#ChapterLove: Collaborating at All Levels
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Showing your chapters some love is a winning strategy for driving engagement at all levels of your organization. Why? Because chapters create the stickiest type of member interactions—local engagement. Join us to learn simple ways you can show your chapters some love and help address the often contentious National-chapter relationship woes.
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#ChapterLove: Collaborating at All Levels
- 1. #CHAPTERLOVE Collaborating At All Levels
- 2. Got chapters? We’ve got solutions. Billhighway is a chapter management solution that unifies data systems and simplifies administrative processes to empower staff and volunteers, so you can focus more time and energy on members and growing your organization. About the Hosts Billhighway & Mariner Mariner Management & Marketing is your partner in helping association volunteers and staff create the greatest possible value for your members and in ensuring the long term health and growth of your association.
- 3. Why the Love-Hate? 1 Lack of respect 2 Misunderstanding 3 Miscommunication 4 Assumptions 5 One person’s bad experience with another 6 An institutional slight 7 An inflamed ego 8 Simply hearsay that’s become a cultural truth 9 Lack of common goals 10 Parent/child mindset 11 Staff member says “They’re difficult.”; chapter leader says “They don’t understand.” 12 You’re not in it together #ChapterLove
- 4. What’s causing your heartburn? #ChapterLove
- 5. “ In the past, components were like Mini- Me’s. They ran like a national organization, just at a smaller scale. They oftentimes mirrored the governance structure of the national organization, meaning that they would have a full-fledged board and an IRS designation, and they would try to run the same set of programs and services. And national organizations haven’t done a particularly good job of figuring out how to make the groups true collaborative partners. Peggy Hoffman Mariner Management & Marketing LLC “ #ChapterLove
- 6. National-Chapter Relationship Love It won’t be easy but building trust is absolutely necessary if you want to improve your relationship with chapters and convince them to share their data. Trust results from a series of actions, words aren’t enough. Trust takes a long time to build but can be lost in a moment. #ChapterLove
- 7. 1 Get rid of the ‘us vs. them’ mentality Re-educate national colleagues & volunteer leaders on the value of chapters. Share chapter success stories. Strategic asset, not another group to manage. Build Trust >> Repair Your Relationship With Chapters 2 Try transparency yourself Find out what isn’t clear about the way your org works. Allow chapters to see how board meetings are run via video update from the board. 3 Make it personal Put faces to the names of their national staff. Get together with chapters in person when possible (road trip, HQ retreat, 1 day conference). 4 Partners communicate frequently Establish regular communication habits with your chapters (weekly email check-in, quarterly phone call or web conference). #ChapterLove
- 8. Infrequent Compare your National chapter relationship to the relationship you have with your significant other… How would your relationship fare if your communication style was: One-Way Indifferent Evasive Imperious #ChapterLove
- 9. What do you do that strengthens trust and communication with your chapters? #ChapterLove
- 10. Communication Builds Trust Respect their time Remember, volunteers have a full-time job. Give them more time to respond to emails, add items to their meeting agendas, acknowledge new members & start new initiatives. They do expect quick responses from you. Establish a safe place for honest communication Don’t let things go left unsaid. Be proactive in identifying potential conflicts before they begin. Use your listening skills. Bring in an outside facilitator if necessary. Show chapters you’re on their side Let chapters know you understand their challenges. Reaffirm their value to the association. Ask what resources would ease the chapter/volunteer leader workload.
