There are lots of questions when it comes to virtual chapters. Do they provide value? Are they successful? How can we make existing ones stronger? If these are questions you are facing with your chapters, you should watch this webinar! We cover volunteer roles, technology, membership models, financial banking and ultimately, answer the question: how do your chapters go virtual?
2. Got chapters? We’ve got solutions. Billhighway gives your
chapters the tools to automate and simplify operations while
creating data visibility across your entire organization. This
empowers you and your chapters to focus more on member
value and grow your association.
About 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. Our Shared Purpose
To build community and connect
component-based organizations and
component relations professionals (CRPs).
4. In the chat, tell us what you need
to get out of this conversation…
what brings you here?
5. POLL
Do you currently have or are you
considering virtual chapters?
1. Have
2. Considering
3. Had
Tell us more in the chat!
6. POLL
Are your chapters offering any
virtual offerings to supplement
their activity?
Tell us more in the chat!
7. 6%
11%
17%
17%
22%
28%
33%
44%
50%
67%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
Tweetchats
Not at this time
Online Community: Chapter creates
Other (please share)
Livestreaming events
Podcasts
Online Community: National provides
platform
Virtual Speakers (via Zoom, Skype, etc)
Webinars: National providess access to
Webinars: Chapter creates
Do your chapters have virtual
offerings? Have any chapters
gone virtual?
No
Yes & No: we started one where there wasn't one
Yes, but they still offer some F2F activity
Yes, a chapter(s) has shifted to fully virtual
8. The Why
Why are we talking
about virtual chapters
and online
communities?
Virtual
Chapters IRL
Stories and examples
from the field that
have virtual chapters.
The What
What are virtual
chapters?
The How
How do you take
steps towards virtual?
What do you need to
consider?
01 02 03 04
Our Agenda
10. Territory
Virtual community
formed around a
shared geographic
territory
(same town/city/state)
3 “Categories”
Culture
Virtual community
formed around a
shared geographic
culture. i.e. military
(same setting)
Non-Traditional
Virtual community
formed to provide a
solution for members not
served by traditional
chapter
01 02 03
11. Covers these driving
questions & needs:
Struggling chapters
Waning volunteerism in
chapters
Waning interest in local
events
Time challenges to attend
local events
Increasing demand for virtual
education/networking
Our working
definition
vir·tu·al chap·ter
/ˈvərCH(o͞o)əl/ /ˈCHaptər/
an alternative model formed around
geography with the purpose of building
local community and addressing
state/local regulatory/legislative activity
and other local factors.
13. Chapter: group formed around geography (where) and traditionally
providing F2F experience
SIGs (CoP, etc): group formed around issue, interest or discipline and
traditionally providing shared space for knowledge management, collaboration,
often charged with “owning” and developing the content for that sector
Online Community: discussion group focused on discussing and sharing, a
peer-to-peer “help desk”; grown into being the “home” for an association with
groups forming around issue, interests, discipline, committees/volunteer groups
Virtual Chapter: group formed around geography with the purpose of building
local community and addressing state/local regulatory & legislative activity and
other local factors.
What’s in the name?
14. POLL
How would you track success?
1. Member engagement
2. Volunteer development
3. Member growth
4. Member retention
5. Advocacy
Tell us more in the chat!
18. Support Given
Seed Money
Provided more than the typical chapter
seed money because they needed a
visual web presence before collecting
dues.
Tools
Rocky Mountain chapter walked them
through virtual meeting & video
conferencing tools.
Templates
Central Florida chapter provided sample
documents and financial support.
19. Mission & Purpose
Be sure to think about a mission & purpose for your
virtual chapter. Ask: what’s the goal and intent of this
chapter?
Key Takeaways
Executive Support
Before committing resources, gaining support of
leadership like the CEO and board is critical.
Volunteer Champion
You need a champion within the volunteer realm.
Somebody willing to put in the time & effort. You
can’t drive this on your own.
Chapter-to-Chapter Support
Encourage knowledge sharing between chapters &
virtual chapters.
21. Support Given
01
02
03
Technology
Helping chapters consider & use
live streaming, video, technology
Community
Detailed Handbook for community
service projects
Adoption
Encouraging chapters to adopt blended
approach; helping chapters share
effective practices & collaborate
22. Embed learning
People are looking to “do something” and learn.
Want to gain something not available in their
day job.
Key Takeaways
A Blended Approach
People share geography so seek face-to-face
but need options – use virtual to provide the
options without eliminating f2f.
Must have a Gardener
Every garden needs a gardener. Keep it fresh,
jazz it up. Match the sensory experience
available in f2f.
