Several years ago, in an attempt to get my non-handy husband to take on some small home repair projects, I penned* a list and pinned it to the refrigerator. It was titled, “My Wildest Dreams.” Everyone who entered my kitchen read it and in a very Tom Sawyerish way, all my dreams came true.

Having been successful in my private life, I am going to reapply the lesson learned to my professional life, that is, if you want something done, just “put it out there.” So today’s topic is My Wildest (Professional) Dream (that you renew your MSBA membership) a/k/a The Top 10 Reasons I am Writing a Blog Post on the Top 10 Reasons to Renew your MSBA Membership.

10I won’t have to think about another topic to blog about.

9The marketing person who asked me to write it is nice to me; the entire Marketing staff are great to work with, professional, hard working.

8 It beats the heck out of calling members to ask them to renew. The last time I called to ask for money was as part of a capital campaign for our church. The lists were old.  My first call?  To someone in home hospice.

7I can think less about how my program will do more with less. At age 52 (as of this week), anything that promises less cogent thought is attractive.

6My journalistic ethics are under-developed; after all, I am a lawyer-by-trade. I am not above being a shill for my employer.

5I said I’d do it and can’t back out now.

4Member renewal dollars pay my salary; two of my kids will be enrolled in college next year. Ouch.

3I think the Marketing campaign is clever and if I don’t support it, we could return to something much less entertaining.

2Someone scammed me into thinking I could turn this around as a way to thank members for all they do. Methinks they will see through that ruse. But I do like working with members – hands down, one of the best parts of the job.

DRUMROLL. The #1 reason I am asking you to renew your membership?

1It’s easy. The MSBA is doing great things for its members. To steal a phrase, “This isn’t your father’s bar association.” Here they are. Read them and renew. You’ll make all my dreams come true.

In the last year, the MSBA…

• Taught 7,000 students about the rule of law and civic rights and responsibilities through the Civic Education programs.
• Added two new certification areas – Criminal Law and Labor and Employment Law.
• Changed the annual convention format to bring full-day CLE programs to Minnesota’s eight judicial districts outside the Twin Cities.
• Fought for the integrity of Minnesota’s judicial system by aggressively advocating for a judicial election reform bill.
• Launched a digital edition of Bench & Bar of Minnesota, enabling members to link to resources cited and electronically search, share, and save articles of special interest.
• Hired a Government Relations Director to actively lobby on behalf of the MSBA and keep members informed of legislative issues affecting the Minnesota legal community.
• Oversaw development of  forms and resources posted on practicelaw for use in marital dissolution, foreclosure, civil litigation, real property, probate, and appellate practice matters.
• Provided quality, timely, free or low-cost, one-hour CLE programs through MSBA sections, setting records for programs, credits, and attendance.

*An aside – I used several Flair markers, in varied colors, to complete my list. One of my kitchen visitors read the list, then commented, “I never took you for someone who’d use different colored pens.” Not sure what she meant, but, I digress…