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Get the word out

• If you haven’t done it already, talk to your friends and colleagues!
• Post interest notices on your company’s bulletin boards, website, or newsletter.

Establish a planning committee

• Identify enthusiastic volunteers to share the workload
• A planning committee provides a broader perspective and helps ensure that Local Chapter goals are representative of your Local Chapter’s personal and professional diversity

Recruit a Mentor or Sponsor

A mentor or sponsor should be a more experienced professional familiar with and well-known within your organization. A mentor or sponsor should:

• Help you interface with management
• Help you recruit members
• Help encourage active participation

Get in touch with NAYGN

• The NAYGN Vice President is responsible for helping new local chapters kick-off. The Vice President will answer your questions and help walk you through the process of starting a local chapter
• Your NAYGN Operating Officer can get you in touch with your Regional Lead and other NAYGN local chapters in your area

Establish your mission

• Determine the purpose of establishing a Local Chapter. What do you want to accomplish?
• Outline an initial mission for your local chapter. What do you want your Local Chapter to do for your members? For your company? For your community?
• Get input from as many potential members as possible

Develop a strategic plan

• A Strategic Plan will help your Local Chapter achieve its goals
• Identify your Local Chapter’s primary goals
• Identify tasks for the next year that will help your Local Chapter achieve those goals

Develop a business case - See Example

• A business case will help ensure that your Local Chapter has adequate resources available to achieve its goals
• Identify the benefits of establishing a Local Chapter
• Identify risks of establishing a Local Chapter
• Develop a preliminary budget for your Local Chapter and identify potential funding sources

Has your Local Chapter already developed a business case?

• Share it with others who wish to establish a local chapter
• Send your PDF document to your NAYGN Operating Officer

Identify support needed

• Decide what support your Local Chapter will need from your employer, partners, or sponsors
• Use a short document or presentation that describes all of the anticipated costs and benefits of establishing a Local Chapter
• If you are seeking financial support, be sure to provide a preliminary annual budget! Be as specific as possible

Share your plan and enthusiasm

• Work with your mentor or sponsor to share your business case and plan with your company’s management
• Contact your Human Resources department to discuss how your Local Chapter could support their efforts
• Remember that enthusiasm is contagious!

Establish a charter

• Document the mission and operation of your chapter to transfer the knowledge you've gained!
• Give your chapter a name. Get input on your chapter's name from your management, HR, and your company's communications office
• Provide a succession plan, with guidelines for officer positions and responsibilities

Plan a kick-off meeting

• Get in touch with the NAYGN Vice President to have NAYGN send promotional items for your meeting
• Choose a time and location for your Kick-Off meeting. Be considerate of alternative work schedules and try to maximize participation when deciding whether to hold your meeting on or off-site
• Advertise. Advertise. Get permission to post notices on company bulletin boards, in company newsletters, and in regularly distributed company emails
• Encourage more experienced professionals to participate. Sometimes a personal invitation is the most effective invitation
• Be sure to invite managers and HR representatives who are supporting you

Example Charters

Has your Local Chapter developed a Charter? Share it with others who wish to establish a local chapter! Send your PDF document to your NAYGN US Operating Officer to be posted in the Resource Hub.

Charter Templates can be used to help put together your charter

• Southern Company >>
• INPO >>
• Entergy >>

Kick-Off Meeting Announcements

• Share your Local Chapter’s Kick-Off Meeting Announcements with others who wish to establish a local chapter
• Send your document to your NAYGN Operating Officer to be posted in the Resource Hub. See Example.

See Example

Keep your members involved

• Establish committees to plan activities and events
• Publish a newsletter to keep everyone up to date
• Hold regular meetings to keep your Local Chapter focused and review the progress towards your goals

Focus on addressing the diverse needs of all members

• Plan both professional development and community outreach activities
• Host guest speakers at your meetings
• Expand your social and professional network by planning social events
• Establish a survey process to evaluate how well your Local Chapter is addressing its members' needs
• Look for ideas in our news center (hint: use the search and categories filters to find relevant events) and Resource Hub.

Stay in touch with NAYGN

Your Operating Officer, along with your Regional Lead, serve as the information pipeline from the continental organization to your Local Chapter. Stay in touch with NAYGN for important updates, sharing of information, and participation in regional and continental-level initiatives. Refer to the Chapter Resources section of the Resource Hub for more information.

The LCL 101 (for new chapter leads) is a great resource to review. The last page of this document provides LCLs with a checklist. Follow these items on the checklist and your chapter should be set up for success!

Tips and Tricks

Share ideas that worked for your Local Chapter! Send your tip or trick to the NAYGN Operating Officer. Be sure to include your name and your Local Chapter’s name in your email