State Process Server Associations Benefit From Ongoing Networking
- January 28, 2013
- by Kimberly Faber
- Associations
Just as process servers turn to their peers for guidance when dealing with difficult serves, safety issues, and thoughts on the latest technology, state associations in the process serving industry often come together to share their experiences with growing membership, hosting conferences, pushing for legislation changes, and more. To find out more, ServeNow.com spoke with association leaders from several states who shared how their associations have benefited from ongoing networking.
Here’s what association leaders had to say about networking:
Association leaders from CALSPro, MAPPS, APSA, NCAPPS, PSACO, GAPPS, MAAPPS, and ILAPPS sat down with ServeNow to share their thoughts on the importance of networking across state process server associations.
Through state associations we learn from each other so that we can become more professional process servers and become better representatives of this industry.
Davy Keith, MAPPS
I think the important benefit of networking with other state associations is just the same as networking with other process servers,” Davy Keith of the Mississippi Association of Professional Process Servers (MAPPS) said. He notes that just as networking on an individual level allows process servers to get to know their peers and work toward effectuating service, networking across associations brings leaders together to identify potential challenges in working toward a common goal. “Through state associations, we learn from each other so that we can become more professional process servers and become better representatives of this industry.”
Larry Ratcliff of the Arizona Process Server Association (APSA) also sees a direct benefit in developing strong relationships across associations and noted that it gives members the opportunity to refer work to members in other states and assure their clients that they are dealing with a reputable process server. Many association leaders acknowledge this immediate benefit in state associations working closely. “I think [networking] is a wonderful opportunity to get people involved and know what’s going on in other parts of the country,” Ruth Reynolds of the North Carolina Association of Professional Process Servers (NCAPPS) says.
In additional to reciprocal work, many association leaders note that there is tremendous educational value in working with other associations. Jayne Rauser of the Georgia Association of Professional Process Servers (GAPPS) shares that younger associations can look to their peers for guidance on growing membership, hosting conferences, and gaining sponsorship. “We don’t have sponsorships yet with our new website,” she said. “So we’re going to be able to learn from other associations about how they’ve set themselves.” Steve Glenn of the Process Server Association of Colorado (PSACO) shared that his association has benefited from this guidance as he’s developed his association, hosted conferences, and considered legislation changes. He shared that when his association has a goal it is working toward, he can turn to other leaders to find out what they have tried and whether or not it has been successful. “It can save you time,” he said, “[because] they have knowledge that you don’t have experience things that you haven’t experienced yet.”
You get to learn what works, what other associations are doing to get members, and to find out how they’re fighting legislation.
Torri Schaffer, MAAPS
Torri Schaffer of the Mid-Atlantic Association of Professional Process Servers (MAAPPS) agreed, saying, “You get to learn what works, what other associations are doing to get members, and to find out how they’re fighting legislation.” With three jurisdictions to manage and an association that supports process servers in Delaware, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., Schaffer noted that MAAPPS has a lot of legislation to keep up with and will turn to other associations to understand what they have had success with.
When it comes to the California Association of Legal Support Professionals (CALSPro), Michael Kern shared his feeling that each association is there to provide support and lend a helping hand. “If you’re having a problem in your particular state, other state associations can say ‘we’ve had a different challenge’ [in that area],” he said. Providing the example of working to pass legislation, Kern notes that if one state has successfully passed a certain law through their senate and judiciary committees that his state has not been able to get passed, there’s an opportunity to get some guidance. “We can use the knowledge of that state association to take back and obviously apply those same factors to try to get our agenda passed through,” he said.
Kern’s example is evidenced by the passing of felony assault legislation in Illinois, a process that has served as a model for many other associations. “I feel that the states working together is very beneficial,” Keith McMaster of the Illinois Association of Professional Process Servers (ILAPPS) explained. “If you take Illinois and New York, for instance, Illinois had a law passed that makes it a felony to assault a process server. Well, in New York, they took that same bill to their assemblies and are working to have that passed.” As other associations have considered proposing felony assault legislation in their states, many have turned to Illinois and New York for insight on what has worked, guidance on where to begin, and information on what roadblocks could potentially prevent the law from being passed. “[The passing of the felony assault law in Illinois] is an event that we can take to all the state associations and maybe NAPPS can use in the future to take to those states that don’t have an association,” McMaster says. “That’s just one example of how states working together can accomplish great things.”
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