- 11. Communication is Listening Find new ways to listen to your chapters Ask for feedback (in-person, email, anonymous online suggestion box) Send out 1 question polls (give opportunity to say more) Arrange leader- to-leader conversations Host virtual town halls for chapter staff/ volunteer leaders
- 12. When was the last time you asked chapters for their input??? #ChapterLove
- 13. 13 Chapters are your partners in delivering member value. Partners have common goals and mutually agreed upon expectations for each other. If you wish to get chapters to agree to sharing data, get their buy- in on national goals and strategy. The Chapter Voice On Organization’s Goals & Strategy The Who: Diverse group of chapters The Ask: Thoughts, input The Goal: Be a sounding board! #ChapterLeaderLove
- 14. Where do your chapters currently have a voice? #ChapterLove
- 15. Be open to new ideas 72 percent of MGI’s survey participants said their association didn’t have any reward or recognition for innovation. 72% In Marketing General Incorporated’s (MGI) Association Innovation Benchmarking Report, the biggest obstacle to innovation was getting people to accept a degree of failure. #ChapterLove
- 16. Check-In Set aside one quarterly chapter check-in for an annual review of your relationship and common goals. Strengths Acknowledge the strengths each side brings. Value Identify ways to cooperate to deliver member value. Affirm Documenting Reaffirm Common Purpose With Individual Chapters #ChapterLove
- 17. Find ways to prevent burnout. Supercharging your volunteer engagement takes, well, a commitment. A commitment to embracing a vibrant volunteer/chapter program that recognizes today’s chapter leader/volunteer challenges. Chapter Leader & Volunteer Love Find ways to alleviate some administrative burden. Be sure you’re providing resources so your chapter leaders are set up for success. #ChapterLove
- 18. Provide Chapter Leadership Training & Resources Train chapter leaders, not doers Teach chapter leaders how to share the workload & how not to be a chapter superhero. 01 02 03 04 05 Grab their attention with consistency Host a best practices webinar for chapter leaders at 4 p.m. every first Thursday of the month. Provide chapter resource center Allow chapter leaders to search for solutions or download a chapter playbook of best practices. Facilitate peer support Create a network, forum or online community where chapter staff/leaders can meet to share ideas/success stories. Listen to and counsel chapter leaders Find out their biggest pains, make sure they don’t feel alone, schedule regular check-ins.
- 19. Thank & Reward Volunteers 1 Offer discounts on National events and products 2 VIP treatment during conferences 3 Send a handwritten note 4 Give shout-outs to your community— perhaps a headline in the quarterly newsletter or on social media 5 Digital badges or badge ribbons 6 Certificates of appreciation 7 PMI sent out 9,000 certificates & pictures began popping up on social media (post on LinkedIn that netted 152 likes and 17 shares) #ChapterLove Don’t focus on the visible volunteers only, but all volunteers.
- 20. Daring leaders sit down with their chapters and have real rumbles with them about the unique contributions they make, so that everyone knows where they’re strong. When people don’t understand where they’re strong and where they deliver value for the org, they hustle. And not the good kind of hustle… Know Your Value Take the time to explain the “why” behind strategies, and how tasks link to ongoing priorities and mission work. Rather than handing down black- and-white mandates stripped of story, they hold themselves responsible for adding texture and meaning to work and tying smaller tasks to the larger purpose. Cultivate Commitment & Shared Purpose Leaders who work from compliance constantly feel disappointed and resentful, and their teams feel scrutinized. Compliance leadership also kills trust, and ironically, it can increase people’s tendency to test what they can get away with (not sending in financial reports or filing taxes, am I right?) Compliance Schmiance Sarah’s CRP Love: Be a Daring Leader
- 21. Washington, D.C Monday, April 22nd Chicago, IL Wednesday, April 24th Virtual Chapter Workshops
- 22. October 18, 2019 Registration opens May 1st! visit www.leveragechapters.com
Notas do Editor
- Ask any component relations professional to describe the worst possible relationship between an association and its chapters and you’re bound to hear the words “us vs. them.” When this mindset afflicts staff and leaders, everyone loses, including your members. You’ll never be in a position to help your chapters achieve their goals, serve their members, or improve their financial standing without finding a way to become partners instead of rivals. Perhaps you inherited a history of poor personal or organizational relationships between your association and some of your chapters. The fallout from a personality conflict or misunderstanding can reverberate long after the guilty parties have left the scene. Misperceptions and assumptions are made – the cycle of low expectations continues. Once the ‘us vs. them’ mentality starts to fester, it’s difficult to eradicate. This destructive mindset might be based on: One person’s bad experience with another An institutional slight An inflamed ego – personal or institutional Simply hearsay that’s become a cultural truth. Often the national association and chapters get stuck in a parent/child mindset, instead of a more beneficial partnership. National perceives chapters as high-maintenance, soaking up too much of their time and money, instead of seeing them as potential strategic assets and value delivery partners. Chapters sense this lack of respect. They don’t feel heard. What’s worse, many of them perceive national as a rival instead of a partner. For example, they begrudge national for going after the same sponsors and advertisers. Chapters have egos too. Some of them may be too embarrassed to share their data. They’re too proud to ask for help. They rather hide their poor performance and plod along. Are you really all in it together? The ‘us vs. them’ mentality increases its grip when a national association and its chapters don’t work together to develop common goals. If chapters focus only on their own priorities and needs, they won’t see the value in making an effort for the common good. Partners must agree on mutual expectations – how each of them will do their share to achieve common goals.
