National League of Cities

Willy Franzen — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 13:38:28 +0000

I never thought that I’d live in a major city, yet somehow I ended up in downtown Chicago. It may not be near any trout streams, and an occasional gang fight might break out while I’m playing volleyball at the beach, but I’m actually enjoying Chicago. Cities are filled with opportunities, and with so many opportunities come quite a few challenges. Cities can attack those challenges on their own, but often it’s better if they work together. That’s why the National League of Cities exists (I wonder if there’s an American League of Cities…). They are “the country’s oldest, largest and most represented organization serving municipal governments.” They’re based in Washington, DC and they work to represent their members in a number of ways including “advocating for cities and towns, promoting cities and towns, providing programs and services, keeping leaders informed, strengthening leadership skills, recognizing municipal achievements, partnering with state leagues, and providing opportunities for involvement and networking.” It makes sense that our cities should be working together, and the National League of Cities facilitates that cooperation.

Enjoy City Life

National League of Cities’ website doesn’t seem to have a ton of basic information on the organization, but according to Wikipedia they are “a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns, and villages and represents more than 218 million Americans, including 49 state municipal leagues.” They do this with six centers: Research and Innovation; Federal Relations; Public Affairs and Member Relations; Enterprise Programs; Conferences, Education and Training; and the Institute for Youth, Education and Families. That means that they have all kinds of interesting work. If you want to get involved, you should check out the jobs at National League of Cities. Right now they have a number of jobs posted including a couple that seem suitable for new grads like Sustainability Fellow and possibly Member Relations Representative (description looks entry level, but they want more experience). Give the positions a look, and consider applying. Our cities can use your help.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What city do you live in?

Advertising Research Foundation

Willy Franzen — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 16:43:27 +0000

I’m always amazed with the diversity of the non-profits that I come across. Yes, there is a lot of redundancy in the non-profit world, but I swear that you can find an organization for every idea, interest group, and cause. Take Advertising Research Foundation for example. They are a New York City based organization that aims “to improve the practice of advertising, marketing and media research in pursuit of more effective marketing and advertising communications.” They bring together people from all areas of marketing to promote collaboration and the open exchange of ideas. The ARF (as they’re often called) spends significant resources on developing new research and publishing it in the Journal of Advertising Research. They also put on all kinds of events and run councils on a variety of different advertising niches.

ARF! ARF!

Advertising Research Foundation may not be out to save the world, but that doesn’t mean that their work isn’t important. They drive industry standards and work to push forward the quality of the art of advertising. The ARF’s members “include more than 400 advertisers, advertising agencies, associations, research firms and media companies,” so they really are representing the greater advertising community—not just a small subset of it. If you’re intrigued by what The ARF does, you should head over to their Jobs page. Right now there’s only one position posted that might be suitable for new or recent grads (and it’s a bit more advanced than entry level). They’re looking for a Membership Marketing & Research Project Manager. You can apply online, and you should also note that The ARF offers quite a few paid internships, so they do seem to put a high value on young talent.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Advertising Research Foundation’s FAQ

What have you heard about Advertising Research Foundation?

One Day, One Job » member services

National League of Cities

Enjoy City Life

Advertising Research Foundation

ARF! ARF!