Rebecca Donatelli

By Rebecca Donatelli

In my last blog post, “How to Deal When Your Plate is Full,” I discussed my best practices on balancing a busy schedule while still dominating the industry. One of the things that makes my plate “full”—which I believe every REALTOR® should have on their plates—is involvement in their local association.

When I was first licensed at the young age of 24, my only priority was finding clients, selling houses, and overcoming the inevitable “You look so young, how many houses have you sold?” objection. So, when a fellow REALTOR® suggested I come with them to attend a Young Professional Network (YPN) event, you can imagine my excitement to volunteer time for something that I thought wouldn’t benefit me or my business. But I joined (despite my apprehensions) and attended my first YPN event, which happened to be a happy hour. After a few conversations with some of the YPN committee members about the purpose of YPN, I was encouraged to attend their next YPN meeting.

While I fell in love YPN, I didn’t feel the direction of the committee properly represented what YPN was really supposed to be about. So, it became my mission to change that. Three years later, I am proud to say I am chair of our YPN Committee, a member of the Lake & Geauga Area Association of REALTORS® Board of Directors, co-chair of the New REALTORS® Orientations for the association, a member of the Affiliate Committee and the Event Planning Committee—and that is just on the local level.

Me (center) with Amy Marinello and Bobi Schultz. We’re all involved in the Ohio REALTORS® Leadership Academy.

So, how can you get involved and have an active voice in your local association and our industry? Start by attending an event hosted by your local association. If you are unfamiliar with the events your local association may offer, head to their website or social media pages to check out their events schedule. You can (and should) also join a committee, which is a minimal time commitment for having a MAJOR impact. I personally recommend starting with YPN.

I also highly recommend attending your state association and the national association’s midyear and fall conferences to understand more about what is going on within our industry on a larger scale. Some of the points you will learn more about at your state conferences include RPAC, new  and changing laws that impact the real estate industry, best practices to enhance your business, and much more. Many states and NAR also offer a Leadership Academy, which will take your involvement to the next level. The cherry on the sundae—you will start building relationships with other members around the state and country who you can exchange referrals with!

There is no better time than the present to start getting involved—contact me or your local board president to learn more details about getting involved, because we are the future of the real estate industry.

Rebecca Donatelli, ABR, SRS, is a residential agent and team lead of The Rebecca Donatelli Team with McDowell Homes Real Estate Services in Cleveland, Ohio. She was honored in REALTOR® Magazine’s 2019 class of 30 Under 30, and was voted a Top REALTOR® in Northeast Ohio by Cleveland Magazine in 2018 and 2019. She has built a large online presence through social media, specifically Instagram. Follow her @rebeccadonatelli.REALTOR.