23. Use Case #3
National Association
of Productivity &
Organizing
Professionals
(NAPO)
24. 01
02
03
Chapter Resources
Considered one of the chapters so
eligible for all same resources
License to Library
Provides a member benefit through
chapter which ties to a key value: CEs
Insurance & Tax filling
All chapters get D&O, General Liability,
and Group 990
Support Given
25. Potential Competition
What’s valuable about national, is what’s
valuable about virtual chapter with added bonus
of reduced fee for library.
Key Takeaways
Serves Members
Offers another way to connect at reasonable
price; appears to drive engagement.
Need Metrics
Absence of shared data on engagement and
metrics to measure, we have unanswered
questions about the value prop.
27. 01
02
03
Member Backed
Started by a member with a nod by
association
Collaboration
Collaborates with Brick & Mortar
chapters
Joint Membership
National working on a dual membership
offer
Support Given
28. Alignment
Member-driven with limited staff involvement so
there is brand alignment & experience
inconsistencies.
Key Takeaways
Competition
Non-contingent membership model so it could
be viewed as competition – or opportunity to
draw non-members in.
Strong Chapter
It is the strongest, most active of the chapters
providing a lesson for the association.
Chapter-to-Chapter Sharing
Encourage knowledge sharing between chapters &
virtual chapters.
29. Blurred lines between online
community/SIGs – adds
confusion unless there is a
clear purpose
4 Musts
Creates competition with
traditional, with national
Has the same issues we see
in SIGS and chapters
Requires HQ support
30. Do I have areas where
members are that have
no chapter?
Yes, is there a gap in services
(information, education,
connections, activities, etc.?
Yes, is there a new service that
focuses on a geographic
component but doesn’t need F2F?
Yes, can it be best offered
virtually?
Yes, let’s build!
So is VC right for you? Guiding Q’s
Do I have chapters
which are struggling or
dying?
Yes, is there a gap in services
(information, education,
connections, activities, etc.?
Yes, is there a new service that
focuses on a geographic
component but doesn’t need F2F?
Yes, can it be best offered virtually?
Yes, let’s build!
Is there a constituency
underserved in the
chapter area?
(e.g. by location proximity, member
type, professional need)
Yes, is there a new service that
focuses on a geographic
component but doesn’t need F2F?
Yes, can it be best offered
virtually?
Yes, let’s build!
⇓
⇓
⇓
⇓
⇓
⇓
⇓
⇓
31. Volunteers
What activities need
volunteer support? Do
those activities still
exist in a virtual
ecosystem? Or do
they look different?
What would support
from National look
like?
The Key Components
Member
Engagement
What type of
engagement would
you expect from
members in a virtual
ecosystem? How
would you measure
progress on those
engagement
activities?
Technology
Are there any
technologies that need
to be implemented or
leveraged to facilitate
those membership
engagement
expectations? Who is
responsible for
managing, maintain
and paying for the
technology?
Dues/Financial
Support
What types of
membership models
would work for you?
Based on your tech
needs, how much
money would you
need? How does the
virtual chapter bring in
revenue?
33. October 18th
Friday, October 18th, 2019
7:30 AM - 4:30 PM EDT
Happy Hour to Follow
Grand Hyatt
Washington
1000 H St. NW
Washington, DC 20001
$199 Pricing
$199 Early Bird Pricing
$249 Sleep Bird Pricing
www.leveragechapters.com
Peggy can introduce Mariner
Mark can introduce Billhighway
Might be good to share our purpose in putting events like these on between BH & Mariner
Give them our WHY
Is this a poll or chat?
We did a survey before the workshop and collected a little more data
Share what we heard in the VC workshops & ask them to add comments in the chat
We had a lively conversation! Different views and we discovered there are 3 “categories”
Virtual community formed around a shared geographic territory [same town/city/state]
Virtual community formed around a shared geographic culture, e.g. military [same setting]
Virtual community formed to provide a solution for members not served by traditional chapter
The thing is that really #2 and #3 parallel our SIG & Online community. So, the name “chapter” seems to be used to help members feel parity. Good? No judgement.
We’ll focus on the virtual chapter definition that addresses the majority of questions and needs:
Struggling chapters
Waning volunteerism in chapters
Waning interest in local events
Time challenges to attend local events
Increasing demand for virtual education/networking
Virtual Chapters: Provide an alternative model for chapters which are formed around geography with the purpose of building local community and addresses state/local regulatory & legislative activity and other local factors.
Here’s how we see the world and where VC but that definition fit in. Pretty nice right? Fills out an eco-system that meets members where they are!
Virtual Chapters: Provide an alternative model for chapters which are formed around geography with the purpose of building local community and addresses state/local regulatory & legislative activity and other local factors.
Here’s how we see the world and where VC but that definition fit in. Pretty nice right? Fills out an eco-system that meets members where they are!
