NAAAP Boston News
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Volunteers and NAAAP members, we’d like to heard from you!
We want to make your member experience at NAAAP wonderful, and we need your feedback! Volunteers and NAAAP members, we’d like to hear from you! Please take a few minutes to fill out this quick survey. Help us make your member experience at NAAAP wonderful! Volunteers Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8S93SX9 For New NAAAP members, are you interested in volunteering with NAAAP? Prospective Volunteer Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8SKXJ2X Please note, your response is valuable to us. Many thanks for your help and feedback so that we can make our organization more powerful, effective, and fun! -
Creating Connections with the Corporate Relations Committee
The success of NAAAP Boston over the past thirty years could not have been achieved without the support of the organization’s corporate sponsors. Similarly, NAAAP also relies on the Corporate Relations Committee (CRC), as they build relationships with potential sponsors that can help NAAAP grow. Primarily, the CRC acts as the breadwinners of the organization. They identify prospective sponsors - all of which support NAAAP’s mission to build leaders within the Asian American community - and do their best to sell the value of NAAAP through consistent and persuasive communication. In order to appeal to potential sponsors, the CRC is responsible for designing programs that leverages NAAAP resources to promote the sponsors’ diversity, inclusion and business goals. One of the CRC’s leading roles in seen in the Account Manager. With skills in communications, organization, time management and relationship management, the Account Manager drives the search for new sponsorship and maintains a strong relationship with current sponsorship. They represent the organization in new business development activities by attending NAAAP networking events, partner conferences and activities. The Director of Corporate Relations also serves as a driving force in the CRC and oversees all operations within the committee. The Director presents the value of NAAAP Boston to prospective sponsors and additionally pipelines meetings and calls to secure sponsorship even further. They also act as a main point of contact between the internal NAAAP Boston team and internal NAAAP Boston committees, supporting the latter when they require events or programs that need to engage the sponsors. Currently, there are twelve corporate sponsors who contribute on various levels to NAAAP, providing financial resources, networking opportunities and job openings that are only available for NAAAP members. The CRC is responsible for maintaining relationships with those current sponsors and partners, many of which include HR and Diversity and Inclusion professionals at Fortune 500 companies. Without the Corporate Relations Committee, NAAAP would not be able to fund any of the NAAP Boston workshops, conferences, BBQs, Scholarship Brunches, mixers, volunteer opportunities or any other annual events. The Corporate Relations Director and Account Manager roles in particular are valuable to helping the organization as a whole succeed financially, and are roles that require skills important for their professional and personal lives. As of July 20, NAAAP Boston is looking for candidates interested in the roles of Corporate Relations Director or Account Manager. Please check our Career Center page for the specific descriptions. Contact recruiting@naaapboston.org with any questions. -
Asian Americans, Unequal Pay and the Racial Wage Gap
by Michelle Chung, NAAAP Summer Intern Most recently, Asian American actors Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park ended their contracts with CBS after seven seasons on one of the network’s most popular shows, Hawaii Five-0. The two decided to leave the series after being offered salaries that were 15% less than what the show’s white co-stars Alex O’Loughlin and Scott Caan (who also benefit from back-end deals) received. All four actors are credited for being in the same number of episodes (168 to be exact). Kim and Park are also the two central Asian American faces on the show. Hawaii Five-0 is famously known for its backdrop location, where Asian and Pacific-Islander locale represent the majority population. Kim and Park’s fight for equal salaries not only highlights pay inequity for Asian Americans in Hollywood, but also a wide range of professional industries. In many cases, minorities are put at a disadvantage because of their race or ethnicity and oftentimes earn less than their white counterparts. According to the https://nwlc.org/National Women’s Law Center, for every dollar paid to a white, non-Hispanic man, an Asian woman who works full time only receives 85 cents, resulting in a loss of approximately $9000 every year. Furthermore, Pakistani, Thai, Hawaiian and Vietnamese women receive less than $0.80 to every white, non-Hispanic man’s dollar, while Burmese women make only $0.44. Even when they may have the same educational attainment, white, non-Hispanic males still earn more than Asian American women for the same work. When pay discrepancies occur, it is important for Asian American employees to take the initiative and negotiate for more benefits. However, most employees do not negotiate because either they don’t know how to negotiate or could simply be afraid to speak up, as seen in research conducted by salary.com. In consequence, Asian American employees continue to face enduring challenges for equal pay and for a voice in the workplace. But even with this knowledge, what can Asian American professionals do about it? The most