Section Best Practices

1
Section Best Practices

• Ideas from the Wisconsin Section of AIAA
• Marty Gustafson
• July 11, 2007

2
Best Practices

• Last year the Houston Section (1250 members) gave
  the Best Practices talk
• .This year Wisconsin (maybe 100 members) is
  helping out, so this will be a different
  perspective.
• Most Best Practices work for any size section
  however.

3
Best Practices

• To find the 2006 Best Practices Presentation and
  submitted ideas
• Visit www.aiaa.org
• Go to My Section
• then Best Practices for many ideas

4
What makes a good AIAA section?

• One thing
• Members that participate in activities they find
  worthwhile
• This can be accomplished regardless of section
  size, treasury or location.

5
What makes people participate?

• (Note that this is different from the question
  Why do people join AIAA?)
• Location to the activities/events
• Knowing someone else that is participating
• Personal interest in the event
• Input to event selection
• Date/Time
• Affordability

6
How do you get people interested?

• 1 Encourage companies to support AIAA
  participation
• Do many of your members all work at the same
  company or university?
• Does their management look favorably on AIAA
  membership and participation as part of
  performance review?
• Can the company or university help co-sponsor or
  subsidize events?
• Does the company subsidize membership fees?
• Is the company a corporate member of AIAA?

7
How do you get people interested?

• 2 Meet as many members personally as possible
• Do you communicate only via email to your
  members?
• Have you ever looked at your membership list
  (really looked) so youd recognize member names
  if you saw them at a different conference?
• Does your membership chair call members
  personally to discuss renewal?
• Does your website highlight individual members?
  (Its a reason to call someone new up.)
• Are you on a speaking basis with your student
  sections?

8
How do you get people interested?

• 3 Survey your members for ideas
• Ask members what they are interested in seeing,
  doing, hearing, learning about, etc.
• Is there another event that your members will
  participate in that you can add to? (i.e.
  aviation shows, non-AIAA conferences, etc.)
• Can you tailor events to young members and others
  to the whole membership?
• Can you make some events family-friendly?

9
Tools to Help

• An Enthusiastic Chair and Core Committee
• Delegate responsibilities to help minimize the
  impact on a single person
• Try to meet on a regular basis to keep AIAA in
  front of people
• Involve young members through seasoned veterans
• Plan for successors to avoid burnout

10
Tools to Help

• A Solid Partnership with Student Sections
• Share resources, facilities to lower cost of
  events
• Students are eager volunteers
• Follow up with them for continuing professional
  membership they can provide a steady stream of
  new members
• Students benefit through mentorship (informal or
  formally), internships, and professional
  networking, leading to better job prospects

11
Tools to Help

• Event Budget Planning
• Price can be a major factor in determining
  events, sponsorships or activities for many
  sections so how do you decide what to do?
• Wisconsin offers the following tool to help out
  (click to view)

12
Tools to Help

• A Common Section Goal
• Success comes from building year after year
• Set a goal or a focus for your section (such as
  outreach, professional development, or social
  networking) and plan a few activities that work
  toward your goal
• Concentrate on making just a single new event
  successful the first year, and following years
  will be easier

13
Tools to Help

• And finallyAppreciation
• Thank you gifts for speakers, event planners or
  officers
• Awards to participants at the end of the year
  even dinner or a picnic
• Financial reimbursement if possible

14
(No Transcript)