I had the pleasure to represent the EMC Society at a special conference sponsored by the IEEE Technical Activities Board (TAB) and IEEE So-cieties. The primary purpose was to get a status report of the current Society/ Chapter relationships and share ideas on how we can improve them. The theme for the conference was "Improving Chapter Relations: Key to Society Success."
The key to the meeting was the sharing of individual Society best practices and the compilation of recommendations, conclusions and feedback. Reports were also given on Society/Chapter communications, Chapter technical activities, membership development and educational activities. Much of the information, including Society best practices presentations, is on the TAB IEEE Chapter Homepage at https://www.ieee.org/organizations/tab/ciaindex.html.
The IEEE Chapter homepage objective is to use the pages as a focal point for communication about Chapters and to better inform you as to what services and support are available to you in your Chapter growth and development efforts. Chapter chairmen and members are encouraged to browse through all of the information on the site to learn about developing and maintaining healthy Chapters. Information includes the following:
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Henry Benitez is shown presenting some of the EMC Society's best chapter practices during the recent IEEE Chapter Coordinator's Retreat in New Orleans. |
It was very enlightening to see what IEEE Societies, in addition to the EMC Society, were doing. There were ideas worthy for the EMC Society to consider. However, for the most part, the EMC Society/Chapter practices were among the best in the IEEE. I was proud to be a representative for the EMC Society. I commend the efforts of our predecessor Chapter Chairmen and members. It is now the task of the present Board of Directors to continue to listen to the membership, acknowledge best practices within all Societies, and continue to improve Chapter relations as a key to the Society's success.
Each Society representative had 5 to 10 minutes to share Society/Chapter best practices. I listed the EMC Society/Chapter best practices as follows:
Approximately 15 Society best practices were presented. The distinguished lecturer (DL) programs stood out as exceptionally useful to chapters. Some Societies had a large number of distinguished lecturers (10 to 20). In those cases, it appeared that they had longer terms and were less utilized than the EMC DL program. Some Societies made use of Regional DL programs for efficient use of funds.
Additional support for Chapters included lecture videotape lending programs. Some Societies provided videotapes to promote the Society and Society Officer training. Virtual meetings were also arranged for areas where members were geographically spread out.
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No visit to New Orleans is complete without a visit to Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville... |
Society monetary support to the Chapters varied. Many were similar to the EMC Society Haislmaier Angel fund. One Society based a rebate amount dependent upon the number of Chapter meetings held. Also provided were new Chapter formation kits, Chapter leadership manuals and full day Chapter chair workshops. Regional Chapter chair workshops were also suggested. The EMC Society has a Chapter chairs luncheon at its annual symposium each year.
Society Chapter awards were common. One Society presents best Chapter awards twice a year. Another Society presents separate best Chapter awards to USA Chapters and non-USA Chapters. Awards vary from certificates, plaques, and banners. One Society suggested that the banner allowed the Chapters to proudly display their achievement year after year. One Society limited the receipt of best Chapter award to previous winners to once every seven years.
Interaction between Society executive members and Chapter meetings were promoted. Also Society/Chapter partner programs similar to the EMC Society Haislmaier Angel program were utilized. The Haislmaier Angel program provides each Chapter a point of contact on the Board of Directors. One Society was in the midst of beta testing a corporate relations project to increase IEEE awareness and corporate support for membership and participation.
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...and a visit to the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. Obviously, Henry Benitez combined a little pleasure with business during his visit to the IEEE meeting in New Orleans. |
Many Chapters have their own newsletters. Most Society magazines have Chapter columns. Societies are providing free web space for Chapters. One Society created websites for every Chapter whether they wanted it or not! Society WebSites provide a Chapter chairs database.
Some Societies had some issues to address to support Chapters. Some of those concerns included: dormant Chapter chairs, insufficient active Chapters and the need for more champions.
Overall the Society Chapter Coordinators Retreat was deemed a success. Over 50 people were in attendance. 16 people were from outside the USA. 26 Societies were represented and all 10 Regions were represented. The group was divided into 4 sections to compile a list of areas for improved Chapter support. The following is a consolidated list of recommendations in descending order of priority:
Henry Benitez gave a very professional presentation on the EMC Society's best chapter practices at the IEEE Chapter Coordinator's Retreat in New Orleans. In his first viewgraph, he used graphics to highlight the city's jazz theme. |
We left the retreat with five final thoughts:
