Transcript Slide 1

PASS Chapter Guide
Summary of how to set up and run a
PASS Regional Chapter
Table of Contents
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Introduction
Starting a Chapter or Group
Chapter / Group Organization
Membership
Chapter / Group Meetings
Sponsorship Programs
Services and Activities
Contact PASS
PASS Chapters
PASS chapters and groups exist to help facilitate education
and a knowledge exchange among developers, architects,
DBAs, users and managers with an interest in Microsoft®
SQL Server™ technologies.
Starting a PASS Chapter
The first step in launching a local chapter or group is to
verify that PASS does not already have one operating in
your geographical area.
The best place to check is the PASS website at
http://www.sqlpass.org/chapters.html or contact PASS directly
Establishing a Steering Committee
PASS recommends putting together a Steering Committee
of volunteers to get the user group started. It is
recommended that you organize a committee of 3-10
volunteers to be responsible for meeting, discussing and
agreeing on the goals and plans of the group.
Initial Steering Committee Meeting
Be prepared to discuss and make decisions on the following:
• Name of chapter or group
• Mission statement, structure, legal status, constitution, and bylaws
• Investigate type of business status, file all necessary paperwork, purchase
insurance if recommended and create additional infrastructure as needed
• Mission and goals of your chapter or group
• Location, dates, time and frequency of meetings
• Organizational structure and choose interim officers
• Possible speakers and topics and program plans for the first 3-5 months
• Sponsors (for food and beverage/meeting space)
• Survey attendees for their interests and needs
• Plan for services or activities to offer
• Determine budget
• Establish dues based upon projected members and budget for services
Initial Chapter Meeting
Initial PASS Chapter meeting agenda:
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Chapter Mission/Vision/Purpose
Presentation on PASS (PASS will provide a PowerPoint Presentation)
Introduction of the Chapter Leadership
Award door prizes or giveaways
Allow networking time
Survey for future organizational direction
To enhance the gathering, consider securing a
vendor to sponsor food and beverage.
Initial Chapter Meeting
Initial PASS Chapter meeting agenda:
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Chapter Mission/Vision/Purpose
Presentation on PASS (PASS will provide a PowerPoint Presentation)
Introduction of the Chapter Leadership
Award door prizes or giveaways
Allow networking time
Survey for future organizational direction
To enhance the gathering, consider securing a
vendor to sponsor food and beverage.
Follow Up
PASS realizes that starting a chapter or group may seem
overwhelming. PASS will be behind you through every
step of this process, and we are here to make sure that
your chapter or group is a success. If you have any
questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact
us.
Follow Up
PASS realizes that starting a chapter or group may seem
overwhelming. PASS will be behind you through every
step of this process, and we are here to make sure that
your chapter or group is a success. If you have any
questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact
us.
Chapter/Group Organization
Groups that take the time to plan and carry out that plan
are the most successful.
The following slides provide information to assist you in
developing a good strategic plan for:
• Mission Statement
• Governing Documents
• Bylaws
• Federal Tax ID
• Dues
• Recruiting Volunteers
• Management Structure
• Ethics
Mission Statement
• A mission statement is necessary to keep a group on
track when considering new activities.
• The stated purposes or goals in a mission statement
will help prevent misunderstandings.
• The mission statement should be consistent with and
support PASS’ mission, which is “to provide our members
with a forum for education, facilitate networking, and
influence the direction of SQL Server and related products
and services.”
Governing Documents
• Bylaws describe the basic structure of the group. They
are the operating procedures of the group, with rules
for operating together and a process to change these
rules.
• Federal Tax ID is needed if your chapter or group plans
on collecting money. There are additional steps you
must follow if you choose this route.
Dues
If you do decide to charge membership fees, the dues are
normally assessed to cover the anticipated expenses of
holding meaningful programs, agendas, and a monthly
newsletter.
Over 95% of the active PASS chapters or groups have
currently elected not to assess any membership dues,
they have chosen to completely support their chapter or
group operations through sponsorship programs, raffles,
and donations.
Recruiting Volunteers
• The most successful way to recruit volunteers is to
first identify specific projects and then speak with
volunteers on an individual basis.
• A good place to begin is to include a check box on the
membership and/or renewal form to identify skills and
interests.
• Mention that volunteers are needed at meetings, send
out an email blast with this request, and also place
information on your web site.
• Recognition or additional perks can often increase
volunteer participation.
Management Structure
• The responsibility for running a successful chapter or
group should never rest with just one individual. Most
have volunteer offices and a board of directors and/or
steering committee.
• A detailed sample listing of positions can be found
within the PASS Regional Chapter and Group Guide.
Ethics
Often chapter or group members or officers are also
employed in the computer industry as consultants or in
the retail channel. It is important that these relationships
are kept separate from chapter or group activities,
especially for officers and other leaders so there is no
conflict of interest.
Membership
The following three slides provide information to keeping
your membership alive and growing:
• Recruiting New Members
• Retaining Members
• Understanding Members’ Needs
Recruiting New Members
• There are many successful techniques for recruiting
members.
• Be sure that there is a new user or mentor program to
make the new members feel welcome and involved.
• A good way to get new members engaged is to
construct a membership kit.
• The experts can assist the beginners and the beginners
will keep the experts interested.
Retaining Members
• Do not let your existing members drift away. Retention is an
activity that should be addressed often.
• Retain members by sending out renewal notices with plenty
of lead-time before memberships expire and offer a discount
on renewals versus new membership. Send reminder e-mails
if you do not receive their renewal. If these tips do not work,
call members who have not renewed.
