Are you a Chapter Leader - past or present - who has attended the annual ASTD Leaders Conference (ALC)? Do you have a story to tell about its impact? If so, we'd like to hear from you!

We frequently hear anecdotal stories about chapter leaders who walk away from the conference with tools and resources that they can immediately apply back at home.  We hear stories about the impact on leaders' personal and professional lives.  And even stories about lifelong friendships that are formed.

Would you be willing to share your story? 

If so, please contact me (chuggett at gmail.com) or Trish Uhl (trishuhl at gmail.com).  Thanks in advance!

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Categories: Chapters

Chapter Leaders: Are you reading the Leader Connection Newsletter (LCN) published at least monthly by national ASTD?  Its your source of breaking news and announcements of interest to chapter leaders.

In the August issue, you can learn about the new programs such as "Chapter Membership Stars and Superstars" and the new "Joint Membership Challenge".  You'll also see announcements about things such as the Chapter Excellence Awards, and upcoming webcasts for chapter leaders and members.  There's also helpful note about marketing your chapter programs for CPLP recertification credits, and a preview of the forthcoming National Operating Requirements (NORE). 

The newsletter is both emailed to chapter leaders and posted on the ASTD Chapter Leader website (www.astd.org/clc).  Or, click here for a link to the current issue.

Enjoy!

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Categories: Chapters

During this economically challenging time, ASTD chapters are looking for ways to remain relevant, cut costs, and attract and retain their members. The ASTD Chapter Services Department, along with the National Advisors for Chapters, have created a guidebook of tips to help chapters to not only survive, but thrive in the current economic climate.

The guide includes ideas for chapters related to membership, programming, marketing, finances, and staying relevant.  Many of the tips are best practices from chapters who have found success with them.  For example, the Midlands Chapter (in Columbia, SC) offers a free guest pass on its website for a visitor to attend a monthly meeting, which then often leads to return guests and new members. In another example, several Chapters are offering Special Interest Groups (SIGs) for targeted gatherings. These SIGs allow members with common interests, such as consultants, those in career transition, or those new to training, to connect together.

We expect this guide to be a living document, with additional ideas to be added regularly.  Let us hear from you!

A link to the full Economic Survival Guide for Chapters can be found on the Chapter Leader Community website (www.astd.org/clc) or click here for the direct link.

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Categories: Chapters

Looking for ways to recognize your chapter?  Maybe your chapter has a special program, or completed a successful initiative, or has been growing its membership base?  Then consider applying for the Chapter Excellence Awards! 

The Chapter Excellence Awards recognize chapters that achieve excellence in strategic partnership, advancement of the workplace learning and performance (WLP) profession, and membership growth.   The Excellence in Strategic Partnership award recognizes chapters that make a significant impact on local businesses and communities.  The Excellence in the Advancement of the Workplace Learning and Performance (WLP) Profession recognizes chapters that significantly foster workplace learning and performance in their community and professionalizing the industry through promoting the Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP).  And the Excellence in Membership Growth recognizes chapters that demonstrate the highest overall growth rate of joint national and chapter members.

For more information about the Chapter Excellence Awards, including the application (due September 7, 2009) and other information, click here:

http://www.astd.org/membership/ChapterLeadership/ChapterRecognitionPrograms/Chapter+Excellence+Awards.htm

Tags: chapters, cea, awards, cplp

Categories: Chapters

Chapter Leaders! Get on board and share your best practices with other ASTD leaders attending the 2009 ALC (ASTD Leader’s Conference) in October. What a perfect way to showcase your achievements while helping other chapters attain high levels of member satisfaction.

The  request for proposal  (RFP) is available and the deadline is fast approaching. Don’t miss the boat and the opportunity to present your chapter’s successes.  The submission deadline is June 15, 2009. Click here to learn more about the conference and to submit your proposal. 

Tags: rfp, chapters, alc

Categories: Chapters

Attention all ASTD chapter leaders – this post is for you!

National ASTD supports chapters in many ways.  One way is through a six-person Chapter Services department , fully dedicated to supporting the chapters.  This team provides resources ranging from the Chapter Administration and Membership Program (ChAMP) to the annual ASTD Chapter Leaders Conference. Your chapter coach serves as your “go-to” person for anything you might need from national ASTD.

Chapters are also supported by the National Advisors for Chapters (NAC) .  (I have the privilege of chairing this group, and hence the reason for writing this blog post.)  We are a group of former chapter presidents who liaison between chapters and national ASTD.  We advocate for chapters at the national level.  We partner with the ASTD Chapter Services team on various projects.  We communicate with the ASTD Board of Directors, and I serve on the Board as the voice of chapters.   On the flip side, the NAC also advise chapter leaders on various issues.  And we connect chapter leaders to one another, to enable best practice sharing and idea exchanges.

One of our ongoing challenges is communicating with chapter leaders.  This challenge is partly due to turnover of chapter leaders at the local level.  We try to keep up with leadership changes but it’s not always easy to do.  This challenge is also partly due to the information overload that we’re all faced with.  National ASTD publishes a monthly Chapter Leader Connection Newsletter with news, announcements, and resources for chapter leaders.  National ASTD also hosts a website for chapter Lleaders—the Chapter Leader Community.  We have chapter leader groups on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Yahoo Groups.  We host monthly webcasts for chapter leaders, and sponsor two in-person events each year (Chapter Leader Day at the ASTD International Conference and ALC).  We also send out separate email messages to chapter leaders with news and requests for information.  Despite all of these communication tools, messages don’t always get through.

We now have this blog.  We’ll use it as an additional way to connect with chapter leaders.  It won’t replace the other methods of communication, it will simply supplement them.  We’ll use this blog to dialogue and exchange ideas with chapter leaders.  You’ll hear from both the NAC and Chapter Services, and perhaps occasionally we’ll have guest posts from chapter leaders.  We hope you find it useful.  We also look forward to hearing from you, and invite your comments.

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Categories: Chapters