Community/Sm
all Chapter Best
Practices
Why Suddenly a Subject
of Interest?
More chapters who were corporate chapters
have become community chapters because
of changes in contractors, changes in top
management
Small businesses need to be as
knowledgeable as the “big guys” they may
be competing with
The federal government is looking to small
businesses to provide services and materials
Comparisons between Small
and Community Chapters
Community
Generally not
sponsored by a
business
Smaller
membership
Membership is
made up of
many businesses
Meet at public
locations
Usually meet
during the
evenings
Usually purchase
web site
Small
May be
sponsored by a
business
Smaller
membeship
May be a city
government or
small business
May meet
during business
hrs
Web site may
be sponsored
by business
Pros and Cons of Small/ Community vs
Corporate Chapters
Pros
Not tied to
business – can
gather members
from anywhere
Can meet
anywhere – such
as restaurants
True networking
Don’t have to do
everything –
focus on one or
two things you do
well or want to
do well
Cons
No corporate
sponsorship to help
with funding
No senior
management to
count on
No set place to
meet and store
materials
No set field of
members
Can’t take dues
from paychecks
Fewer members to
hold offices and
chairs
What is Your Goal?
Training for your members
Providing training for others
Community service
Speech Contest
Large membership to do many things
How Do You Decide What
to Do With So Few People?
You may want to combine officers and chairs
Secretary/Treasurer
VP/Membership Chair
Community Service
Chair/Publicity
Use National to provide training through live online
Sell business membership to allow for less expensive
training materials for their business
Meet with other Associations – Project Management,
Administrative Professionals, Professional Engineering
Groups
How can NMA Help?
On-Line Training
LDCs and National Conferences
Staff, National Officers, and National Directors
Councils – way to participate in more
Breaktime
Foundations of Management
Building Virtual Teams
What One Chapter Did
Bring in a facilitator
List three things that every member wants from the
chapter
Multi-vote to trim down to no more than 6 items
Every member gets 1 vote for the item that means
the most to them
Take the top 2-3 items and have someone volunteer
to lead a team in discussion about one of the topics
– do this for each of the 2-3 items chosen
List what the target audience is, what the
benefits would be to them, what chapter
resources will be required, what the benefits are
to the chapter
What One Chapter Did
Present the results and decide how to move forward
– accept the items, change the items, delete the
items
Form teams and go forward with the focus of the
chapter
If membership grows, meet again to choose focus
areas or take some of the other items from the larger
lists
Think of this as a 2-year strategic plan – take time to
do it right, plan to spend some money, don’t give
up!
Any Ideas to Share?
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