- Mismatched expectations Too many misunderstandings Missing CEO (organization) support Missed (poor) communications (on one side or the other) History (or at least the version in some minds) Not enough resources (same as missing support??)
- Often the national association and chapters get stuck in a parent/child mindset, instead of a more beneficial partnership. National perceives chapters as high-maintenance, soaking up too much of their time and money, instead of seeing them as potential strategic assets and value delivery partners. Chapters sense this lack of respect. They don’t feel heard. What’s worse, many of them perceive national as a rival instead of a partner. For example, they begrudge national for going after the same sponsors and advertisers. Chapters have egos too. Some of them may be too embarrassed to share their data. They’re too proud to ask for help. They rather hide their poor performance and plod along.
- It won’t be easy but building trust is absolutely necessary if you want to improve your relationship with chapters and convince them to share their data. Trust results from a series of actions, words aren’t enough. Trust takes a long time to build but can be lost in a moment.
- Get rid of the ‘us vs. them’ mentality It won’t be easy but building trust is absolutely necessary if you want to improve your relationship with chapters and convince them to share their data. Trust results from a series of actions, words aren’t enough. Trust takes a long time to build but can be lost in a moment. Nothing destroys trust more than the ‘us vs. them’ mindset. Start shifting this mindset by reeducating your national colleagues and volunteer leaders on the purpose, activities, and value of chapters. National staff and leaders must understand the critical role chapters play in delivering value to members. Illustrate this role by sharing chapter success stories so staff and leaders see chapters as a strategic asset, not another group to manage. Try transparency yourself Actions speak louder than words. You’ll stand on more solid ground when asking for transparency by being more transparent yourself. The inner workings of your association may seem mysterious to the average member, as well as to chapter leaders and staff. Talk to them to find out what isn’t clear about the way your organization works. For starters, pull back the curtain on association governance. Board meetings are usually handled in a routine manner by those involved. But the majority of chapter staff and leaders probably have no idea what goes on during those meetings. They would feel more invested in national’s strategy if they knew what’s happening behind the scenes for their benefit. Make it personal Trust grows when people meet face to face, even if it’s through a screen. Give chapter staff and leaders the opportunity to put faces to the names of their national counterparts. Create a picture in their minds of national as a building of people, not of policies and procedures. The Association for Corporate Growth did a great job of this when former CEO, Gary LaBranche, took his position back in 2008. Listen to his story here. A video update from the board chair or liaison about the upcoming board agenda will go a long way to demystifying the governance structure and creating a more personable relationship. After the meeting, tell chapters what happened and how those actions or decisions impact them. Does the board need any feedback or information from them for the next meeting? When possible, get together with chapters in person. Take a chapter road trip. Invite chapter leaders to HQ or another location for a retreat to discuss goals and strategy, and to provide training. Set aside a day at a conference for this purpose and subsidize attendance if money’s an issue. Whenever you introduce a new initiative or change, like asking chapters to share data, you have to first understand the resistance to change. Your ability to overcome that resistance will depend greatly on the type of relationship you have with chapters. To get their buy-in, you want a partnership built on trust, respect, and common purpose. Partners communicate frequently Communication builds trust – and trust is what you need if you hope to encourage chapters to share their data and information with you. Establish regular communication habits with your chapters, such as: Weekly email check-in Quarterly phone call Quarterly web conference
- Compare the association/chapter relationship to the relationship with your spouse or significant other. How would your relationship fare if your communication style was: Infrequent One-way Indifferent Evasive Imperious It wouldn’t be much of a relationship, would it? If your relationship with your chapters is on the rocks, take a hard look at your communication style and how closely it resembles those five adjectives.
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- Respect their time Since they already have a full-time job, volunteer leaders don’t have all day to work on association business. They need more time to respond to your emails, and they need plenty of notice to add items to their meeting agendas, acknowledge new members, or start new initiatives. You can’t expect quick responses from them, but they do expect quick responses from you. Customer service is funny that way. Establish a safe place for honest communication Don’t let things go left unsaid. In too many associations, difficult topics are skirted because of political or cultural concerns. Egos are soothed. Frustrations, disagreements, and controversies are avoided because it’s best to not make waves. Relationships won’t thrive when issues are repressed. Establish a ‘safe place’ to discuss chapter and national concerns, frustrations, and perceptions. Each side must attempt to understand the issues and challenges facing the other. Be proactive in identifying potential conflicts before they begin to emerge. These conversations require listening skills and empathy. Sometimes, they even require an outside facilitator, especially if you’re rebuilding a relationship. Show chapters you’re on their side Build trust through your words and actions. Let them know you understand their challenges. Reaffirm their value to the association. At the same time, find out what resources would ease the workload of busy volunteer leaders, for example: Leadership and/or volunteer management training Support services – expertise and/or toolkits Mentoring/coaching from other chapter leaders
- “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” We have two ears and only one mouth for a reason: to listen. When people don’t feel like they’re being heard, they disengage. Find new ways to listen to your chapters. Ask for feedback either in-person, by email, or via an anonymous online suggestion box. Send out one-question polls, but give them the opportunity to say more. Ask them about their needs and challenges. Arrange leader-to-leader conversations. Host virtual town halls for chapter staff and/or volunteer leaders.
