National Association of Professional Organizers
Encyclopedia
The National Association of Professional Organizers, (NAPO), , known as The Organizing Authority, is the premier United States association dedicated to the field of organizing. Formed in 1985 by Beverly Clower, Stephanie Culp, Ann Gambrell, Maxine Ordesky, and Jeanie Shorr as a not-for-profit
professional, educational association, NAPO is dedicated to serving its roughly 4,200 members through education, networking, industry resources, and promoting the profession to the public. NAPO's mission is to develop, lead, and promote professional organizers and the organizing industry.
An organizer’s services can range from designing an efficient closet to organizing a cross-country move. For homeowners, he or she might offer http://www.amherstdaily.com/index.cfm?sid=244619&sc=510[room-by-room space planning] and http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119940193420066115.html?mod=googlenews_wsj[reorganization], estate organization, improved management of paperwork and computer file
s, systems for managing personal finance
s and other records, and/or coaching in time-management and goal-setting. In business settings, an organizing pro can increase productivity and profitability with improvements in paper-filing and storage, electronic organizing, work-flow
systems, employee time-management, space design, and more.
and budget constraints.
Through training, NAPO members become experts in various facets of professional organizing, including, http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/feb/08/1h08clutterm234314-quit-messing-around-get-rid-all/?home[residential], office, http://money.cnn.com/2008/10/06/news/companies/kimes_audi.fortune/[business], time management
, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122049881263298243.html?mod=googlenews_wsj[paper management], financial/bookkeeping and moving/downsizing/relocations.
that is operated under the auspices of the http://www.napo.net/our_profession/certified.aspx[Board of Certification for Professional Organizers] (BCPO). The http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/worklife/02/11/cb.jobs.certification/[Certified Professional Organizer] (CPO) designation is a voluntary, industry-led effort that benefits the public and members of the organizing profession. CPO Certification recognizes those professionals who have met specific minimum qualifications and have proven through examination and client interaction that they possess the body of knowledge and experience required for certification. The program recognizes and raises industry standards, practices, and ethics. While the CPO designation is not an endorsement or recommendation, certification of professional organizers maximizes the value received from the services provided and products recommended by a CPO.
To be eligible, candidates must meet specific http://www.certifiedprofessionalorganizers.org/eligibility-requirements.php[eligibility requirements], including completion of 1,500 hours of paid work experience
within the last three years.
Each year, NAPO also conducts a GO Month survey with members of the public to gauge their familiarity with professional organizing as well as their perceived need for the services a professional organizer can provide. These surveys are an excellent way for NAPO to collect data regarding public perception of the profession and educate the public about the benefits of professional organizing.
Of 400 adults polled in a November 2008 survey:
• About 85 percent indicated an awareness of what professionals do
• 96 percent said they would save time every day by becoming more organized
• Among those 96 percent, 15 percent felt they could save more than an hour each day—for a total of more than 15 days per year—if they were more organized at home. And 30 percent felt they could save at least 30 minutes each day—or more than an entire week per year—if they were more organized at home
• 65 percent of respondents noted that their household was at least moderately disorganized
• 27 percent said they felt disorganized at work
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
professional, educational association, NAPO is dedicated to serving its roughly 4,200 members through education, networking, industry resources, and promoting the profession to the public. NAPO's mission is to develop, lead, and promote professional organizers and the organizing industry.
What professional organizers do
Professional organizers use tested principles and expertise to enhance the lives of clients. By designing custom organizing systems and teaching http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2009/01/11/features/yourhome/18-organizational.txt[organizing skills], they help individuals and businesses take control of their http://www.philly.com/philly/home/CTW_home_20090430_Space_case.html[surroundings], their time, their paper piles, their lives!An organizer’s services can range from designing an efficient closet to organizing a cross-country move. For homeowners, he or she might offer http://www.amherstdaily.com/index.cfm?sid=244619&sc=510[room-by-room space planning] and http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119940193420066115.html?mod=googlenews_wsj[reorganization], estate organization, improved management of paperwork and computer file
Computer file
A computer file is a block of arbitrary information, or resource for storing information, which is available to a computer program and is usually based on some kind of durable storage. A file is durable in the sense that it remains available for programs to use after the current program has finished...
s, systems for managing personal finance
Personal finance
Personal finance is the application of the principles of finance to the monetary decisions of an individual or family unit. It addresses the ways in which individuals or families obtain, budget, save, and spend monetary resources over time, taking into account various financial risks and future...
s and other records, and/or coaching in time-management and goal-setting. In business settings, an organizing pro can increase productivity and profitability with improvements in paper-filing and storage, electronic organizing, work-flow
Workflow
A workflow consists of a sequence of connected steps. It is a depiction of a sequence of operations, declared as work of a person, a group of persons, an organization of staff, or one or more simple or complex mechanisms. Workflow may be seen as any abstraction of real work...
systems, employee time-management, space design, and more.
