It’s happened to me twice recently: someone approaches me, bright eyed, with a great idea: “The NASPP should really put together some chapters or guides for international countries.” Did I say it’s a great idea? It is, the only catch being that the idea has already been implemented – in the form of (a whopping) 33 country-specific chapters that are collectively entrenched as one of the crown jewels of our Global Stock Plans portal. It occurred to me that some of our members may not even fully realize the multitude of resources available to them, all included with their NASPP membership. In today’s blog, I’ll revisit some the gems available to NASPP members (test your knowledge – are you in the know about all of them?)

7 Lucky Resources (ok, I made up the “lucky” part, but they are still fabulous!)

1. International Discussion Forum: Did you know that the topic of global stock plans has its own discussion forum? On top of that, questions posted to the forum are answered by experts in the field – members of our Global Task Force (a list of those members exists in the Global Portal).

2. Country Chapters: We currently have 33 country-specific guides in our Global Stock Plans portal, and more under development. The guides cover the basic legal, tax and exchange control landscape in the covered jurisdiction. This is a great place to start when venturing into a new country or offering new equity types in an existing one.

3. 42 Portals: In the world of NASPP, a portal is a portion of the site dedicated to a particular equity compensation area of focus. This means we have portals on 42 different administration and regulatory topics (and more under development). A portal contains anything from applicable regulatory and tax information, to articles, sample documents, tools, and other resources. The full list of portals can be accessed from the NASPP home page, the drop down menu on the NASPP home page, or here.

4. Global Alerts: Members of our Global Task Force (all of whom are experts in Global Stock Plans) sponsor the NASPP Global Portal by supplying country-specific alerts, global updates and articles. This means that when something significant happens in a particular country that impacts stock compensation, we’re likely to receive an alert. The alerts are posted to our Global Portal and alert subscribers receive an email notifying them of the update. You can subscribe to alerts by individual country, allowing you to receive alerts only for your areas of focus. We currently offer alerts for 68 countries. You can visit the Alert Archive at any time to see past alerts.

5. Monthly Webcasts: If you aren’t taking advantage of the free monthly webcasts, don’t delay. The subjects cover timely administration, regulatory and best practice topics (next month’s is: “Understanding Payroll Administration Related to Equity Compensation”. The speakers represent the best and brightest of the industry. Can’t make a particular webcast? Want to recall something from a past webcast? You can access the archive and dig up the details. This is a huge resource. Did Legal just approach you and ask you about grant practices? Go access the relevant webcast archive on the topic (March 2012) and you’ll have the expert opinions right at your fingertips!

6. Enhancers: There are several features of our web site that I refer to as “enhancers”. They are designed to enhance your knowledge or awareness of stock compensation practices and requirements. They include our weekly Question of the Week quizzes (all of January’s quizzes are active until the end of the month, so if you haven’t started the contest, jump in today!), our Compliance-O-Meter (this month’s topic is Employee Communication Practices), and our Practice and Regulatory Alerts(found in the dead center of our home page).

7. Career Center: I blogged about this feature last week, so I’ll keep it short (you can visit that blog for additional detail). The Career Center is a forum where employers can post equity compensation jobs, and job seekers can post their resume details. If you’re an employer with an opening, or an individual looking for a job in the industry, visiting the Career Center is a must.

These are just a few of the great resources available to you, all the time, as an NASPP member. Be sure you are maximizing your membership – we’re here to help you navigate equity compensation’s many facets! Not a member? Join or renew today.

-Jennifer