Justification Toolkit

How Do I Get My Managing Partner’s Approval?

The most effective way to gain approval is to focus on what you will bring back to the organization, to demonstrate return on the investment. Here are seven suggestions:

1. Make the most cost-effective choice and attend all three days of ALA’s Annual Conference & Expo. Tell your manager that purchasing a full conference registration will give you access to all conference proceedings.
2. Offer to prepare and deliver a short presentation and Q&A to your colleagues or team members to share what you learned (this is where those handouts come in handy). They will benefit from your attendance, too, with new knowledge, skills and techniques that can apply directly to their jobs right away.
3. Name some of your current tools, technologies and services that need to be replaced or updated and offer to meet with exhibitors who can fill those needs, potentially at a lower cost for ALA members.
4. Name some of your current processes that can be improved by learning and exploring how others handle them. Explain how attending will benefit your work, projects and organization.
5. Be ready with a plan that shows who will cover for you while you are attending the conference.
6. Offer to share a room to reduce hotel expenses.
7. Focus on what you will specifically bring back to the organization as payback for the investment in your proposal for conference approvals. For example:
   
   
   • Networking Benefits: ALA’s Annual Conference & Expo will allow [me and/or specific team members] to network with other professionals and vendors in the industry. We will be able to take the pulse of what is happening in tools, technologies and processes and hear new ideas.
   • Teambuilding Benefits (if sending several people): ALA’s Annual Conference & Expo will help build our team, providing a forum for team members to discuss improvements for our efficiencies, workflow and processes.