (ISO 30301) are just a few areas where global input and or contribution will benefit the industry as a whole.
Restructure of Branches and Chapters One RIMPA will disband the current Branches and Chapters. New roles, to be known as Ambassadors, will provide a local presence. An ambassador’s primary role is to support the growth and expansion of RIMPA in a local area. Ambassadors will be a source of information and promotion for RIMPA, it is expected that ambassadors will be in both regional and metropolitan locations. Their presence will act as a consistent group to remove borders and become one.
