The Austin Professional Case Study
Are you looking to start a new chapter? Chapters are the foundation of the Net Impact network and create the sense of community that is so important to Net Impact members.
We have collected and organized an instructional guide to help you get your new chapter off the ground. The following pages consist of resources and best practices compiled from the successful launch of the Austin Professional Chapter. You will discover creative ways to communicate with potential members, stay organized, plan a successful launch event and much more. We've also identified ways in which Net Impact Central can help throughout the chapter building process.
If you have not yet read Net Impact's Start a Chapter page, please review the information there first. It will give you more general background information on starting a chapter. If you are ready for more detail and specific examples, read on!
Once you've decided you want to start a Net Impact chapter, let us know. It is important to start a dialogue with the Program Associate of chapters at Net Impact Central. This person will be your main point of contact throughout the chapter building process. Email Net Impact Central at chapters@netimpact.org to begin.
In this section, you will be taken step-by-step through the initial outreach process of the Austin Professional Chapter. The chapter leaders did an excellent job of reaching out to the community to gauge interest and recruit individuals wanting to get involved.
>> More details on reaching out to potential members
One of the most important steps to building a chapter is forming your leadership team. Identifying key individuals that are dedicated to the mission of Net Impact is essential to establishing a successful team that will effectively lead your chapter.
Here you will find helpful tips in identifying and reaching out to potential leaders. For your convenience, we've enclosed a copy of our Chapter Resource Guide and a sample document of the meeting minutes from one of Austin's team meetings. Both of these documents can be very helpful when managing your leadership team. We encourage you to read on to discover more.
>> Learn how to form your leadership team
After establishing your leadership team, you will be entrusted with the task of planning your launch event. This is a particularly important occasion as it is your first event as an official chapter. The launch event provides a great opportunity to engage potential members and effectively communicate the mission of Net Impact.
In Step 3, you will learn how the Austin Professional Chapter planned, publicized and hosted their successful happy hour event. Enclosed you will find a sample PowerPoint presentation communicating the mission of Net Impact and how it fits into the Austin Community at large.
>> See how Austin organized their launch event
It is very important to have a concrete follow up plan after the launch event in order to keep people engaged.
Here you will find basic instructions on following up after your event. It is highly recommended that you do not overlook this step as it is a critical time to keep the momentum going.
>> Learn how the Austin Chapter kept people engaged after the launch event
You are now an official chapter moving on to your second big event. The Austin Professional Chapter did a great job of organizing their event to reflect the feedback of their members as collected from their launch event. The chapter leaders made it a priority to host the event the following month to keep people interested and to prove their commitment to the success of the chapter.
Here you will learn about the Austin Chapter Real Workshop Challenge. Included you will find the event flier, a PowerPoint presentation and a well designed post-event feedback form. All of these resources can be helpful guides when planning your events.
>> More about the Austin Chapter's second chapter event
To engage those that expressed a significant degree of interest, consider hosting a volunteer's dinner. The Austin Chapter felt that is was particularly important to gather these individuals together to better understand what exactly they are looking for in a Net Impact Chapter. It was both a great way for the volunteers to feel involved and for the chapter leaders to gather helpful feedback when planning for the future.
Included you will find more details on the purpose, planning and hosting of the event along with a great PowerPoint presentation.
>> More details on the volunteer's dinner
If you have questions or would like to learn more, you may contact the Austin chapter leaders at austin@netimpact.org.
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