Strengthening & Building Alliances...Tips and tactics your chapter can employ to reach out to diverse communities and spread theword about the industry and your chapter.
You can begin by assessing your chapter’s current outreach programs should they exist. If not,consider creating a local chapter task force to spearhead some of the proposed efforts. Again,
the idea is to COMPREHEND the local landscape, and evaluate relevant opportunities andorganizations in which to CONNECT with in an effort to CULTIVATE lasting and mutually
beneficial relationships.
Don’t be overwhelmed! You don’t necessarily need to allocate additional funds or personnel forthese efforts. In fact, outreach efforts can be considered an extension of what your chapter doeson a regular basis. It may be most effective, at this point, to tailor one or more of your chapter’sawareness efforts to better suit a diverse audience, and then keep strengthening the programas time and resources allow.
The following sections will guide you step-by-step through the process:• Start Smart• Partnership Guidelines• Alliances to Build; Actions to Take
• Tips for Making Contact• Getting the Word Out

START SMART
To begin the process you can do web searches to find relevant organizations in your area.
Please note the organizations below were pulled as samples only. A sample finding from aGoogle.ca search for professional Asian organizations in Canada delivered some great results:
NAAAP: The National Association of Asian American Professionals is the largest andfastest growing Asian American professional organization in the US and Canada ...
www.naaap.org/ - 23k - Dec 13, 2004
Asian American Organizations ... of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations Asian Pacific ... Asian Pacific Health Care Venture - Chinese American Professional
Society - Filipino … www.awib.org/content_frames/directory/asian/ - 24k
Asian American Net: Asian Organizations ... Legal Outreach) combines the commitmentof a non-profit, community-based organization with the professional services of a ...
Asian Women in Business (AWIB). … www.asianamerican.net/org_main.html - 27k

MPI 2019 Diversity & Inclusion Task Force Adapted from the Multicultural Initiative - Copyright © 2004
Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and the Professional Convention Management Association(PCMA). All rights reserved.

PARTNERSHIP GUIDELINES
Before your chapter makes contact, following are some partnership guidelines to consider whenapproaching potential organizations. When entering into a relationship with an organization orassociation that differs from the traditional business partner relationship, one must assess andevaluate the request and perform proper due diligence.
The below evaluation criteria should be used to evaluate any relationship request by anotherorganization to determine the merit of any proposed collaboration. The same holds if yourorganization proposes to initiate a relationship with another organization.
Evaluation Criteria
Current or new relationships should be evaluated against the following criteria:• A formal proposal from the requesting organization must be submitted. The proposal
should set forth all activities under the proposed relationship and the proposed timeline
for the relationship.
• The proposal should detail the responsibilities of your organization in fulfilling itsobligations. This should include such items as financial responsibility, member and staff
time requirements, public relations responsibilities, inclusion in communication vehicles
and relationship with specific programs (including any marketing efforts). The proposal
should provide the same level of detail regarding what the requesting organization
proposes to contribute.
• Additionally, if applicable, the proposal should cover:o The extent to which the proposed partnership activities will reinforce yourorganization’s brand.
o The extent to which the requesting organization is expecting to exchange
memberships, trade show booths, event registrations, email lists, membershiplists and opportunities for advertising and the benefits of such exchanges to yourorganization.
o The extent to which the proposed relationship provides a benefit to yourmembers that you currently do not provide.
o The extent to which the proposed relationship provides access to key
stakeholders that may or may not be eligible for membership but which yourorganization wishes to influence.
o The methodology to evaluate the success of the relationship.
Partnership Development
Any organization that wishes to create a partnership must be informed of your organization’s
program of strategic partnerships, including the proposal submission process. If the interestedorganization wants to submit a proposal after the initial conversation, an application including
the evaluation criteria should be sent to that organization.
Upon receiving the completed application, your organization should hold a formal review
meeting to evaluate the application against the proposed review criteria. Recommendations
MPI 2019 Diversity & Inclusion Task Force Adapted from the Multicultural Initiative - Copyright © 2004
Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and the Professional Convention Management Association(PCMA). All rights reserved.

