<IEEE Logo<IAS Logo>
INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS SOCIETY
CHAPTER LEADERSHIP MANUAL
MAY 2000
Your Area Chair is:
Place address label hereTable of Contents
Foreword......
Introduction......
Manual Layout......
Revision Cycle......
Acknowledgements......
Chapter 1 – Basic Chapter Operations......
Responsibilities......
Maintaining the Health of your Chapter......
Reporting to Section and Area......
Duties of Chapter Officers......
Duties of Chapter Officers......
Setting Goals......
Meetings......
Membership......
Money......
Chapter 2 – Sources of Help......
Money......
Certificates and Stationery......
Membership Information......
Membership Lists /Address Labels......
IEEE Contact List......
IAS Area Chair......
Chapter 3 – Program Planning......
Building a Better Chapter......
The Bare Minimum......
Striving for Excellence......
Over the Top......
Planning the Program of Chapter Meetings......
Membership Activities......
Chapter Activities......
Chapter 4 – Chapter Development......
Keeping a Chapter in Good Condition......
Chapter Executive Committee......
Election of Officers......
Finances......
Danger Signals......
Starting a New Chapter......
Restarting an Inactive Chapter......
Joint Chapters......
Awards Program......
IAS CHAPTERS & MEMBERSHIP DEPARTMENT CONTACTS......
Useful IEEE E-Mail Addresses / Web Sites......
DATA......
FORMS......
APPENDICES......
ADDITIONAL REFERENCES......
Foreword
Congratulations on being elected Chapter Chair.
The purpose of this manual is to introduce you to the resources and programs that are available to you. It should provide you with the materials required to start and maintain a successful chapter. An electronic version of this manual is available on-line at the Chapters & Membership Department web site at
After reviewing this material, if you still have unanswered questions, please contact the Chapters & Membership Department Chair. Let us know if there is additional information that should be included in future revisions.
Thank you for your desire to make your chapter an integral part of this society, and the effort you are willing to put forth to achieve that goal.
- The Chapters & Membership Department
Introduction
Manual Layout
This manual is designed to give you access to the resources you will need to operate a chapter successfully. It was developed with the assistance of many former chapter chairs, key members of the national IEEE staff, and past and present society officers and committee chairs.
If you are new to your position, you should find a fairly comprehensive guide within this manual to help you learn the ropes. If you’re a seasoned veteran, you’ll probably find the outline points helpful and possibly learn some of the tricks other chapters are using to make programs successful for them.
In Chapter 1, we have outlined your responsibilities to the Society and ways to establish and achieve your goals.
In Chapter 2, we describe where you can get help: from sources of money to getting other help from the area and national officers of the Society.
Chapter 3 provides you with information on program planning.
Chapter 4 describes how to develop and maintain a healthy chapter.
The Data, Forms, and Appendices sections include many resources. We have included copies of several documents that will be helpful in maintaining your chapter. These range from report forms and award requests to guidelines on the use of IEEE property. They also include copies of the many documents and forms available for your use from the IEEE Service Center. We end this manual by identifying those references from which this manual has been developed. Please share this manual with your colleagues. If you would like to get additional copies, please contact your Area Chair (listed on the title page).
Revision Cycle
This manual is updated every two years. While every effort has been made to remove incorrect information, we realize that some items may be (or become) obsolete. If you note such items, please contact the editor of the manual so that future editions can be corrected. Additional comments regarding the content, layout, and presentation of the manual are appreciated.
The editor of the 2000 edition was Darin Hucul. He can be reached at:
IAS Chapter Manual Committee Chair
Hucul Engineering & Construction Corporation
3814 – 44 Street
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6L 7B7
(780) 465 – 0054
Acknowledgements
Several people were instrumental in preparing the material contained in this manual. First, Caio Ferreira made the initial efforts on this revision in 1996. Michael Garretson incorporated many of these initial revisions in a draft document he shared with chapters in Oregon.
Other members of the Chapters & Membership Department were invaluable in proofreading portions of the document or providing key information on specific programs. These include Kevin Peterson, Erling Hesla, Clayton Reid, William Ghattas, Mark Harris, and all of the chapter leaders that attended the 1999 IAS Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona.
Tony Furfari, past IAS President and long-time supporter of chapter activities, also provided key editorial input, making suggestions for changes from the last revision. Ann Burgmeyer at IEEE headquarters was extremely helpful in assembling the appendix materials and preparing the manual for publication.
Many thanks to these people and those I may have missed.
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INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS SOCIETY
CHAPTER LEADERSHIP MANUAL
Chapter 1 – Basic Chapter Operations
Responsibilities
Maintaining the Health of your Chapter
It takes a few dedicated people to provide the leadership necessary to conduct meetings for other IAS members in your area. To be successful you must conduct at least four meetings in the coming year.