Chapter
What are the defining attributes of a “chapter”? (e.g. geography, F2F, etc.) GROUP
What conditions validate the need for a chapter of any sort? (e.g. state/local legislative/regulatory activity, nature of the profession/trade, etc.) GROUP
What elements of geography create a favorable or unfavorable environment for a chapter? (e.g. high/low population density, non-/highly competitive members, etc.) GROUP
Virtual Community
What are the defining attributes of a “virtual community”? (e.g. space/time – where/when independent, technology dependent, etc.) GROUP
What conditions validate the need for a virtual community of any sort? (e.g. shared interest, discipline, issue, etc.) GROUP
What elements of geography create a favorable or unfavorable environment for a virtual community? (e.g. high/low population density, non-/highly competitive members, etc.) GROUP
Virtual Chapter
What are the defining attributes of a “virtual chapter”? (e.g. space/time – where/when independent, technology dependent, etc.) GROUP
What conditions validate the need for a virtual chapter? (e.g. shared interest, discipline, issue, etc.) GROUP
What elements of geography create a favorable or unfavorable environment for a virtual chapter? (e.g. high/low population density, non-/highly competitive members, etc.) GROUP
Note the how each can be used as metrics – most important for the metric to be meaningful and measurable.
Engagement
Volunteer development
Member growth
Member retention
Advocacy
Present a look at Virtual Chapter models – we’ll share a few stories, to include NIGP, AIHA, ISPE. The later helps us show a hybrid or blended chapter.
We need to decide if we want this to exist prior to brainstorming the key components (for people to springboard off of) or after we walk through the key components part.
Also need to decide if we want to create simple slides with key takeaways from the examples like we did in the Collaborative Chapter Movement Webinar (ANA, ASLA, IMBA)
Added in the ANA slides as an example from the webinar. Do
https://www.ahgpa.org/index.cfm
“We have professionals in locations that are really difficult to reach—rural environments or places where people are spread out, like Alaska and Hawaii,” said Rick Grimm, CEO of NIGP – The Institute for Public Procurement. “Hawaii is a unique situation—imagine going from island to island for a lunch meeting.” NIGP now has a virtual chapter for members in Alaska and Hawaii and is considering one for Montana too.
Virtual chapters solve a geographic problem, for example, in remote, rural areas where members are too spread out to participate in a traditional local chapter. NIGP – The Institute for Public Procurement created a virtual chapter to meet the needs of members and professionals in Alaska and Hawaii. The Alaska-Hawaii Governmental Procurement Association(AHGPA) is an online chapter with 77 members.
AHGPA’s past president Jeff Dansdill said:
“I talked with a couple of people from Alaska and found out they had many of the same issues we experienced in Hawaii. We’re both separated from the United States mainland so we have the same shipping issues, the same transportation issues. For Hawaii, it’s island to island. In Alaska, towns are separated geographically—there are no roads between Juneau and Anchorage, a couple of the largest cities.”
Dansdill said to his Alaskan counterparts, “We have a lot in common. Why don’t we both get together and be that much stronger.” The Hawaii/Alaska virtual chapter has been such a success that now NIGP is talking to members in Montana about establishing one there too.
NIGP’s virtual chapter for members in Hawaii and Alaska is the new kid on the block but is already helping its “sister chapters” learn how to hybridize the chapter membership experience, for example, by providing video conferencing assistance.
Jennifer Steffan, chapter relations manager at NIGP, said many of their local chapters are using tools like Zoom for board meetings. “We’re seeing our regular chapters start to use the virtual world—it’s naturally happening.”
As they do for all their chapters, NIGP provided seed money to help their virtual chapter with technology. But they soon realized the usual several hundred dollars wouldn’t be sufficient. Jennifer said, “We decided very quickly that our seed money had to be several thousand dollars so they could have a visual presence on the web when they went live instead of having to wait until they collected dues.”
The virtual chapter also received support from within the NIGP chapter community. The Rocky Mountain chapter walked them through virtual meeting and video conferencing tools. The Central Florida chapter provided sample documents and financial support. Encourage your chapters to share their knowledge and experience with the new virtual chapter team. They’ll benefit from watching and learning since the chapter experience will likely become more virtual for everyone in the future.
Mission, Purpose & Goals
When Jeff Dansdill, a member of NIGP - The Institute for Public Procurement, moved to Hawaii, he missed belonging to a local chapter community like he did in Illinois and wanted to start a chapter in his new state. But meeting in person would be difficult with members and industry professionals spread across several islands. He realized that members in Alaska faced the same geographic issues, so he began talking to NIGP staff about starting a virtual chapter for Hawaii and Alaska.
Jennifer Steffan, chapter relations manager at NIGP, said, “We asked Jeff and his group of members in Hawaii and Alaska to start thinking about a mission, a purpose. What was their goal and intent with this chapter? What could a virtual chapter look like?”
