PASS Chapter Guide Summary of how to set up and run a PASS Regional Chapter.

PASS Chapter GuideSummary of how to set up and run a PASS Regional Chapter

Table of Contents

• 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:• 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:• 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.

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.

Follow Up

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:

• 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:• 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: • 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 2100Chicago, IL 60601

Tel 1.604.899.6009Fax 1.604.899.1269 www.sqlpass.org chapters@sqlpass,org