Hi,

I'm definitely here to see the questions and ensure that you're receiving
the appropriate support from us.

We have several individuals monitoring the list, so hopefully the lack of
responsiveness noted below will not occur again.

Tony

-----Original Message-----
From: astdchapterleaders@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:astdchapterleaders@yahoogroups.com]
Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2005 2:45 PM
To: astdchapterleaders@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [astdchapterleaders] Digest Number 13

------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Put
more honey in your pocket. (money matters made easy).
http://us.click.yahoo.com/r7D80C/dlQLAA/cosFAA/30hrlB/TM
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There is 1 message in this issue.

Topics in this digest:

       1. FW: CBS Questions & Answers
            From: "Sharon Epstein" <SharonE@...>


________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Message: 1
    Date: Tue, 30 Aug 2005 11:41:49 -0500
    From: "Sharon Epstein" <SharonE@...>
Subject: FW: CBS Questions & Answers

Bill Sawyer asked three questions about CBS last week.  They were questions
that needed to be answered by ASTD National's Membership staff who I didn't
think were members of this list.  When no response came after a few days, I
forwarded the message to the Staff.  Below is the response from Janna Audey
who oversees the CBS.
If you have other questions, please send them to this list.  Janna is going
to join so she can respond to other CBS issues that arise.

By the way, you all should know that Tony Bingham, ASTD's CEO, joined this
email group.  I assume he's joined so he can see the kinds of questions
chapter leaders are asking.  Whether Tony's presence translates to
responsiveness from ASTD, we'll learn through experience.  If there are
other reasons you're here, Tony, I hope you'll let us know!

Regards,

Sharon Epstein
ASTD National Advisor for Chapters, 2003-2005





   _____

From: Janna Audey [mailto:jaudey@...]
Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2005 9:56 AM
To: sharone@...



1. Question:  When you initially sign-up, your membership list is sent to
CBS.  Do you pay the $4 per member then? Or, do you only pay the $4 per
member only upon renewal?  Answer:  You are billed on a quarterly basis once
the roster information is input, at a rate of $1.00 per member per quarter.



  2. Question:  Is there any word on the fees for 2006? I ask because,
surprisingly, the $4 fee is only mentioned on 1 page of the CBS site.  It is
not listed in the Leader's Guide. So, it the fee still going to be waived?
Is it going to increase? Anybody know?  Answer:  The fee will be waived for
2006, as well.  Fees for 2007 and beyond are TBD.



  3. Question:  When a member joins and is in the CBS system, are they now
linked to the chapter. I ask because we loose money when our members FORGET
to put in the CHIP code when ordering items online. If they are now linked,
do they still need to put in the CHIP code? Would this still work for
members that are local chapter members only and not National members?
Answer:  All customers and members alike need to manually input the CHIPs
code at check-out for any purchases made on the ASTD store.  Customers are
prompted at check-out to enter the Chapter Code in a Source Code box.
Unfortunately, at present, there is no way to link the chapter code with
online purchases.  One thing I have recommended to our chapter leaders is to
send reminders out in their monthly newsletters, or post information on your
chapter web site regarding the CHIPs program.  As a last resort, if the
customer forgets to input their CHIPs code at purchase and remembers a day
or two later, they can call our Customer Care department at 1.800.628.2783,
x3 and a representative can manually input the information for them.  I hope
this make sense!







Kindest regards,



Janna

Janna Audey

Membership Specialist

800.628.2783 x197, toll free

703.683.8197, direct dial

703.299.8723, facsimile








[This message contained attachments]



________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________


ASTD Mission: Through exceptional learning and performance, we create a
world that works better.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yahoo! Groups Links




------------------------------------------------------------------------

The DC Metro chapter is just starting to use cvent.  You can contact them
if you don't hear from a DC Metro chapter leader through this list.

Sharon Epstein
ASTD National Advisor for Chapters

>     Greg,
>
>  Hello. I am the director of e-Communications for the San Diego
>  chapter of ASTD. We have recently looked at a demo of cvent and are
>  considering using it in our chapter. I, too, am interested in
>  hearing from any chapters who have experience with cvent. Have you
>  heard anything? Are there others who would be willing to share with
>  me your experience with cvent?
>
>  Thanks much. Looking forward to hearing from you.
>
>  John W. Shaffer - JWS
>  e-Communications Director
>  ASTD San Diego
>  ecomm_dir@...
>
>  --- In astdchapterleaders@yahoogroups.com, "Greg Boudreau"
>   wrote:
>  > Good morning from Greater Detroit ASTD
>  >
>  > Our chapter is looking trying to find an integrated web site and
>  member
>  > communications software product or ASP. Our current web site, (I
>  believe it
>  > is called "Stay in Touch") does nor support e-commerce or
> member e-
>  mail
>  > communications, seems to be difficult to administer and the web
>  page skins
>  > are nor particularly attractive.
>  >
>  >
>  >
>  > To date we have not been able to find a service or product and are
>  looking
>  > at 3 packages, Cvent as an e-commerce and chapter meeting
>  communications and
>  > marketing tool, Constant Contact for e-mail communications, and
>  are still
>  > looking at web site products.
>  >
>  >
>  >
>  > Has anyone found an ASP vendor or software tool that meets web
>  site,
>  > e-commerce and communications needs?
>  >
>  >
>  >
>  > We are also seeking input from chapters that have been using Cvent
>  for a
>  > year or more, who can share their experiences with the strength and
>  > weaknesses of the product.  Any experience with a competitive
>  product would
>  > be appreciated.
>  >
>  >
>  >
>  > Regards,
>  >
>  > Greg Boudreau
>  >
>  > President Greater Detroit ASTD
>
>
>
>
>
>   ASTD Mission: Through exceptional learning and performance, we create a
> world that works better.
>
>
>          YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS
>      Visit your group "astdchapterleaders" on the web.
>      To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
>  astdchapterleaders-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>      Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
>

