[Chapters-l] Report on breakout sessions at Chapter Assembly

[Doug Kaylor]

At Chapter Assembly this year, I promised to post feedback from the 
small group discussion we had during a brief break-out session. (Thanks 
to SOASIST for noting in an excellent newsletter that I was supposed to 
be posting results to chapters-l. In the transition to a new Director, I 
forgot, and their post conference report reminded me.) What I am 
including below are excerpts of a report I submitted to Karen and the 
ASIST Board.

Chapter rep's and attendees were asked three questions. The questions 
and responses follow. If I left something out, please post it directly 
to the chapters-l list. If you have a comment that you don't feel should 
appear on an open list, please share it with the Karen Howell, the new 
Chapter Assembly Director, Beata Panagopoulos, Deputy Director, or your 
Chapter Advisor. I know they are interested in feedback.

Best wishes to all Chapters for a successful year.
Doug Kaylor

Chapter Feedback

Chapters were asked to do a breakout session and discuss:
1. What to do with inactive or dormant chapters
2. How to make chapter leadership more appealing, including the 
possibility of centralizing admin./finances and reducing reporting 
requirements.
3. Are there too many awards? Are we rewarding the right things?

Dormant Chapters

    The general consensus of the chapters present is to keep inactive 
chapters on the books in order to make reactivation easy. Let ASIST 
members in an area with an inactive chapter affiliate with another 
chapter and send their per capita to the active chapter.
    There is a marketing issue for the Society. What do we call an 
inactive chapter that sounds positive? Do we list them in the directory? 
If they are not listed, then they might as well not exist; if they are 
listed, they may create false expectations among new members.
    There are governance issues involved. The chapter structure is set 
in the Society Bylaws, and these seem able to accommodate inactive 
chapters. There are policies in the Board Policy Manual and Chapter 
Officers Manual that need to be changed to allow for some kind of 
inactive chapter.

Recruiting Officers

    I asked if it would be easier to recruit officers if we could reduce 
some of the administrative overhead and reporting requirements. If 
chapter funds, for example, were kept at HQ and disbursed upon request 
with the only reporting requirements being the request and return of 
receipts and surplus funds, would it make it easier to recruit officers. 
They wouldn't have to do quarterly and annual reports. This idea was not 
criticized by those present.

    Other suggestions include
- creating a web space for new officers with program info., training 
materials, etc.
- revising the officers manual. It's too big, confusing, and not useful. 
(this seems to go along with the web site suggestion)
- put chapter reports online as forms to be submitted.
- send lots of reminders for upcoming dates and deadlines
- have ASIST provide a packaged program of speakers, etc. All a chapter 
would have to do is find a place and send announcement.
- have ASIST set up a chapter strike force to go in and jump start 
faltering chapters
- reward officers in some meaningful way for their service: a discount 
on the annual meeting if they attend or free proceedings or ARIST if 
they don't - something of value.
- create a leadership board: a photo board or web page acknowledging 
chapter leader accomplishments.

Chapter Awards

    It was the consensus of the group that we do not have too many 
awards. The question was about the venue. Giving them on Sunday at 
chapter assembly puts them outside the conference proper, and while it 
may be in front of their peers, it is not the same thing as a big award. 
This is an issue that should be folded into the Board's Awards task force.