Why is NSA looking at re-chartering of its chapters?
This action was taken in response to the following: In an effort to align the NSA Strategic Plan, a hard look is being taken at the relationship between Chapters and National. In particular, the conversation is around these questions:
1) How do chapters support the NSA mission statement?
2) How can NSA National better support the chapters to keep the healthy and sustainable?
Why now?
The NSA Board of Directors have been discussing this for a number of years now. As we look to examine the benefits and value that NSA provides its members, it also seemed like a good idea to look at our chapters.
When will the Chapters need to re-charter?
The goal is June 1, 2010. All chapters will have to have their charter and supporting document into National HQ by that date.
What is NSA’s Mission for NSA Chapters?
“Chapters are chartered groups that extend the NSA brand into the local market, consistently targeting education and community efforts to the working speaker level.”
Who determines what the chapter re-charter will look like?
The chapter re-charter is a joint decision by the National Board of Directors, the Chapter Leadership Council, our chapter leaders and our membership.
What does the non-negotiable mean?
These are specific areas that are non-negotiable when charting and or maintaining a charter with NSA.
What are the non-negotiable for the chapter re-charter?
- Services must be targeted to the Full-time working speaker.
- All chapter Board officers (min. of 7) must be NSA members.
- A member of the chapter must also be a member of the NSA or International Federation for Professional Speakers (IFFPS).
- All Chapters will promote NSA National events
- No chapter event will be held within one week before or after a scheduled National meeting (Conference or Convention).
- Publish and follow appropriate financial policies
- Reconcile bank statements to accounts monthly and hold an annual review/audit of its books
- Must have an independent bank account with a minimum of two signers
- Follow an anti-trust compliance statement
- Follow a conflict of interest statement.
There is some thought that NSA National should support the Chapters – not the other way around. That the Chapters programming is sometimes BETTER than the National programming.
One thing that was a MAJOR concern with the Academy effort. The Chapters ProTrack efforts help support long term local financial health. The fear that the Academy might come some day and interupt that revenue generation.
Another concern was that having spend years building up a cash reserve for the chapter, that NSA National would come in and take over the funding of the chapter and dictate governance.
Just thoughts heard in board meetings and in hallways.
The first impact of the “non-negotiable items” list appears to be the eradication of ProTrack programs across the country, since most ProTrackers will not qualify as a “full-time working speaker” (at least $50K a year from speaking). Is that the intention or an unintended consequence?
The impact of the first non-negotiable item is most troubling to me at this point. On its face, it just seems to be limiting our mission to serving only those who “have made it” rather than helping others along “to make a bigger pie” as Cavett Robert first proposed.
Honestly, I was surprised at the Academy when I first found out about the program.
We have one active member that has come from the Academy program in New Mexico. He started the Academy when we didn’t have a chapter here.
We have on current academy member. This does provide an educational track for an emerging member that has no chapter support. And from my experience in the Georgia Chapter, the direct support from Fast Track, Pro Track programs does provide significant service to the emerging speaker. I wonder about the success at the chapter level versus the success of speakers going through the Academy Program.
We in New Mexico don’t have a Pro Track yet and are considering not implementing one. It takes considerable effort to provide such a service. If the Academy is working, our chapter most likely would encourage joining the National Program or simply learning from the Chapter Education and Mastermind Circles available.
(One thing before I add my opinion: Something doesn’t sit will with me in that we are having to rush this through. You may have spent years talking about it – but we are finding out now – and only have one board meeting next week to discuss this before major changes may go into effect.)
I have been a member of NSA for five years – VERY active on a chapter level – and have attended three annual conferences. I have a strong devotion to NSA and the principles, ethics, and servant’s heart of its members. I also have a deep devotion to my chapter. In my short exposure to NSA I have noticed a sort of “us versus them” attitude when it comes to National and the Chapter – and even among the members. (Are you going to “their” program or are you going to come to “ours.” They are taking people away from “our” events. Why did you tell them they could not be a member of your group, but they can be in our group? I can’t afford to go to their events, when ours are much cheaper and right down the street. )
This confuses me. We are all NSA – we are its vision, its goals, its members, its future – and we serve each other, meaning our own members. We protect our reputation and we protect our brand and we protect our own. And we constantly strive to make decisions in the best interest of our members and what they need whether those needs are met at a local level or not – because we are them.
National doesn’t serve chapters, chapters don’t serve national – we are one entity serving a common goal which is to serve each other, the NSA members. So as one entity, we do want to make sure that we are constantly evolving to fit our own needs – the way we do business in this changing world – the way we want to get our information and do our networking. If we are working against each other, then somehow we have gotten off track – or maybe just haven’t evolved as we should.
I don’t know where I stand on all of these issues raised, and the more I try to answer, the more I forget the question.