Executive Support
Before committing any resources (time, money, technology), you need to gain the support of your leadership—the CEO and board. “Leadership support was extremely important,” said Jeff Dansdill, past president of NIGP’s virtual chapter. “Without [the CEO’s] executive backing, we probably wouldn’t have gone anywhere, so his and Jennifer's involvement and excitement about our idea for a virtual chapter was critical to its success.”
Volunteer Champion
Jennifer said, “I think the reverse side of that is true too. You need a champion within the volunteer realm as well—somebody who is willing to put in the amount of time and effort to start not only a chapter but something brand new. As important as it was for NIGP to buy into this, we really needed a volunteer or group of volunteers who were going to drive it. We couldn't have done it on our own.”
“To start any type of chapter whether it's virtual or face-to-face, there has to be that drive as well as a group of people who are willing to commit to it,” said Jeff Dansdill, past president and founding member of the virtual chapter for Hawaiian and Alaskan members of NIGP - The Institute for Public Procurement.
Virtual chapters face many of the same challenges as local chapters, including member engagement. Jeff Dansdill from NIGP’s virtual chapter said, “Some of the challenges we face are no different than other chapters—getting involvement and keeping people interested. People are busy today, so showing the value of being involved and being part of our organization is always a challenge but something we're up to.”
Chapter-to-Virtual Chapter SupportEncourage your chapters to share their knowledge and experience with the new virtual chapter team. They’ll benefit from watching and learning since the chapter experience will likely become more virtual for everyone in the future.
Update Image for International Society for Performance Improvement https://www.ispi.org
ISPI – her job after 6pm/volunteer, on the board 4 yrs, on chapter committee
TN blended chapters – deliver services on line and quarterly head out to a city. While live, have it streaming. Blended is step towards virtual.
Ones that didn’t get on the band wagon re virtual blend, they are struggling – e.g. Chicago
Richmond didn’t have a chapter, now virtual all to tie to community service (see below); of course asking the question do you need a chapter to have a community service project?
30-35 chapters; affiliation with outside use. Chapters where your members live when not at your annual conference.
Hampton Roads – did stream. 20 people there, 20 on the line (70 total mbrs).
As we have more blended chapters, I noticed they started inviting other chapter members and then you get homogenized and put pressure on the individual chapters
Explored ISPI virtual chapter for those who didn’t have a chapter nearby; didn’t do after 6 mos … how design virtual services.
Without a gardener, nothing will happen. Keep it fresh and have fresh ideas. And jazz it up. We have some many sensory things outside so it has to be somewhat entertainment. Truth is what to have fun when they learn.
NAPO - https://www.napo.net
National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals™ (NAPO®)
Virtual Chapter https://napovc.com/index.php
begun around 2012-13 to provide another option for members.
structured same as geo, same policies, AA, bylaws.
They offer a
member area log-in
a lot of webinars they originate.
Managed by volunteers. Full board. My understanding have people in the pipeline, fresh faces. They have an easier time than traditional chapters engaging volunteers
Dues are $60 with a $10 initiation fee.
Doing pretty well.
Mbrs 190 ish
No access to data re engagement for any chapters including virtual
Because we lump them in with geo they sort of claim the same benefits at geo chapters but totally different beast.
What’s valuable about VC is what’s valuable about national. They have directory, webinars… and the license.
ON member side – valuable as another way to connect with others and at a fairly reasonable cost. Introvert, good way to connect. Outside of the association, really proud of the association, but inside they are really proud of their specific chapter or group … if it helps drive that engagement, one could say it’s good.
Haven’t put any metrics against it.
Alliance of Hazardous Materials Professionals -
https://www.ahmpnet.org/
Support:
Started by a member with a nod by association
Collaborates with Brick & Mortar chapters
National working on a dual membership offer
Key Takeaways:
Member-driven with limited staff involvement so there is brand alignment & experience inconsistencies.
Non-contingent membership model so it could be viewed as competition – or opportunity to draw non-members in
It is the strongest, most active of the chapters providing a lesson for the association
By collaborating with brick & mortar chapters it adds value to both
Going in with eyes wide open – 4 musts
Blurred lines between online community/SIGs – adds confusion unless there is a clear purpose
Creates competition with traditional, with national
Has the same issues we see in SIGS and chapters
Requires HQ support
So is VC right for you? Guiding Q’s
Do I have areas where members are that have no chapter?
Yes, is there a gap in services (information, education, connections, activities, etc.?
Yes, is there a new service that focuses on a geographic component but doesn’t need F2F?
Yes, can it be best offered virtually?
Yes, let’s build!
Do I have chapters who are struggling?
Yes, is there a gap in services (information, education, connections, activities, etc.?
Yes, is there a new service that focuses on a geographic component but doesn’t need F2F?
Yes, can it be best offered virtually?
Yes, let’s build!
Now, let’s break it down to parts: structure, leadership, funding/resources, ownership. We will break into four smaller groups to explore each of these elements. Then we will regroup and share.