effective way for Asian Americans to feel confident in their negotiation skills is to learn helpful negotiation tips and to practice speaking to others. They can seek support from affinity groups such as the National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP): an organization filled with experienced career professionals who can provide the most valuable advice. NAAAP helps individuals become leaders in the workplace by offering them valuable resources, interactive workshops and network connections. They recognize that employees, particularly Asians, may feel nervous or unsure about speaking up to their employers about receiving higher benefits. In order to help members build their confidence, NAAAP has hosted professional development workshops that teach members about topics such as maximizing your middle management skills, finding a mentor, or building their professional network. In fact, NAAAP Boston has recently hosted a salary negotiation workshop, bringing in executive business directors to speak to members. As a result, members can be more educated in not only on how to ask for the compensation they rightfully deserve but also how to advance their career development. Reaching pay equality is a difficult task, just as asking for a higher salary might be. Even so, as Daniel Dae Kim said (through a post discussing his choice to leave his job): “the path to equality is rarely easy.” NAAAP, in teaching Asian American professionals how to become more informed and confident leaders, encourages the Asian American community to have more prominent voices in their workplace - and consequently, in their own lives as well. Below are some tips to reach a successful negotiation for the best possible compensation packages: Do your research. If you’re going to request for higher benefits than what’s being offered, it’s important to have evidence and facts that will better persuade your employer. How much does the company typically offer their employees? What is the average pay for the position you’re interested in? What is the average salary in your area? Being able to justify your negotiation makes your request more reasonable and comprehensible. Recognize your value to the company. Reflect on what you’d be able to offer to the company based on your professional background. Emphasize the amount of time you’ve been in the field, your specific skills, your past experiences - relaying this information to your employer can help them understand not only how much work you’ve done for them in the past, but how you can help them improve in the future. Don’t just think about base pay. While employers might not be willing to offer higher base salaries, there are other benefits that may be more negotiable, such as more vacation days or a greater health or retirement plan. Think about what benefits are important to you. NAAAP has hosted workshops on budgeting in the past to help members understand what they might need in the future and how to save that over time. Be confident in yourself. Despite the fear that may come from negotiating for a higher salary, it’s important to acknowledge when you deserve greater rewards for your hard work. Still expect multiple questions and a possible ‘no’, and don’t forget to stay professional, but remember that your work is valuable and should be rightfully recognized. If you want to learn more about the National Association of Asian American Professionals - Boston chapter, please visit www.naaapboston.org or email us at info@naaapboston.org. -
Introducing the Community Partners Committee
NAAAP strives to connect Asian American professionals with one another across various fields, professions and experience levels, creating a community of diverse but passionate leaders. As a result, NAAAP Boston has recently established the Community Partners Committee, made up of a group of individuals who focus on developing new strategic partnership with key organizations that support the overall mission of NAAAP Boston, and collaborate with organizations that share one similar goal: to build the face of Asian American leadership. Key initiatives that the Community Partners Committee runs includes work to cultivate new relationships and strengthen existing partnerships with NAAAP Boston’s corporate sponsors, in-kind partners and other local community organizations. Recognizing the importance of uniting the Asian American community and expanding the professional network that members can reach by joining NAAAP, our organization has collaborated with over 20 in-kind partners and local community groups. NAAAP partners with nonprofit organizations that focus on expanding professionalism within the Asian American community like GetKonnected, which offers networking opportunities to professionals with diverse cultures in the Boston area, and New England Chinese Information and Networking Association (NECINA), which focuses on connecting Chinese individuals specifically. Other partners have a focus on Asian American rights and empowerment, such as the Asian American Commission or the Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence. Collaborating with community partners not only allows NAAAP members to meet Asian American professionals with similar goals and beliefs about leadership, but also unites the Asian American community, as leaders can support one another in their professionals endeavors. The work of the Community Partners Committee helps spread the overall mission of NAAAP Boston—to build leaders—to more and more individuals each day, advancing the opportunities and connections that Asian American professionals need. Please contact grace.yao@naaapboston.org for more information.
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