Best Practices for Membership Development

1. Best Practices for Membership Development 2005 MD Retreat 29 April – 1 May 2005 New Brunswick, NJ

2. Region 6 Presented by: Ed Perkins, MDC Co-Chair (ed.perkins@verizon.net)

3. Parsing Membership Data with Perl • Extract “white file” data from SAMIEEE. • Use Perl script to parse fields and select subset of members (e.g., Chapters, SM, Associates) • Can use emails for meeting notification, newsletter etc.

4. How To Map Your Membership • Extract the SAMIEEE database of the group you would like to map from the SAMIEEE Website. • At a minimum you will need First Name, Last Name, Preferred Address 1, Preferred Address 2, Preferred Address 3, Preferred Address City, Preferred Address State, Preferred Address Postal Code fields. The Business Address fields and Society Membership Flags should also be extracted for enhanced functionality. • Import the desired SAMIEEE database into an Excel spreadsheet. • Remove the word “Pref” from the address headers and the word “Address” from the Email column headers, then save.

5. How to Map Your Membership, cont. • In Microsoft Streets and Trips, use the “Import Data Wizard”. • The Import Data Wizard will ask you to match the appropriate headings to the fields in Streets and Trips. • Microsoft Streets and Trips will now place pushpins on the location of all addresses it can resolve. • You will now visually see the locations of your members. • This process developed by John Wright, R6 SAC

6. Example: Oregon Section

7. Antennas and Propagation Society Presented by: Shanker Balasubramanian, Membership Co-Chair (bshanker@msu.edu)

8. Antennas and Propagation Society • Programs that have worked for us: • MFSP • Free society membership at annual IEEE APS Symposium • Sample publications and magazines at the Symposium • Presence at other IEEE (APS) sponsored meetings—sample publications & society memberships • Sponsoring IEEE senior members! • This was when IEEE was offering rebates for additional senior members • Also, higher grade members are likely to retain their membership in our society • We are looking to develop programs with added value, kindle more industrial interest and participation and broader outreach

9. Circuits and Systems Society Presented by: Ellen J. Yoffa, President-Elect CAS (yoffa@us.ibm.com)

10. Proposal for Establishing a CAS Mentoring Program • Encourage each IEEE Fellow to sign up to mentor 2-3 young members • Say, each for a period of 2 years • To provide input/advice to their career development.   • It can be done in person, over the phone, or through email. • Benefits – rather obvious • Valuable to young members for career planning, getting recommendation letters, etc • Will be one more reason for young members to join CAS • Help to build a community • Help to facilitate networking • …

11. Thoughts on Implementation • Email to all CAS fellows to see how many of them are interested to participate in the program • Can impose as a requirement for future fellows, i.e. they need to agree in advance before becoming fellow • Set up a Website where young members (say 6 years from BS or 4 years from PhD) can request for mentors • Cost estimate for Website support $5k • A priority is assigned to each applicant based on: • Time in the waiting list (should try to satisfy as many requests as possible) • Regions – give priority to people in China, India, etc. (regions where we want to reach out …) • Get feedback from everyone who has gone through the mentor program and see what we need to adjust/improve • Set up a Best Mentor Award ($1K?), and give out one each year

12. Low Budget CAS Tour • Invite several distinguished speakers from nearby countries (or Regions) to give a symposium of lectures in a location where there are some active members • Stimulate interest and membership in host location • Travel expenses paid by CAS Regional VPs • Local expenses paid by host chapter • “Low budget” version based on earlier successful Region 9 CAS Tour • Group of speakers traveled together around the Region • Resulted in the formation of 2 new chapters • Underway in Region 9 • If no local chapter, could set up local DLP to tour area • What was impact on membership? Can we expect further results? • Budget estimate $3k (will vary by Region)

13. Region 8 Presented by: Aleksandar Szabo, MD Chair (a.szabo@ieee.org)

14. Best Practices on the Regional Level MD on R8 Technical Conferences • Have a PP Presentation running on one or more monitors all the time during the conference • Have an Information Desk with Web access to IEEE Websites and printed promotional material and giveaways

15. Best Practices on the Section Level • Technical conferences – same as on the Regional level • Technical meetings and workshops - have an Information Desk with Web access to IEEE Websites and printed promotional material and giveaways • Presentations at Universities and in Companieswith distribution of promotional material • Personal contacts – very important!

16. Consumer Electronics Society Presented by: George Hanover, Member Services (georgehanover@att.net)

17. CES: Best Practices • Corporate package • Companies who pledge to sponsor CE Soc membership for employees get special recognition • Chapter Member Service Rep • Identify member service rep in each chapter. • Supply recruiting material to them. • Bring in periodicals • Vision now part of CE Soc benefits.

