There are five key elements to achieve a successful membership program. These elements are described in detail in the following sections. Some of the listed activities serve dual roles and all ideas should be evaluated in relation to your Section, its goals, its membership, demographics and diversity, and Section's membership strengths and areas of concentration. B. Roles and Responsibilities Roles and responsibilities of the Membership Chair, Membership Committee Members, Section Officers, other committee chairs, and the membership of your Section are identified below. The Membership Committee's responsibilities are usually defined in the Section Bylaws.
Membership is a standing committee, which means that it is a permanent committee.
The chair is either recruited by the Section's officers or volunteers for the position. Generally, the chair is considered part of the Section's Executive Council. Most Sections have some sort of planning exercise during the summer for the upcoming year of activities. It is important to realize that while one person may be able to run a basic membership program, it really takes a committee to run an effective successful program. The Membership Chair has the responsibility to ask for volunteers.