Understanding Members’ Needs
Chapter or group leaders need to know members’
interests to provide appropriate speakers and programs.
It is important to continually survey your membership to
better understand the needs and concerns of the
constituency that you serve.
Chapter / Group Meetings
• Regularly scheduled meetings are the cornerstone for any
chapter or group.
• Discuss current projects, inquire for help with technical
issues, bring in outside speakers, plan non-profit assistance
projects, and coordinate with other groups in the area.
• Consider using the PASS speaker database.
Chapter / Group Meetings (cont’d)
The following nine slides provide useful information to a
successful chapter / group meeting:
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When To Meet
Meeting Format
Meeting Location
Members and Guests
Programs
Door Prizes
Food & Beverage
Event Box
Event Remainders
When To Meet
• One of the most obvious keys to successful meetings is
making sure you choose the right day.
• Pick a meeting date/time/location and stick with it. The
same time for every event makes it easy for all
members to plan in advance.
Meeting Format
• A standard agenda usually includes a minimum of
business and announcements, question and answer
session, and one or two feature presentations or
demonstrations.
• One of the most important things to plan for is
sufficient time for interaction between members and
the featured speaker or presenter.
• Plan to have the same agenda every month and stick to
it.
Meeting Location
• Equally important as a regular date/time is a consistent
meeting location.
• Possible meeting facilities include: schools, colleges,
libraries, hospitals, churches, or hotel conference
rooms.
• Make certain before the meeting begins that the
correct equipment and necessary electrical power will
be available.
Members and Guests
• Attendance is usually open to members, prospective
members, and guests.
• Membership badges are appreciated to help members
get to know one another.
• Guests are often provided with different colored
badges so that members can identify them.
Programs
• Program selection should start with a review of the
interests identified by a member survey. Consider that
chapters or groups draw a diverse mix of skill levels.
• Plan 3-6 months ahead and plan to have one or two
backup contents in case of cancellations.
• When recruiting speakers, be aware that expertise of
the subject does not always make for a good
presentation.
• Handouts should be encouraged wherever possible to
allow sharing of information with those members
unable to attend.
Door Prizes
• Door prizes have become a common part of many chapter or
group meetings and through PASS’ partnership with
Microsoft’s IT Pro Council and other vendors, Official PASS
Chapters will be able to receive donations such as software,
books, and discounts when available.
• Some groups draw door-prize winners from member names,
badges, or completed membership surveys, and some groups
require that a winner write up a review for the newsletter in
order to keep the prize.
Food and Beverage
• Although food and beverage is not always necessary, it helps
draw people, especially if the chapter or group meeting is
planned after work and during dinner hours.
• Try to get your sponsors to pay for this expense directly or
ask the members attending to bring a few dollars to cover
pizza and beverages.
Event Box
Create an event management box using a locked plastic
tote that can be stored at the meeting location with
items needed at an event such as:
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Name tags
Fishbowl
Drawing tickets
Sign-in sheets
Evaluation sheets
Banner
Pens/markers
Clock/timer
Event Reminders
Event reminders by email work very well to ensure
member attendance. Include the date, time, agenda, topic,
sponsor information with previews of upcoming future
events to build interest.
Sponsorship Programs
• Corporate sponsorship is a great way to help defray
the costs of running a chapter or group. Such as the
local Microsoft office.
• Sponsorship opportunities can exist in the form of:
allowing use of meeting facilities, hosting your web site,
providing refreshments, product giveaways, etc.
• Also, vendors will often furnish guest speakers who
give product demonstrations or new product
announcements.
Services and Activities
A chapter or group needs more than a common interest and a
monthly general meeting to retain its membership.
The following five slides provide additional activities that will
help increase and attract new and enthusiastic members:
• Member Communications
• Internet Presence
• Special Interest Groups
• Provide Training
• Community Services
Member Communications
• Some form of communication piece should be sent to
members at least once each quarter. Such as a
newsletter, hard mailing, email notice, or other
communication that updates members on what is
happening in the chapter or group.
• Send out meeting reminder announcements one week
prior to the meeting and also the day before.
• Ask your members to forward meeting announcements
to all of their friends who might be interested.
Internet Presence
A web site accessible to members is a popular service.
Forums allow for information exchange 24 hours per day
and serve as a method of communicating among
members. You can post a message on the forum that
describes your problem and receive an answer or solution
within a few days.
Special Interest Groups
• General meetings may not to meet the needs of a large
number of members. One option is to incorporate
smaller groups of members with similar interests called
SIGs (Special Interest Groups). With SIGs, members
are accommodated according to interests, expertise, or
locality.
• Some possible SIGs include:
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Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence
Database Administration and Deployment
Database & Application Development
Professional Development (i.e. Certification Study Groups)
Provide Training
• One of the most important missions of many groups is
to provide education to their members on the use of
computer technology.
• Training sessions at SIG meetings, seminars,
workshops, or regular classes are offered by chapters
or groups to both members, and often, the general
public.
Community Service
• Your group will reap the benefits of greater visibility and
recruitment of new members by participating in projects that
help to make a difference in your community, while providing
great personal satisfaction.
• Such service activities include providing assistance with SQL
Server to another non-profit group or participating in various
community events.
Contact PASS
203 North LaSalle - Suite 2100
Chicago, IL 60601
Tel 1.604.899.6009
Fax 1.604.899.1269
www.sqlpass.org
chapters@sqlpass,org