Solicit support from your section for financial support, encouragement, or joint sponsorship for your meetings.
Make contact with your Area Chair. He/she is a valuable ally with access to many resources for your needs.
A healthy chapter tends to have sufficient financial resources to be able to put on programs that meet the needs of the IAS members in your area. The goal, however, is not to make money, but rather to manage all chapter resources (people, programs, and finances) to achieve the goals that have been established by your chapter.
Reporting to Section and Area
Boring as they are to most of us, reports are a necessary evil. Reports are used by sections, the Society, and the IEEE Operations Center to determine the status of your chapter. Failure to file forms may cause your chapter to be listed as inactive. This would cause the section to lose a portion of their annual rebate and may consequently reduce funding available to you from the section. More importantly, if there is no report of activity for three consecutive years, a Chapter may be dissolved. This means IEEE no longer recognizes them as a viable entity. The reports are also used by the Area Chair to monitor activity and propose chapters for awards.
Meeting Reports (Form L-31)
The Chapter Secretary must file copies of form L-31 with the Section Secretary, your IAS Area Chair, and you, within 10 days of the meeting. Joint chapters may need to file a copy with each society.
Take the time to copy the address for these people into the front cover of this manual. The Area Chair’s address should be included in the bottom right corner of the cover page. Add the Section Secretary’s name and address to the bottom left corner. It is also helpful to note the end of terms for each of these people, as the address for reports may change in the middle of your term if these people move on to other positions.
If you don’t know your Section Secretary and Area Chair, contact your local section or the IEEE Operations Center for names and addresses of these individuals.
Chapter Officer Data (Form L-7)
A copy of form L-7 must be filed with the Section Secretary and your IAS Area Chair within 10 days of an election or appointment. A copy must also be sent to the IEEE Operations Center (address on the form).
Duties of Chapter Officers
Following is an example of staffing for a large chapter. Common sense will dictate the level of staffing for your particular chapter. Other additions for a very active chapter could be: Education, Student Activities, Awards, and Professional Activities. For a small chapter or a student branch chapter, some of the duties may be combined or omitted.
Duties of Chapter Officers
1.Chair (elected)
a.Conducts Chapter Executive Committee meetings and presides as "officer-in-charge" at all Chapter meetings.
b.Attends Section IEEE Executive Committee Meetings.
c.Assists in program planning.
d.Selects Nominating Committee for next year's officers.
e.Fills positions vacated by move, outside obligations, etc.
f.Reviews and revises as necessary the description of duties of the Chapter Executive Committee officers. This review is to be completed within one month of assumption of the position. Caution! Major changes may require changes in the bylaws.
g.Prepares year-end report of activities and submit it to the Section Secretary.
h.Sends letter of appreciation to each volunteer's employer at the end of the operating year.
2.Vice-Chair (elected)
a.Takes over in Chair's absence.
b.Participates in programming planning.
c.Assists the Education Chair with long-range plans and goals.
3.Secretary (elected)
a.Sends L-31 Meeting Reports. See I.B above.
b.Assists Membership Chair in distribution and collection of meeting attendance cards.
c.Responsible for all IAS correspondence.
d.Participates in program planning.
e.Takes meeting minutes. Records all motions and actions.
4.Treasurer (elected)
a.Prepares annual group financial report for Chair's review and submits to Section Treasurer.
b.Prepares and submits Chapter's budget for the operating year for approval by the Chapter Executive Committee. If additional funds are necessary to conduct the Chapter's operations, Treasurer submits request for these funds to the Section Treasurer.
c.Establishes and presides over all financial matters for the Chapter. Acts as Chair of the Audit Committee.
d.Insures Chapter committee members receive all approved budgeted funds.
e.Collects for dinner and takes care of guest speaker's dinner fee. After obtaining approval, pay any additional bills incurred by the chapter.
f.Participates in programming planning.
g.Presents financial status of chapter at Chapter Executive Committee meetings for inclusion in the Secretary's meeting minutes.
5.Program Chair (appointed)
a.Coordinates IAS chapter programs.
b.Provides program information to Chapter publicity volunteer and/or Section Newsletter Editor for meeting notices and advertising.
c.Takes care of guest speaker on meeting night, introduces speaker to the group, etc. Makes sure Treasurer has covered guest's dinner ticket. Arranges any visual-aid equipment required by the speaker.
d.Coordinates with the restaurant or meeting place concerning the number of people attending, etc., plus works with Treasurer to make sure that the Chapter tries to break even for each meal function.
e.Sends letter of appreciation to guest speakers.
