A little more than four years ago I was a LAA alumnus, a graduate of Flagship 2006, working for the Maryland Department of Commerce. I wasn't involved or engaged in LAA and I had a low-level frustration that there was no functional alumni directory where this vast network of graduates would be visible (and searchable). Then I went to the LAA Holiday Party with a friend who was looking for her next leadership role - she was in job search mode. While everyone was friendly, there didn't seem to be a way to make this enormous network of LAA grads accessible. 

That experience was really the catalyst that inspired me to apply for my current role as President and CEO of Leadership Anne Arundel. Our programs, Flagship and Neighborhood Leadership Academy, deliver enormous value year after year. We've graduated more than 1600 leaders from grassroots to seasoned, veteran community leaders. I was determined that there should be an easy way to connect this vast nexus of community leaders throughout Anne Arundel County. And today, there is.

Behind the LAA website there lives a robust community platform loaded with functionality to connect leaders near and far from current classes to our earliest graduates. 

An ounce of effort will deliver a world of connection
Okay, so I get it - who needs yet another platform. Maybe you're on LinkedIn or Facebook; you have usernames and passwords coming out of your ears. 

The thing about the LAA platform is it takes very little effort to tap into a world of connection. The LAA community is not meant to replace LinkedIn or Facebook, but to maximize opportunities among the unique community of leadership stakeholders that is LAA; to provide increased access and deeper connection among our community's most connected.

Here's just how easy it is:

LOGIN
If you have never logged in before, simply use the same email address that LAA Communications find you as your username. Then hit "Forgot Password" to resent your password. (Or contact Nancy for help)

UPLOAD A PHOTO
They say a picture is worth a 1000 words for a reason. Simply adding a photo to your profile will make you 1000 times more visible in the community.

ADD YOUR ACTIVITY
In your profile, under Additional Information, add your nonprofit/community engagement. Any number of opportunities to benefit you and/or your community initiatives will flow from including your community engagement in your profile.

PRIVACY
The LAA Community default is set such that only members logged into the community can see contact information for other members; And all members can adjust their own Privacy Settings to hide information they don't want to share.

If uploading your photo, adding your community involvement and confirming your contact info/confirming your privacy settings is all you do, you're golden. You will get so much more value from your LAA engagement than in years past.

But wait, there's more! With just a little more activity, so much more connection and value is at your fingertips:

POST TO YOUR FEED
Have a community event coming up? Something you want to share with the community? Post a photo or add a link to your "Feed" on your profile to share it with the community.

DISCUSSION BOARDS
Looking for Board Members or volunteers for your organization or currently hiring? There are Discussion Boards in the community to share that information. 

INTEREST GROUPS
What was your favorite Flagship session day? The LAA community has an interest group for each of the Flagship Session Days: Government, Economic Development, Cultural Arts and so on. You can join any of the Interest Groups to receive updates on info of interest to the group, post your own info and resources and connect directly with other LAA grads engaged in the specific interest area. 

Inspired to connect even further? We are currently seeking Interest Group Leaders to serve as online monitors/coordinators for each interest group. Contact me directly to learn more.

Need help with any of the steps above? Join me online for the next LAA101 session on Friday February 17th at 8:30am on Zoom. Click here to register.

New platforms can seem overwhelming, but you don’t need to take advantage of everything the LAA online community offers to gain valuable connections and opportunities: Start small. Why not upload a photo or post a bit of news to your feed today?