should then be made to the Executive Committee to approve or disapprove the proposedPartnership.
Due DiligenceDuring the due diligence process with possible partner organizations, there will be many points
to include. Some basic suggestions include:• Confirmation of the organization’s status (e.g., corporation, 501(c), etc.)• Date incorporated or company start-up date
• Registration date
• City of registration• Other pertinent information about the organization
ALLIANCES TO BUILD; ACTIONS TO TAKE
Community Activities• Contact local groups and ask to be kept aware of sponsorship opportunities forupcoming events to increase visibility and name recognition.
• Inform city officials of your chapter’s campaign and ask for advice on reaching keymarkets.
• Become actively engaged with the community and publicize your chapter’s mission bysending letters to the editor and press releases to local media.
• Participate in local forums and town hall meetings.
• Become involved with local faith-based groups, military organizations or other groups
with diverse memberships.
• Look for volunteer and sponsorship opportunities offered by local philanthropic
organizations in the communities your chapter would like to reach (e.g. building houses,
repurposing public spaces, healthcare advocacy, youth literacy initiatives, etc.).
Industry• Get involved with local professional organizations and advocacy groups such as theAfrican-American/Black, Asian and Hispanic/Latino Chambers of Commerce.
• Contact your local Convention & Visitors Bureau and request information on upcoming
diverse gatherings or events.
• Contact local affiliates of national industry organizations. See relevant organizations in
the Reference section for examples.
• Partner with other meetings industry or hospitality-related organizations thatconcentrate on diverse topics or membership to communicate your chapter’s efforts andshare ideas, membership lists and best practices.
• Take part in job fairs in and around diverse communities. If there are no job fairs of
this kind in your chapter’s area, consider helping to organize one.
Student Services• Collaborate with local colleges on ways to make your chapter presence felt on campus.
• Make contact with heads of marketing and hospitality departments; ensure that they
are aware of your mission, and keep them up to date on seminars or meetings held. Askthat they pass the information on to interested students.
MPI 2019 Diversity & Inclusion Task Force Adapted from the Multicultural Initiative - Copyright © 2004
Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and the Professional Convention Management Association(PCMA). All rights reserved.

• Offer local scholarships to students with diverse backgrounds.
• Establish a mentoring program to pair members with interested students and promote
careers in the industry.
• Offer internships within the chapter to engage and inform interested students withdiverse backgrounds.
• Offer fellowships to students of diverse backgrounds to attend annual meetings.
• Provide on-campus career centers with information on the meetings industry and yourorganization.
• Invite students to seminars and educational events by sending a “Calendar Alert” to theCareer Center, as well as relevant academic departments (marketing, hospitality, etc.)
for distribution.
Membership Communications• Develop bilingual, culturally relevant consumer materials for distribution at local events.
• Collect names and other contact information for your chapter’s database and email afollow-up within the week.
TIPS FOR MAKING CONTACT• Have a plan. The better prepared your chapter is, the more likely you are to engage
your audience and to project sincerity. Know who the leaders of theorganization/business are, what the business or organization does, and who it serves.
Importantly, know the common ground that you share, and why it makes sense for yourchapter to collaborate.
• Nothing beats a handshake. While your chapter’s initial contact likely will be a phone
call or email, it is vital to follow up with a face-to-face meeting, which is an especiallyvalued means of communication within certain communities. The personal interactions
will go a long way to building trust and emphasizing your chapter’s dedication to diversity
development.
• Be patient. It may take time for some organizations or individuals to agree to work withyour chapter. This could be caused by any number of factors: timing; you may not havereached the real decision maker; they may need more information, etc. If possible,
identify and address the issue that is creating the delay and reconfirm your chapter’s
dedication to the process.
• Recognize that you will not engage everyone. Put forth a good effort, including revising
your chapter’s approach, as necessary. If it doesn’t seem to be working, try again atanother time.
• Know what you want. Your chapter should have specific objectives in mind (e.g., doyou want to conduct a joint seminar? Would you like a list of speaker or topic
suggestions? Would you like to share mailing lists?), which always should include yourchapter’s long-term goal of establishing a mutually beneficial relationship.
• Use your affiliations. Don’t be shy! If members of your chapter know people at theaffiliate or in the community who might help make an introduction or put in a good wordfor your chapter, ask them to do so.
• Sustain momentum. Don’t expect that a small effort will reap a large reward. Instead,
MPI 2019 Diversity & Inclusion Task Force Adapted from the Multicultural Initiative - Copyright © 2004
Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and the Professional Convention Management Association(PCMA). All rights reserved.

look to establish ongoing relationships through a sustained and consistent campaign.
And remember, if your chapter isn’t successful on the first try, then try and try again—
persistence will pay off in the long run.
GETTING THE WORD OUT
Introduction Letter Template
ADDRESSDATE
Dear [INSERT NAME]:
I am writing on behalf of the [INSERT CHAPTER NAME] of the [INSERT ORGANIZATIONNAME]. [INSERT ORGANIZATION NAME] has [INSERT OR DELETE recently] instituted adiversity education program to help raise awareness about the meetings industry profession andcareer opportunities within the field.
As [INSERT CHAPTER LEADER NAME] of [INSERT ORGANIZATION], your insight into andunderstanding of the [African-American/Black, Asian, Hispanic/Latino, Native American]
community would be of great benefit to our members, many of whom are looking to expand theirprofessional and cultural contacts and broaden the reach of their services. To help kick off thiseffort, our chapter is hosting a [BLANK EVENT] on [DATE] which I invite you to attend.
[INSERT INFO ON SPECIFIC PROGRAM EFFORT OR EVENT]. It will be a chance for us tomeet, put a name to a face, and see how we can start working together to build business andcreate economic growth in the future.
I will telephone you early next week with more details. In the meantime, please feel free to callme at XXX-XXX-XXXX with any questions. I look forward to our introduction.
Sincerely,NAME
TITLE

MPI 2019 Diversity & Inclusion Task Force Adapted from the Multicultural Initiative - Copyright © 2004
Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and the Professional Convention Management Association(PCMA). All rights reserved.