Virtual Association for Administrative Professionals

A professional and educational association for administrative assistants, executive assistants and all administrative professionals of any job title or level who enjoy ongoing learning and professional development

The Virtual Association for Administrative Professionals (VAAP) is your virtual professional association that provides self-study advice and resources for education, professional development, and training for administrative assistants, executive assistants, secretaries, and all administrative professionals of any job title. VAAP is operated by The Effective Admin™, which has exclusively served administrative professionals since 2004.

No pressure. No classes. No meetings. No commitments. No tests. VAAP is simply about learning practical tips and strategies you can apply to your administrative professional job and career at your own pace, on your own time.

You get Advice - Tips - Knowledge - Ideas - Job Strategies - Inspiration - Information - Education - Best Practices - Research - News and Trends all relevant to the administrative profession and that you can use at work and in your administrative role and career today to maintain and improve your job performance, further impress your employer with your expertise, and better manage your career as an administrative professional.

Learn without leaving your desk

VAAP is an all virtual professional and educational association exclusively designed for administrative assistants and executive assistants who work on site in corporations, companies, organizations, and educational institutions globally. Achieve support and continuous learning in your administrative professional job and role without ever leaving your office desk.

No pressure. No classes. No meetings. No commitments. Simply learn at your own pace, in private, on your own time.
The ability to learn at your own pace is a benefit of VAAP membership presented through those many electronic, educational self-study materials mentioned above. There are no organized meetings or classes to attend. You simply can review VAAP electronic learning resources at your own pace -- again and again as you want to or need to in your administrative professional job or career. There are tons of tips and multiple topics directly relevant to your administrative professional job performance and career management. Many VAAP learning resources are in-depth, downloadable publications that you can keep forever -- adding your highlights and sticky notes (as many administrative professional members say they do) to the tips and advice you'll want to remember.

Learning at your own pace through informal, self-study educational materials is a low pressure way to obtain top-notch personal and professional development advice and practical strategies that help you stay informed and motivated about best practices for administrative professionals. No travel involved! You can learn from your desk at times when you're ready to do so.

All these learning resources and opportunities are bundled into your VAAP membership features so that you can neatly present your continuous learning efforts to your employer -- if needed -- by describing your initiative as, "membership in VAAP, an association dedicated to providing me with ongoing educational and informational resources relevant to administrative professionals roles, jobs and careers."

Gain the prestige of belonging to a professional association.

Alert your managers and executives during performance reviews and job searches that you belong to VAAP, a valuable resource that provides you with at least three benefits. Tell them this:

1.  VAAP is a resource that provides me with continuous learning relevant to my administrative professional job and field;

2. VAAP is a resource that helps me stay current with best practices for administrative professionals;

3. VAAP is a resource that enables me to gather new information and ideas that I can implement for my benefit and for my employer's benefit.

 

I've heard enough!

I'm ready to join. Enroll me now!

I've heard enough, but I'm not ready to join today.

But I do want the VAAP Sampler Package. Tell me about it!

 

"I am grateful for your site. It has changed my life.   Dear Karen,   I just can’t put into words how much your site means to me. I use the tools every day. I had reached a point in my job where I was being given multiple projects without clear direction. After several weeks of struggling daily with not only managing my projects but trying to overcome the feeling of carrying a 1000 lb. pack on my back, I had come to my wits end; something had to change and it had to be immediately. I decided to do a search for any help out there for administrative assistants. Your site was the first one I came across. As I began reading a few pages I was captivated and the rest was history. I immediately felt a huge sense of relief and calm, finally the answers and direction I had been asking for. You see, when I started out in the work world, being an administrative assistant was never the top of my list. I didn’t feel I had the personality for it, and the ones I knew were always so busy and hurried that I didn’t want that for me. Well, 30 years later here I am. If I could give you the feeling finding this site has meant to me. It has helped me to own my job and want a career, not just a job, and to continue to learn how to do all the things that an administrative professional does. The fact that there is an association that provides assistance to ones like myself who have struggled over the years trying to do things people assume you automatically know how to do is in itself, PRICELESS." With deep appreciation, Leslie R Tiongison Administrative Assistant Washington, DC

 

"Karen, you have been supplying each of us in the administrative support roles since 2004 with exactly what we needed to make our success possible. Some of the things written were simple ideas and things that we already knew but refreshed what's often forgotten.   I appreciate the organizational tips that I hadn’t thought of that are especially useful while supporting multiple executives. Your publications have become a reference book for my top drawer! I especially enjoy the spelling and grammar refreshers that we may have forgotten since school.   I appreciate your willingness to share your knowledge and personal time given in each of your publications. Your passion to share and mentor those in our field is evident and very much appreciated. Even as I am in career transition, I will remain a TEA/VAAP member to maintain that competitive edge and continue to learn best practices.” With the utmost admiration and gratitude, Dawn Hill Executive Assistant Atlanta, Georgia

 

"Hello Karen, I am so excited to be a member of the VAAP. It is an honor to be a part of any program you initiate. My membership is one of which I am personally doing (not the company), and I feel great about that because it benefits my personal growth as well as the company. I have benefited not only from The Effective Admin newsletters but your being there when I needed another voice ... whereby in many cases your insight helped me set the record straight for myself. I am so grateful you took time out from your busy schedule to respond back to me.   I remember back in March, I was placed under new management after 20 or so years of working with the same group of people and you helped me manage to stay on track by your words of wisdom. Also, if you remember, I am the admin who is over 60 years old and was laid off from a large energy company last year and was offered a position the same day as the termination date. Most of my colleagues were saying how difficult it would be for someone my age to find a job...not if you believe in yourself and continue the path.   I am where I should be on this leg of my career...amazing how things work out....since joining this company almost one year ago, you again were instrumental in helping me get on track with working in a new field. Karen, please stand and take a bow for I believe you have been a 'SHINING STAR' in so many of our lives. Definitely in mine!" Thank you, Dora Cranford Executive Assistant Houston, Texas Lifetime Member of VAAP

 

I've heard enough!

I'm ready to join. Enroll me now!

I've heard enough, but I'm not ready to join today.

But I do want the VAAP Sampler Package. Tell me about it!

Or Keep Reading to Learn More
If you've read this far on this page, I know you are someone who want as many details as possible before you invest your hard-earned dollars in even a worthy cause as your continuing education and professional development. So for you,  I've tried to cover as many questions as you might have or details you might want throughout the pages on this Web site (but without overwhelming you with information to read). You'll find more details about VAAP membership in the "Features & Benefits" and "Why Join" sections. And you can always contact me directly with questions. Or just jump in with both feet and try VAAP membership now right here. You can't lose. All my products (VAAP and The Effective Admin) carry a 60-day satisfaction money-back guarantee. Take action today and join now.

--Karen Porter

Founder and President of The Effective Admin and the Virtual Association for Administrative Professionals (VAAP), an association for administrative assistants and executive assistants who work on site in corporations, companies, organizations, and educational institutions globally.

-- Assisting administrative assistants, executive assistants, secretaries and all administrative professionals of any job title or administrative level with professional development and training since 2004