- In the last 6 months In the last year Uhhh, never We’re thinking about it Next Level: Did you execute any plans or strategies with that input?
- Get the chapter perspective when developing goals and strategy. Chapters are your partners in delivering member value. Partners have common goals and mutually agreed upon expectations for each other. If you wish to get chapters to agree to sharing data, get their buy-in on national goals and strategy. Consider asking chapter representatives to participate in the association’s strategic planning sessions. They can be a great way to bridge communication between parents and nationals for a few reasons: You’re constantly encouraging their input and feedback. You can share this input and opinions with other chapters or open it up to more than just the advisory group Geographically diverse (and chapter size) allows you to get multiple different perspectives to ensure that the voice of all chapters are represented in some fashion Opens up communication and increases comfort levels and trust Also allows for you to pilot initiatives and solutions with these advisory chapters – this helps you build credibility for tactics that you want to roll out to other chapters and gives credibility because their peers are telling the story
- Chapters make up the Board Designated seats on the Board Designated seats on committees House of Delegates or similar Chapter Committee or similar None of the above
- Sorry to say, but sometimes you’re the problem. For example, if a new chapter leader presents a good idea that was shot down because your association isn’t comfortable trying new things, they’ll become discouraged and may not stick around long. In Marketing General Incorporated’s (MGI) Association Innovation Benchmarking Report, the biggest obstacle to innovation was getting people to accept a degree of failure. Maybe it’s time to redefine your definition of failure. Isn’t lack of innovation or the inability to try new things and reinvent processes actually a failure? Perhaps associations should start rewarding volunteers that try to make a difference, even if they fail. 72 percent of MGI’s survey participants said their association didn’t have any reward or recognition for innovation. Try the trickle up approach…it really works!
- Set aside one of your quarterly chapter check-ins for an annual review of your relationship and common goals. Discuss the goals and strategic plans of both national and the chapter. Find alignment and hash out any conflicts. Acknowledge the strengths each side brings to the partnership and to the membership value proposition. Identify ways to cooperate to deliver member value & that includes identifying and make a plan to eliminate redundant benefits. Document what each expects from the other and what each will deliver to members. Too often only the chapter is asked to document their responsibilities to national – it should be a two-way exchange.
- Supercharging your volunteer engagement takes, well, a commitment. A commitment to embracing a vibrant volunteer/chapter program that recognizes today’s chapter leader/volunteer challenges. Find ways to prevent burnout. Find ways to alleviate some administrative burden Be sure you’re providing resources so your chapter leaders are set up for success
- Train chapter leaders, not doers Besides giving chapter leaders the information they need to lead and manager their chapters, you should also teach them how not to be a chapter superhero or martyr. Leaders burn out because they try to do too much. To prevent burnout and turnover, teach chapter leaders how to share the workload. Provide ongoing training for officers, board directors, and committee chairs on how to break up and delegate tasks, make meetings meaningful and enjoyable, and recruit volunteers who will share the work with them. Chapter over-achievers are a liability for your association, not a blessing. They stand in the way of other members who want a taste of service and leadership. Grab their attention with consistency Busy volunteers are more likely to pay attention to your helpful resources if you deliver them consistently and reliably. If you host a best practices webinar for chapter leaders at 4 p.m. every first Thursday of the month, they’ll put it on their schedule. If they expect to receive the Membership Minute every Friday around 3 p.m., they’ll make it a habit to take one minute to read it. If every third Monday they receive a special newsletter filled with chapter success stories (meaning: ideas they can steal), they’ll always find time to open that email. Create Resource Center Create a resource center on your website where chapter leaders can search for solutions to the challenges they’re facing. Include success stories collected from your chapter network, links to external resources, and resources created by your staff. For example, create tip sheets about finding a speaker for chapter events, writing compelling email subject lines, and onboarding new members. Provide Training Programs Post materials and recordings from training programs. For example, the Ontario Real Estate Association published a series of videos about different aspects of the leadership experience. Share a Chapter Playbook Put together a chapter playbook full of best practices. Update it regularly with proven ideas from other chapters so it becomes a collective and growing knowledge bank. Topics