18. Dielectrics & Electrical Insulation Society Presented by: J. Keith Nelson, Membership Committee Chair (k.nelson@ieee.org)

19. Use of reader reply cards included in Society Magazine for recruiting new members DEIS: Best Practices Used

20. DEIS: Best Practices Used DEI Transactions EI Magazine Membership Chair writes personal letters to those publishing in DEIS publications who are not members

21. Region 9 Presented by: Dr. Luiz A.S. Pilotto, R9 Director-Elect & MD Chair (pilotto@ieee.org)

22. Membership Status - January 2004 • IEEE • Higher Grade: 299,319 • Students: 68,953 • Total Membership: 368,272 • Loss (2003): 4.8% • REGION 9 • Higher Grade: 6,650 • Students: 5,311 • Total Membership: 11,961 • Loss (2003): 13.5% 18.7% 44.4% Region 9: Highest Loss Index of IEEE

23. Main Challenges • Retain Current Members in Region 9 • Strong Action to Recover Lost Members • Bring in New Members • Actions • Region-Wide Road Show to Present the Many Benefits of Being a Member • Keep The Lowest Possible Membership Fees That Will Still Permit Good Services and Benefits to the Members • Distribute to each Section an Arrears MAP to Initiate an Immediate Recovery Campaign • Institutional Action Conducted by the RD, the RD-Elect and Section Chairmen to Motivate the Industry to Finance The Annual Fees of the Members

24. RAB & TAB Coordination • Strong Coordination Between Sections and Chapters to Ensure Maximum Technical Benefits to the Members • Motivate Free Technical Section/Chapter Sponsored Events to Boost Membership Increase

25. Region 9: A Large and Important Group Inside IEEE • Implement a Strong Policy to Increase the Number of Senior Members and Fellow Members in Region 9 • Sections Have Already Implemented both a Fellow and Senior Member Nomination Committee

26. Best Practices • Strong Action to Recover Lost Members • Actions • Arrears Excel Files Distributed to each Section Chairmen by April • 1st Wave: Email from Section Chairmen Inviting Members to Renew their Memberships (May-June) • 2nd Wave: Direct Phone Calls (July) • 3rd Wave: R9 MD Chairman Continuously Evaluate MembershipEvolution; If necessary, send Direct Emails Messages to Members

27. Membership Status - January 2004 • IEEE • Higher Grade: 299,319 • Students: 68,953 • Total Membership: 368,272 • Loss (2003): 4.8% • REGION 9 • Higher Grade: 6,650 • Students: 5,311 • Total Membership: 11,961 • Loss (2003): 13.5% 18.7% 44.4% Region 9: Highest Loss Index of IEEE

28. Membership Status - January 2005 • IEEE • Higher Grade: 299,586 • Students: 75,360 • Total Membership: 374,946 • Gain (2004): 1.8% • REGION 9 • Higher Grade: 6,650 • Students: 5,311 • Total Membership: 11,961 • Gain (2004): 5.4% 20.1% 48.2% Region 9: Third Highest Gain Index of IEEE

29. Membership Evolution During 2004

30. Education Society Presented by: S. Hossein Mousavinezhad, MD Chair (hossein.mousavinezhad@ieee.org)

31. Education Society • Attend IEEE Conferences and display membership materials (e.g., IEEE EIT Conference, 22-25 May 2005 hosted by University of Nebraska-Lincoln) • Encourage ASEE members to join EdSoc • Use Accreditation to involve faculty in professional societies, e.g., Education Society • Communicate with Regions, Sections

32. Engineering in Medicine & Biology Society Presented by: Barbara Oakley, VP Member & Student Activities (oakley@oakland.edu)

33. EMBS Membership Building Activities • We sent a custom EMBS survey we had developed to all of the nearly 8,000 members in our society. • Roughly 1,700 responded. • Of the respondents, we found half were academic, half were industry members—which is now presumed to be the society demographic. • Industry members REALLY wanted more local chapters/local chapter activities.

34. EMBS Response to Survey Findings • We also asked survey respondents to check “yes” if they would be interested in starting or helping start a new local chapter. • Roughly 300 members checked “yes.” • We then sent emails to each of these members asking, if they were still interested, to contact the society. Some emails were sent to targeted areas with large numbers of EMBS members but no local chapter.

35. EMBS Survey Response, cont. • Roughly 150 responses were received. Each of these was then contacted individually with local member information, as appropriate. • Upshot—nearly 50 locations worldwide responded. Another 30 student groups responded. • It is estimated that roughly a third of these may actually grow into new chapters. • Additionally, a special workshop will be given at our annual conference on what IEEE-EMBS can do for members. A paper is also being written describing all the information to be given in the workshop — this will be placed in the conference proceedings.

