Local Chapter Development

Principals & Effective Practices

Peggy Hoffman, CAE

Peter Houstle

Framing the Conversation

Association are about “associating”

Organizational structure should enable connections

Chapters are one way of extending the organization’s

reach and creating face-to-face connections

Framing the Conversation: Chapters

Range of models:

Separate, independent organizations which

collaborate and partner

Affiliated organizations which are separate but have

shared mission and branding

Division or branch of the same organization

Sub-group of the organization

Matching the Options: 3 Guiding Questions

How important is it for people to get together in

person to achieve your purpose?

To what extent are there unique local issues across

your country or do national issues need to be

addressed locally?

Are you significantly advancing the mission by

creating infrastructure to support local activities? (Will

the results be worth the effort?)

Matching the Options: 3 Areas to Explore

What services or activities are most appropriate for

chapters to offer or perform?

How will you define success? What metrics will you

measure and how?

What resources are required for chapters to succeed

and are these available?

Resources to Succeed

Financial

Human – paid staff and member-volunteer

Technology

Training and Information

Environmental Conditions

Opportunities

Organizational Options

A look at the evolving options from a USA perspective. Acknowledges that some chapters achieve a financial size that requires some traditional structure, such as a central governing body, incorporation, formal by-laws.

TRADITIONAL NEW APPROACH

Chapter Charter Principals of Affiliation

Board of Directors Not applicable

Articles of Incorporation/By-Laws Not applicable

Elections Not applicable

Standing Committees Task-Oriented Teams

Regular Meetings Meet Only As Needed

Bank Account HQ Funding Pool

1-up Communications Systems (e.g. Web, Email)

Centralized Communications Systems

Limited Program Management Expertise (Event Planning, Marketing/Comm, Etc.)

Program Management Expertise Highly Supported or Provided Directly by HQ

Limited Member Needs Assessment Needs Assessment Tools & Data Supplemented or Provided Directly by HQ

Awards Based on Activity Rather than Results

Awards Based on Results

Knowledge Uncollected Knowledge Harvested & Shared

Organizational Options

Begin with the function, then focus on form.

Questions?

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