could include running a panel, putting together sponsorships, and getting local media attention. Don’t let the playbook sit and stagnate; let chapters know when you update it with new content. Facilitate peer support Create a network, forum or online community where chapter staff/leaders can meet with their peers to share ideas and success stories, ask for advice, and answer questions. Instead of always coming to you with questions, encourage chapters to learn from each other. Many associations host annual chapter leadership summits where volunteer leaders learn new skills and build relationships with their peers. Ask new leaders to come in a day ahead for a new chapter leader boot camp. After boot camp, continue to treat the “class of 2019” as a group so they experience their first year of leadership together. Remember, relationships are the best benefit of volunteering and membership. How to Provide Support Host an online community for chapter leaders. The American Institute of Graphic Arts uses Slack to keep their volunteer leaders informed and connected. Encourage peer-to-peer networking with a buddy system by partnering nearby chapter leaders. Or, facilitate a mentoring program by matching new leaders with more experienced ones. Communication & Feedback Regular communication keeps chapter leaders in the loop, helps them feel supported and valued, and prevents misunderstandings. Give chapter leaders a voice at National. Ask for their feedback on national plans, strategies, and issues as well as chapter concerns. The Association for Vascular Access established an Advisory Task Force to provide their board with the chapter perspective. Survey Chapter Leaders Find out where chapters are experiencing the biggest pains so you can address them. Survey new and experienced leaders to learn how you can help. Even better, hit the road. Having face-time with chapter leaders can improve the relationship dynamic too. When chapter leaders go silent, burnout is often to blame. Find out what’s going on with them. They may just need someone to validate their concerns and acknowledge their frustrations. Remind them about their contributions to the professional community. Suggest a collaborative approach to solving their problems. Invest in Volunteers Volunteers must not feel alone. They need to know you’re as invested in their work and chapter as they are—and that you’ve got their back. Make sure you haven’t set them up for failure. Is their job too big? Just because their predecessors finished their terms doesn’t mean the workload is viable. Previous leaders might have been a martyr or superhero leader.
- Thank and reward chapter leaders National volunteer leaders get a lot of attention, but chapter leaders are often left out of the spotlight despite the influence they have on the membership experience. Think about ways to thank chapter leaders for their service, for example, discounts on National events and products, or VIP treatment during conferences. When it comes to rewards, don’t condone superhero behavior. Reward only the chapter leaders who are truly leaders—the ones who provide others with the opportunity to get involved with leadership. A healthy approach to chapter leadership will prevent leadership burnout and turnover. Provide the support and resources chapter leaders need to succeed. Encourage relationship building among peers. And, most importantly, build a leadership culture based on inviting others to share the workload and experience. Slow down and send a handwritten note, or come up with other ways to give shout-outs to your community—perhaps a headline in the quarterly newsletter or on social media, for example. Broadly Recognize – don’t focus on the visible volunteers only but all volunteers. Digital badges and badge ribbons. Letters of thanks and certificates. The aha here is to broaden your approach to recognizing all who contribute. It’ll come back to you. PMI sent out 9000 certificates and pictures of which began popping up on social media including a post on LinkedIn that netted 152 likes and 17 shares. Sending the message!
- Sarah has been reading the ‘dare to lead’ book by Brene Brown and would highly suggest it to our CRP friends. It’s great at improving trust, communication and vulnerability to make you a better component relations leader to your chapters and your execs. The following passages spoke to her and seemed relatable to managing chapters & volunteers. Know Your Value Daring leaders sit down with their chapters and have real rumbles with them about the unique contributions they make, so that everyone knows where they’re strong. When people don’t understand where they’re strong and where they deliver value for the org, they hustle. And not the good kind of hustle… Cultivate Commitment & Shared Purpose Take the time to explain the “why” behind strategies, and how tasks link to ongoing priorities and mission work. Rather than handing down black-and-white mandates stripped of story, they hold themselves responsible for adding texture and meaning to work and tying smaller tasks to the larger purpose. Compliance Schmiance Leaders who work from compliance constantly feel disappointed and resentful, and their teams feel scrutinized. Compliance leadership also kills trust, and ironically, it can increase people’s tendency to test what they can get away with.
- Locations TBD Registration opening soon (email will be sent)!