6.Publicity Chair (appointed)
a.Provides chapter meeting information to Section/Council newsletter editor.
b.Publishes and mails Chapter newsletter (if your chapter uses one) or meeting notices.
c.Insures that local universities receive meeting notices for Student IEEE branches.
d.Provides information about noteworthy Chapter activities to Society Newsletter Editor for publication (double-spaced articles with black and white glossy pictures).
e.Otherwise promotes IEEE and IAS activities to the engineering community.
7.Membership Chair (appointed)
a.Insures that attendance cards (see forms in back) have been passed out for each meeting.
b.Sees that attendance cards are collected and a list is made of the names and numbers, and whether attendees are regular members, guests, or visitors. Note: The meeting sign-in form is another method used to document members and guests to help complete the L-31 form.
c.Coordinates with the Section Secretary for submittal of L-31 form.
d.Provides membership applications to non-members as appropriate for membership in the IEEE and IAS.
e.Promotes membership in IEEE and encourages participation in IAS.
8.Professional Activities Council for Engineers (PACE) Chair (appointed)
NOTE: The PACE program provides career guidance from initial employment to pensioning including counseling on certification or licensing, and award qualifications.
a.Represents the chapter at Section meetings and other PACE functions as appropriate, i.e. council, regional, national, etc.
b.Coordinates all activities with the Section PACE Chair and informs the Chapter Executive Committee about PACE/USAB issues.
c.Votes the chapter position at PACE/USAB functions.
d.Coordinates with Program Chair and contributes to chapter program planning.
9.Student Activities Chair (appointed)
a.Represents the Chapter to the Student Branch Chair at the local colleges and universities, coordinating with Section Student Activities Chair.
b.Acts as liaison with Student IEEE faculty advisors on mutual program interests, coordinating with Section Student Activities Chair.
c.Works with Section and/or Council representatives on scholarship and award activities.
d.Coordinates chapter activities with student activities. Works with the Program Chair to put on a meeting of mutual interest, helps locate a speaker for a student branch meeting, hosts a "pizza" meeting at the school, or supports local "job fairs" by providing sponsors, speaking about IEEE activities, etc.
10.Education Chair (appointed)
a.Coordinates all seminars, short courses, and conferences offered or hosted by the Chapter.
b.Acts as host for Distinguished Lecturers invited to speak at Chapter meetings, sharing responsibility with Program Chair.
c.Seeks-out qualified candidates for IEEE awards (Distinguished Service Award, Fellow, Harold Kauffman, etc.) and coordinates their nomination through the Society.
d.Maintains a library of educational tapes and IEEE material for use by IAS and IEEE membership.
e.Acts as Chair of the long-range planning committee. Works with Vice-Chair.
Setting Goals
To successfully operate a chapter, you must first establish a groundwork on which you can build. If you will be running an established chapter, this may already be in place. Planning and executing the activities for another year may simply require assigning tasks similar to those in previous years to people and “letting things go.” Most of us, however, need to build things up a bit.
At the start of your term of office, sit down and develop goals for major areas of chapter operations. You can either do this individually or as a joint activity with all members of the executive committee. These are targets for the coming year. If you are continuing an existing chapter, you might review the goals set by the previous officers and assess how well they were achieved. Some key areas you might include are:
Meetings
How many? How often?
Target attendance?
Special programs?
Distinguished lecturers?
Short courses?
Membership
How many?
How do you attract new members?
Who is eligible for grade advancement to member or senior member?
Who is eligible for nomination to Fellow status?
Money
What sources are available?
What are the financial priorities of the Chapter?
Chapter 2 – Sources of Help
Money
The sections receive a rebate from IEEE headquarters based on section/council membership and a flat fee for each operating chapter. Each chapter may also receive financial support from their section that can equal or exceed its allotted rebate from headquarters. In all cases, the amount of financial support a chapter receives must be based on actual need.
The Chapter prepares a budget that estimates how much the planned programs and activities will cost and identifies the Chapter's financial needs for the year. The Chapter Executive Committee must approve this budget. If the Chapter is short of operating funds for all budgeted activities, it may request funds from the Section. The Chapter may submit a request for financial assistance (in writing) to the Section Treasurer.
Periodically, the IEEE or your society may hold a membership contest that may result in additional revenue. Also, special assistance funding is available for chapters from the Society for special program needs. Contact the Chair of the Chapters and Membership Department for information about the Special Assistance Funding program.
Certificates and Stationery
Use the supply form (included in back) to order certificates and stationery. Note that you want "Industry Applications Society" bond paper. Also note that the Society provides stationery at no charge to you, but that the cost of mailing the stationery to you is billed to your section. Your section will normally charge you for that purchase. You may want to include this and other incidental supply needs (such as Certificates of Appreciation) in your budget.
You may customize the IAS letterhead with member names or the Chair's name, but be prepared to pay for it yourself. The standard color is "reflex blue." See the IEEE policy and procedures on the use of and printing with the IEEE logo in the back of this manual.