[Name]

[Title]

[Chapter Name]

[Address]

[City, St, Zip]

December 13, 2012

Dear [insert first name],

As a leader of an affiliated chapter of ASHE, ASHE works with you to support the needs of our members with the ultimate goal of optimizing the health care physical environment. Over the past few years, we have aimed to strengthen the relationship between ASHE and the affiliated chapters for the greater good of our members and our industry.

Similarly, other personal membership groups (PMG) within the American Hospital Association are working to grow their relationship with their respective chapters. The executive leaders of these PMGs, including myself, have begun working together to identify best practices for all the groups. As we have talked, it has become evident that PMG-chapter arrangements were not consistently formed, nor understood, across AHA. In an effort to minimize variation and improve the association chapter environment, PMG leaders and AHA legal counsel have engaged the PMGs in a process to evaluate chapter strategy and identify a common approach to chapter relationships for all groups.

As a result of this evaluation, a revised chapter affiliation agreement has been developed that is consistent across the personal membership groups at AHA. Developed by staff with legal guidance, as well as the ASHE Chapter Relations Committee, this new agreement represents a commitment to the valuable role of chapters and the necessity of defining their relationship to the AHA PMGs. This project began in June 2011 and through a survey of chapters, legal briefings, and regular meetings, our staff developed a new agreement that takes into account the arrangements, practices, strategies, and administration of the chapter relationship. The new affiliation agreement ASHE presented to its chapters last year was an early step in this effort.

This letter is to introduce you to the new AHA chapter affiliation agreement. You can find more details,along with additional resources, on the chapter page of the ASHE website at Moreover, ASHE will host a webinar to review the new agreementas well as to participate in a Q&A session. I would like to encourage at least one of your chapter officers to attend the webinar. Please watch for additional webinar details that will be emailed to you from Avis Gordon.

I look forward to working with you and your chapter as we move forward into the New Year, and I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Sincerely,

Dale, Woodin, FASHE, CHFM

CC:

ASHE Board of Directors