36. Region 10 Presented by: Prof. S V Sankaran, MD Chair (svsan@ieee.org)

37. MD Best Practices …1 • Organize technical lectures/tutorials and open them to non-members. • Co-organize technical events with other local technical societies for broader audience reach. Done in Australia, Japan, India among others.

38. MD Best Practices …2 • Identify IEEE liaison volunteers (‘nodes’) in key industries /companies /institutions Hyderabad and Bombay Sections have employed this effectively to increase membership • Senior Member candidates tracking and nomination by Section/Chapter Done often by many sections/chapters

39. MD Best Practices …3 • Establish GOLD members as key liaison (‘nodes’) for interaction with their alma mater and faculty/student members (being tried in R10) • Establish a one-time fund in the Student Branch – donated by College Management or Alumni – to pay for full or half dues for a certain no. of students (Gajanan Maharaj Engg College and UVCE in India have used this method)

40. Microwave Theory & Techniques Society Presented by: Jan Zehentner, R8 Chapter Coordinator (zehent@feld.cvut.cz)

41. How to attract interest of people in the IEEE membership, to keep it, and to stimulate members for activity and networking? • Formation of new Chapters in regions or countries where they do not exist. The key point is our personal involvement, i. e.: • to search for and to address individuals willing to organize the first steps as are: • to establish preparatory committee • to prepare and to submit the petition • to organize Chapter officials election • To supervise the whole process of formation and to assist when needed • To be permanently in touch with Chapter officials and to help or advise them

42. We succeeded in Romania and Norway • Very important for minimum income countries is the Membership Fee Subsidy Program.In Region 8, we have 15 such countries. The program helps to keep alive some Chapters and, first of all, it allows membership for young graduates, the future of the MTT Society. The program provides the feedback and enables to understand better wants of the Chapters, predominantly on the territory of the Former Soviet Union, where the economy has problems and individual incomes are very low.

43. The number of applications for the Subsidy decreased from 7 to 3 Chapters in 2002-5 • We organize annually the Chapter Chairs Meeting in conjunction with the European Microwave Conference • The Chapter representatives have an opportunity to meet AdCom and Region 8 officers. • The meeting enables also to solve problems of Chapters in person concerning e.g., membership, payments, Chapter support by the Society, etc. • A book of reports of our 38 Chapters about their activity is given to all participants. Chapters can compare own works with others, to take over successful practice and implement it in the local conditions, and to establish fruitful relations in many technical and organizational issues.

44. Society on the Social Implications of Technology Presented by: Robert Brook, Membership Chair (rbrook3@yahoo.com)

45. SSIT Overview • Approx. 2,000 Members • Not associated with any engineering specialty • SSIT Scope (from Technology & Society Magazine): • Health/safety/environmental implications of technology • Engineering ethics • Education in SIT • History of electro-technology • Technical expertise and public policy • Social issues related to energy, information technology and telecommunications • Systems analysis in public policy decisions • Economic issues related to technology • Peace technology

46. Membership • Rise in membership - counter to trend of Division IV and most other IEEE Societies • Why? • Use of Internet as recruitment vehicle coinciding with maturation of communications technology and comfort of engineers (young and old) with using the internet. • Plan to continue use of Internet as a recruitment tool for the future.

47. Ethics and Professional Responsibility • This is an area of SSIT scope - sometimes difficult and controversial • Most companies subscribe to high ethical standards, yet recent events show several large companies destroyed by neglect or circumvention of ethical rules • No laws exist (except NJ) to protect an individual who reports a faulty product • SSIT supports an awards program for “whistle blowers” who report events or products with potential danger for the public.

48. Instrumentation & Measurement Society Presented by: James Becker, ADCOM, MD Committee (rbrook3@yahoo.com)

49. IMS: “Do your job better; get a better job” • Target market sectors (Ind: 1900; Acad: 850; Students: 300; Consult: 300) w/ initiatives: • Students: AdCom (2) members; paper contests, “brown-bag” design kits, web site • Offer targeted products/services • Tutorials in I&M Magazine (Increase mag freq 46) • Student/New Hire column in Mag • Interest matrix—better mapping of members/interests • Undecided—get “nonaffiliated” IEEE members

50. Industry Instrumentation Engineerdoes her job better because she is an I&M Member Current Members get ideas On how to maximize value From Membership. Magazine Profile Mini Articles Personal Stories of how Jane Engineer Did her job Better Encourage Current Members To articulate to non-member colleagues The value they get from membership. Advertising at A personal level Students see value membership Brings to a real-life job.