AITP Region 5 Spring Conference

AITP Region 5 Spring Conference Leadership Workshop Springfield, Illinois Abraham Lincoln Hotel May 13, 2011

Open Discussion of Issues Chapters Face

Gaining/Retaining Members  It is important to have both "member acquisition" and "member retention" committees as separate committees (different missions).  Member Acquisition: o Best makeup of this committee includes vendors who are gung ho AITP. o They are "salesmen" by profession; they are comfortable making a "pitch". o They typically know "who's who in the IT profession in the area (non-AITP members). o Getting others involved in "peer to peer" marketing to their own associates and friends in IT. o Using the Enterprise Membership program to call on larger company CIO's. o Getting a member of the professional chapter (well versed in the benefits of AITP) to go out to student chapters and "sell" the Student to Professional program toward the end of each semester (when people are about to graduate). o Encourage the students to attend professional chapter meetings to "kick the tires" and get a feel for the programs, education and networking opportunities of the professional chapter environment.

Member Retention  Make sure that the people in charge of meeting reservations keep track of who is attending meetings and who isn't (first red flag that you are about to lose a member).  Get people on this committee who know lots of the existing members and can give them a call to encourage them to attend meetings. Or when you see that their membership is expiring, encourage them to renew (very important since people change email addresses, change jobs, etc. and the renewal reminders from HQ fall thru the cracks).  Hold special events like a "Lost Sheep" program where you publish a list of members who haven't attended a meeting in six months. Anybody who brings them to the next meeting has a free drink on the chapter (for both the host and the "lost sheep").

of 4 AITP Region 5 Spring Conference Leadership Workshop Springfield, Illinois Abraham Lincoln Hotel May 13, 2011

 Have the Member Retention Committee act as "goodwill ambassadors" at meetings making sure that new people are made to feel welcome and have somebody to sit with/talk with. Make them feel "part of the group". Improving Chapter Meeting Attendance  Survey the chapter for topics people want presented.  Have door prize drawings, tie them into trivia contests (individual or by table at dinner--promotes fellowship, having fun).  Have special events (past president's night, vendor/sponsor appreciation night, etc.).  Make sure there is a decent price differential between the member cost and a guest cost to avoid creating "permanent guests" who participate but never join since there is no financial incentive to be a member.  Tie that policy into the Membership Acquisition Committee where a member can bring a prospect to a meeting where the guest is "free" ONE TIME to check out AITP. And the hosting member must follow up with the guest later and report back to the Membership committee on whether the guest is going to join or not. Or if they don't follow up, the hosting member gets charged for the meal/meeting (let members know you are serious about promoting membership).

Increasing the Number of Volunteers/Committee Members  Sell the concept to associates and friends that if "everybody does a little; nobody has to do a lot".  Find out what people's interest areas and "comfort zones" are. (Don't ask some introvert to go speak to student chapters. Put them on meeting reservations/check in (Places and Collections) where it is a "non- intimidating" environment, but allows them to put names and faces together so they become more comfortable talking with these other members later.)  If you have a golf outing, get the avid golfers on the Golf Outing Committee. No sense having people on that committee who have not a clue about golf. They will screw it up and have no "skin in the game" if the event goes south. Again, seek out people to volunteer where the chapter's needs match up with their interest area.  Remember, when "match making" volunteers with chapter needs, the volunteer has to see value and benefit to them personally to make them

an enthusiastic volunteer. Example: The vendors on the Membership Committee, pitching AITP to their "prospects", also opens the door for them to pitch their own products and services to that same prospect.  When recruiting committee members (volunteers), be sure you have adequately defined what the "committee" is to accomplish, by when and what the "deliverables" (end products of their efforts) are to be. Give them an estimate of how much of a time commitment the volunteer is making.  Hints: o Break down the committee work into digestible tasks. o Be specific on what is to be delivered. o Provide adequate instructions as to approach, and end result expectations (how will they know when their job is done?). o Provide a timeline for those expectations to be completed. People are more apt to volunteer if they know it is a 'doable' task that can be completed in "X" hours between now and "X" end date, than if it seems open ended and they don't have a real way to measure if they are done or not.

How to Keep AITP Cohesive and Meaningful at all Levels (Chapter, Region and Association)  Participate, participate, participate.  For most chapters, you can't begin to put on all the technical/management sessions at chapter meetings that your members can get by attending a Region conference. And the "price is right" to attend Region conferences vs. what else is out there for "non-vendor sponsored" education.  Identify people at the chapter level that would be interested and would be valuable to get involved in Region level activities and committees, etc. These people can "get their feet wet" in assuming leadership roles. And if we develop their interest and allegiance to AITP, they can become tomorrow's leaders all the way up the ladder.  People who are contributors and leaders at the chapter level need to be recruited to take on similar roles at the Region, and then, the Association level. People who were "just there, and stood around" at the chapter level, will be doing the same thing if we push them into Region roles. Pick the winners!! And get them involved!!

 And for us "old timers": Don't block their path by holding onto a Region position as a lifetime appointment.  Mentor and train your replacement (don't just try to "thrust" them into the position). And then, after you have trained them, sit back and give yourself a pat on the back when they take the reins from you and then they are successful.  Their success is really YOUR success!! Your leadership!! That is what AITP fostered years ago -- and we need to get back to that.

Building a Successful Relationship with Your Student Chapters  Have a professional chapter representative go and present a topic on AITP (or technology) to each student chapter once a semester.  Be sure to keep the student chapter officers and faculty advisor 'engaged' in the professional chapter activities/meetings, etc.  Promote the Student to Professional membership once a semester (near the end of the semester, prior to graduation).  Give student members a chance to present on technical topics at professional chapter meetings. Great experience for them. And the professionals might just learn something too (grin).

Other Issues You Would Like to Discuss  ?????