From wharri@bellsouth.net Wed Dec 1 23:37:41 1999 Date: Thu, 02 Dec 1999 00:24:13 -0500 From: William B. Harrison Reply-To: w.harrison@ieee.org To: r3-excom1999 Subject: MDC/Corporate Relations Project Report REGION 3 MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE REPORT Prepared by Bill Harrison, MDC Chair December 1, 1999 Sincere thanks to the Region 3 EXCOM and especially to those who participated in the development of the ideas and materials that went into the Corporate Relations project. The results of those long hard committee sessions show up in the Corporate Relations CD produced by the committee. The Region 3 Corporate Relations Pilot Project was presented at Sections Congress 99 in October. Recommendations were made at the IEEE Board of Directors Meeting Series in Salt Lake City on November 11 to move to a broader second pilot phase of Corporate Relations/Employer Support activities. The second phase would include participation by interested volunteers in Regions 1 through 10. The Corporate Relations CD was distributed to all Sections Congress attendees. Copies will be available at the Region 3 EXCOM meeting in case you have not received yours. A more detailed report and recommendations follow below. Powerpoint slides will be available soon on the Project web site at https://www.ewh.ieee.org/reg/3/mdc/cr. Pilot Project Conducted by IEEE Region 3 Membership Development Committee (MDC): During the past year, the IEEE Region 3 Membership Development Committee (MDC) planned and conducted a Corporate Relations Pilot Project. The principal goal of the Region 3 pilot project was to determine methods to increase corporate support of member participation in IEEE activities, and, in turn, to increase membership in the Institute. The scope of the project included developing a set of tools to help reverse the current downward trend in industry support of IEEE member activities. The project was conducted with five objectives in mind: (1) review existing IEEE materials, (2) identify IEEE products and services that are seen as valuable by employers, (3) develop a set of materials for briefing corporate executives, (4) gather feedback from a limited number of executives, and (5) produce a set of tools for Sections and Chapters. A common theme for the pilot study was to determine how the IEEE can meet the needs of members, particularly local Section and Chapter Officers, and help them approach corporate executives with specific information on how IEEE involvement can directly benefit their businesses. The Region 3 Corporate Relations Project team prepared a tool kit in the form of a multimedia CDROM that incorporates text, video, and audio. It encourages IEEE members to conduct corporate visits and promote the IEEE. The Corporate Relations CD uses a variety of techniques to illustrate how members could go about planning and carrying out visits with corporate managers and executives. It guides the IEEE member through the steps involved in a corporate presentation, researching the organization and its needs, arranging a meeting, and approaching the executive. The CD covers what to discuss during the meeting, how to address "tough" questions, how to "close the sale," and how to follow-up after the meeting. Sample documents can be copied from the CD to the user^Òs PC and adapted for use by local Section and Chapter members. The Corporate Relations CD was distributed to all Sections Congress ^Ò99 attendees. Results of the Corporate Relations Pilot Project were presented. Workshops on Corporate Relations and Employer Support explored ways Sections and Chapters could get involved in future Corporate Relations efforts. We were looking for methods to build on the Region 3 pilot project experience, and on the experience of Sections Congress attendees, to expand Corporate Relations activities to Regions 1 - 6 (United States), Region 7 (Canada), and Regions 8 - 10. Volunteers from Regions 1 through 10 expressed interest in participating in follow-on corporate relations efforts. Recommendations to Membership Development Committee of the IEEE Board of Directors: 1. Move Region 3 Corporate Relations Project From Pilot to Broader Implementation by Involving Sections and Chapters in IEEE Regions 1 Through 10 (Pilot Phase 2) 2. Involve Sections Congress Representatives Who Volunteered or Expressed Strong Interest in Being Involved in the Next Phase of Corporate Relations Activities 3. Involve Others Who Have Supported or Been Involved in the Past Two Years of Pilot Activity 4. Provide Staff to Support and Facilitate the Corporate Relations Activities of Local Sections and Chapters -- Staff Would Serve As an IEEE Focal Point and Clearinghouse To: - Conduct and Share Research on Companies to Be Visited - Develop Official Positions on Issues Raised in Corporate Visits - Develop and Provide Common Data and Presentation Materials to Support Local Corporate Relations Activities - Document and Share Successes (and Problems) Among Sections and Chapters Participating in Local Corporate Relations Efforts - Share Information on Related IEEE Initiatives and Activities 5. Combine R-3 Corporate Relations and Transnational Committee Efforts Into a Single Project 6. Establish a Corporate Relations Working Group to Conduct Second Phase of Corporate Relations and Employer Support Project 7. The Corporate Relations Working Group Should Report to the Membership Development Committee of the IEEE Board 8. Assign Chair(s) to Lead the Corporate Relations Working Group 9. Provide Budget and IEEE Staff Support for Corporate Relations Working Group 10. Make Corporate Relations a Local/Regional Activity -- Devise Ways to Involve Region and Technical Society Executives to Provide Support and Guidance to Local Section/Chapter Corporate Relations Activities 11. Develop Model Section/Chapter Corporate Relations Officer Job Descriptions and By-laws Statements Identify Region and Technical Society Officers Who Will Assume Corporate Relations Responsibilities (Write Position and Duties Into By-laws and Operations Guides) 12. Develop Tailored Versions of Corporate Relations CD for Use by Various Regions, Societies, Languages, Cultures, Etc.