By Matt Clements

Your number one source of funding and the best investor in your Young Professionals Network is your local association. The CEO/AE should be your partner for your YPN. Think about it. The association needs new leaders. Your group provides those people. The value of investment should be about $2,000 for smaller associations, $5,000 for medium boards, and we’ve seen as high as $24,000 for large boards.

Funding your local network is an investment that creates your association’s future board of directors members and future presidents—even current presidents and leadership. That’s your network’s value added proposition. Are you in line for a leadership position?

YPN is creating leaders. Here, YPN member Jessica Siguenza was selected as Orange County REALTORS® 2018 Volunteer of the Year.

Submit your budget request to your association’s finance committee by September for the next year’s budget. Remember, it has to pass the finance committee and be ratified by the board of directors to take effect.

The next is finding sponsorships. Sponsors typically pay annually with a contract outlining a full calendar of events that the sponsor can be apart of. My suggestion is to pitch to potential sponsors in October (companies and organizations typically set budgets in the 3rd quarter and spend in the 4th quarter). Get them to sign with your YPN for at least one year and have the check written to the association with “YPN” in the memo line. Then, you’ll be all-set come January 1!

Matt Clements is the 2019 president of the Orange County Association of REALTORS® and CEO of the Clements Group at Harcourts Prime Properties in Monarch Beach, Calif. Matt is the author of the YPN Playbook and was chair of the California Association of REALTORS® in 2016 when the group won the YPN State Network of the Year. Matt is on the board of director for C.A.R. and NAR, and sits on NAR’s YPN Advisory Board. Connect with Matt: text/call 949-842-8797 or at MattClements.com