Education for professional organizers
NAPO’s http://www.napo.net/our_profession/education/curriculum.aspx[Professional Organizer Curriculum] teaches current and prospective professional organizers the essential skills needed in various levels of expertise. Level 1 classes are designed for beginning organizers. Level 2 classes are devised for intermediate organizers, and Level 3 classes are intended for advanced organizers. Level 4 classes are designed for organizers at all levels of experience. In addition, teleclass and classroom formats are offered to accommodate different learning stylesLearning styles
Learning styles are various approaches or ways of learning. They involve educating methods, particular to an individual, that are presumed to allow that individual to learn best. Most people prefer an identifiable method of interacting with, taking in, and processing stimuli or information...
and budget constraints.
Through training, NAPO members become experts in various facets of professional organizing, including, http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/feb/08/1h08clutterm234314-quit-messing-around-get-rid-all/?home[residential], office, http://money.cnn.com/2008/10/06/news/companies/kimes_audi.fortune/[business], time management
Time management
Time management is the act or process of exercising conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase efficiency or productivity. Time management may be aided by a range of skills, tools, and techniques used to manage time when accomplishing specific...
, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122049881263298243.html?mod=googlenews_wsj[paper management], financial/bookkeeping and moving/downsizing/relocations.
The Certified Professional Organizer
The professional organizing industry has a certification programProfessional certification
Professional certification, trade certification, or professional designation, often called simply certification or qualification, is a designation earned by a person to assure qualification to perform a job or task...
that is operated under the auspices of the http://www.napo.net/our_profession/certified.aspx[Board of Certification for Professional Organizers] (BCPO). The http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/worklife/02/11/cb.jobs.certification/[Certified Professional Organizer] (CPO) designation is a voluntary, industry-led effort that benefits the public and members of the organizing profession. CPO Certification recognizes those professionals who have met specific minimum qualifications and have proven through examination and client interaction that they possess the body of knowledge and experience required for certification. The program recognizes and raises industry standards, practices, and ethics. While the CPO designation is not an endorsement or recommendation, certification of professional organizers maximizes the value received from the services provided and products recommended by a CPO.
To be eligible, candidates must meet specific http://www.certifiedprofessionalorganizers.org/eligibility-requirements.php[eligibility requirements], including completion of 1,500 hours of paid work experience
Work experience
Work experience is the experience that a person has been working, or worked in a specific field or occupation.- Volunteer work and internships :...
within the last three years.
NAPO’s Get Organized Month SM
NAPO sponsors http://sbinformation.about.com/b/2009/01/04/get-organized-month.htm[Get Organized (GO) Month] every January. GO Month, which began in 2005, is dedicated to raising awareness of the benefits of getting organized and of hiring a NAPO professional organizer. During GO Month, NAPO’s dozens of chapters and thousands of members hold public events, including shred-a-thons, http://www.news8austin.com/content/community/neighborhood_news/?AC=True&action=view&TableID=14671&StartRange=1/25/2009&EndRange=1/31/2009&mon=&yr=[clear your clutter days], reduce-and-recycle events and volunteer organizing throughout the country.Each year, NAPO also conducts a GO Month survey with members of the public to gauge their familiarity with professional organizing as well as their perceived need for the services a professional organizer can provide. These surveys are an excellent way for NAPO to collect data regarding public perception of the profession and educate the public about the benefits of professional organizing.
Of 400 adults polled in a November 2008 survey:
• About 85 percent indicated an awareness of what professionals do
• 96 percent said they would save time every day by becoming more organized
• Among those 96 percent, 15 percent felt they could save more than an hour each day—for a total of more than 15 days per year—if they were more organized at home. And 30 percent felt they could save at least 30 minutes each day—or more than an entire week per year—if they were more organized at home
• 65 percent of respondents noted that their household was at least moderately disorganized
• 27 percent said they felt disorganized at work