BY JJ JONES,
JONES & CO. REALTY
H
ave you been asked to get involved at the
Association, and your first response was ‘Who
me?’ followed by ‘Why?’
This happened to me. My Broker told me – join a committee,
you’ll be a better agent. I didn’t question him, I just signed
up for Professional Development because I liked the classes
and the instructors. Well he was right – I became a better
agent, a better manager, then a better Broker.
I started wondering if this was the norm for my fellow
volunteers at the Association, so I started asking them. I
discovered that almost everyone was asked by another
agent who was already involved, or they wanted to change
something, such as in the MLS.
What did they get out of volunteering their time, energy,
and talents? Here’s a few good responses and reasons to
get involved:
• Increased knowledge (the big picture) of the real estate
industry & the role of the Realtor®
• Awareness of trends and happenings before others
• Friendships and professional relationships with volunteers
• Pride in your profession
• Protecting property rights & the quality of our community
• Opportunities to affect change
• Develop/strengthen leadership skills
• Regulation of ethics and standards of practice
Now that I’ve addressed the benefits of the agent member
participating in the Association, let’s look at “What’s in it
for me” for the Brokers and Managers. By participating and
encouraging their agents to participate, they not only gain
the agent member benefits, but they can:
14 RPCRA.ORG | SEP/OCT 2018
• Strengthen their reputation amongst our members
• Develop programs targeting Broker/Owner needs
• Influence the industry in a united voice
• Gain a ‘Broker Support System’
• Have better-trained, professional agents
• Receive recognition for their involvement & professionalism
The Realtor® Association has been a powerful
organization for over 100 years, promoting and regulating
professionalism, providing opportunities for leadership,
developing industry and business tools and systems, acts
as the voice for homeownership & private property rights,
delivers important research and information to keep the
membership on the cutting edge and be profitable, and
all this is accomplished with low membership dues at the
national, state, and local level because of a large network
of volunteers and great staff.
A huge thank you to all of you who volunteer! If you haven’t
gotten involved yet, I strongly urge you to consider taking
that step; the results in your professional and personal life
will be incredible.
“JJ” Jones, CRB, SRES, SRS, MRP, AHWD, SFR, PMN
is the Broker at Jones & Co Realty, a member of
RPCRA since 1986, whose volunteer service includes
Past President, Fort Myers Association, member
and chair of multiple committees, and currently
chairs the Member Engagement Committee. She
is a recipient of the Broker of the Year Award,
REALTOR® of the Year Award, and Faye L. Roberts
Lifetime Achievement Award.