I finally decided that I wasn’t as concerned with how this was done, and who gets to do what, but really more the heart and motive behind it. I finally landed on this one thought:
I trust that the leaders/members/servers of NSA (both National and State) will make all decisions with one common motive – serving the NSA members and protecting the NSA brand nationally and locally – as one entity that does not “compete” for ways to serve, but rather studies the membership and the ways that they want their information, the changing business model, the advancements of technology, and the ever changing needs and concerns of its members. If you (my chapter president and my NSA president) work together with this same motive and this one common goal without getting distracted by who gets to do it (doesn’t matter – we are one) then I will be happy.
And I will remember that serving is a two-way street.
Could we possibly include, Chapter of the Future, Relationship of the future thread.
Both in Chapter Leadership, and on the last fireside chat,
I feel there were many excellent ideas and weighing in on those ideas makes sense to me, might we have some more areas to cover?
I realize the organizers are logging ideas, and absorbing, and just as Marty’s comments have spurred my thinking other ideas may do so with others.
Have a great Labor Day,
John
I think the idea that NSA corporate and the chapters must be inseparable parts of the association is critical as we embark on this journey to create a colleagueal partnership.
Chapters are not really field offices. Field offices are filled with employees of a company. They do what they are told in exchange for a paycheck.
Chapters are similar to a franchisee in several ways but there is one major difference: Franchisees typically are more interested in making money than they are in making exceptional hamburgers. As a result, McDonald’s is king. Their system is nearly flawless and guarantees monetary success. A franchisee gladly invests a tremendous wad of money in exchange for a system that requires strict obedience to detailed standards. They gladly do this because, again, they really don’t care about the hamburger.
Traditional partnerships are a great metaphor because both parties (excluding angel investors or VCs which aren’t general partners anyway) must be at least as committed to the product or service being provided as they are to the business outcome. Both parties commit themselves personally and professionally to the success of the endeavor and are willing to support one another through thick and thin to achieve their shared mission.
Many chapters began as independent speaker association and have entered into a very decentralized affiliation agreement with NSA in exchange for a recognizable brand, minimal (but growing) leadership training for their president, and to take part in something bigger than themselves: The “Spirit of Cavett.”
The success or failure of a chapter is near wholly a chapter concern. Chapters recruit, train, and develop their own personnel and policies independently. National serves the individual members and uses chapters to extend their brand into local markets. Chapters and NSA national both recruit members with little cooperation and mutually benefit from the good will of other national members who volunteer to come in to organize and speak at events.
In the future, a partnership might also include:
On a required basis for new chapters and a staged implementation basis for existing chapters, at no additional charge:
–Annual co-branded renewal invoice/benefits of membership statement mailing (paper or electronic) sent from NSA national to all chapter members.
–Annual conversion invoice/benefits of membership statement mailing sent from national to all chapter apprentices, with a copy of the national membership application.
–Annual chapter membership invoice/benefits statement mailing sent from national to all NSA members living within a chapters impact area who are not on the latest chapter membership list (already provided to NSA at rechartering time).
–Chapter membership invoice/benefits statement sent to all new NSA members who join throughout the year by national with welcome packet.
On an opt-in basis, at no additional cost–
–A detailed system of policies and procedures that are offered to all chapters (and highly recommended to new chapters). This might include a model bylaws, policy & procedure manual, membership application, event registration from, chapter benefits summary, and a recommended list of national vendors for insurance, services, web hosting, teleconferencing, webcasting, etc (all of whom could be national vendor members or sponsors).
–Web code that could be pasted into any chapter site to facilitate program payment & registration/RSVPs.
–Web code/link that could be pasted into any chapter site to facilitate annual membership renewals for members and apprentices.
–Use of a NSA shopping cart that would allow chapters to sell NSA products or registration for national workshops on their site for a 10% profit share.
On an opt-in basis, at an additional charge–
–Three to five website templates that have everything a chapter would NEED to have a professional, NSA brand-consistent, and efficient chapter web presence. Chapters could pay once for use of this template and give it to their own web hosting company to modify, update, and maintain.
–Centralized chapter management services a chapter COULD CHOOSE ALA CART according to their needs and finances. These might include a virtual assistant, program promotion, graphic design, meeting registration services, monthly program emailing, direct mail campaigns, PO Box services, consistent virtual phone and fax numbers (that don’t change each year with the new president), travel services for guest presenters, basic bookkeeping services, annual state and tax filing services (inc renewals, state sales tax returns, IRS reporting if over $25k), etc.
This is not an exhaustive list, but it’s a start.
Keep Smilin’
Marty
Marty Val Hill
NSA Mt West Immediate Past President
Chapter Leadership Council (CLC) Member
202-470-4225