I do not have the answers to questions 2 and 3, but I do know about question 1.  They will send an invoice for the service - at least once a quarter. 

Larry Wilson
Human Resources - Staff Development
100 E. Weatherford Street
Fort Worth, TX  76196
(817) 884-2744  voice
(817) 212-6844  fax

All,

I figure someone knows the answer to these. The CBS (Chapter Billing
Service) charges $4 per member per year. Currently, this $4 fee is
waived for 2005. Here are my questions.

1. When you initially sign-up, your membership list is sent to CBS.
Do you pay the $4 per member then? Or, do you only pay the $4 per
member only upon renewal?

2. Is there any word on the fees for 2006? I ask because,
surprisingly, the $4 fee is only mentioned on 1 page of the CBS site.
It is not listed in the Leader's Guide. So, it the fee still going to
be waived? Is it going to increase? Anybody know?

3. When a member joins and is in the CBS system, are they now linked
to the chapter. I ask because we loose money when our members FORGET
to put in the CHIP code when ordering items online. If they are now
linked, do they still need to put in the CHIP code? Would this still
work for members that are local chapter members only and not National
members?

Thanks for the help.

Best Regards,
Bill Sawyer
VP of Communication
Central Florida ASTD

Greg,

Hello. I am the director of e-Communications for the San Diego
chapter of ASTD. We have recently looked at a demo of cvent and are
considering using it in our chapter. I, too, am interested in
hearing from any chapters who have experience with cvent. Have you
heard anything? Are there others who would be willing to share with
me your experience with cvent?

Thanks much. Looking forward to hearing from you.

John W. Shaffer - JWS
e-Communications Director
ASTD San Diego
ecomm_dir@...

--- In astdchapterleaders@yahoogroups.com, "Greg Boudreau"
<ggb2004@c...> wrote:
> Good morning from Greater Detroit ASTD
>
> Our chapter is looking trying to find an integrated web site and
member
> communications software product or ASP. Our current web site, (I
believe it
> is called "Stay in Touch") does nor support e-commerce or member e-
mail
> communications, seems to be difficult to administer and the web
page skins
> are nor particularly attractive.
>
>
>
> To date we have not been able to find a service or product and are
looking
> at 3 packages, Cvent as an e-commerce and chapter meeting
communications and
> marketing tool, Constant Contact for e-mail communications, and
are still
> looking at web site products.
>
>
>
> Has anyone found an ASP vendor or software tool that meets web
site,
> e-commerce and communications needs?
>
>
>
> We are also seeking input from chapters that have been using Cvent
for a
> year or more, who can share their experiences with the strength and
> weaknesses of the product.  Any experience with a competitive
product would
> be appreciated.
>
>
>
> Regards,
>
> Greg Boudreau
>
> President Greater Detroit ASTD

Sharon,

I’m sure we all realize that the mention of July 31st must be a typo in the text, but I thought I’d bring it to your attention to avoid any confusion.

Thank you for scheduling this call.

Deborah Laurel
President
South Central Wisconsin Chapter
(608) 255-2010


Chapter Leaders' Conference Call – August 31, 2005

The National Advisors for Chapters is facilitating its second monthly conference call for chapter leaders for one hour on Wednesday, July 31 at 2pm Eastern / 11am Pacific Time.  The topic is "Volunteer Recruitment."   Several of you expressed interest in this topic, so we’re acting on your suggestions.  Topics include best practices for recruiting volunteers and volunteer management programs including volunteer coordinators.  If you'd like to attend or have questions, please contact Donna Steffey, a National Advisor from Chicago, at itrainum@... <mailto:itrainum@...> or 815-248-3104. You can RSVP up to the day of the call, and once you do, you'll receive the call in number.  This helps us plan appropriately for the number of people who will attend.  Stay tuned for information about future calls.

Sharon Epstein

ASTD National Advisor for Chapters 2003-2005
Dallas ASTD President 2001


ASTD Mission: Through exceptional learning and performance, we create a world that works better. 

  

 

Hi Y'all.

I have a few ideas that may seem simplistic, but they worked for our
chapter.  2, 3 and 4 years ago our attendance and membership were way
down.  I remember having a whopping 12 or 14 at a couple of meetings
and half of those were board members.  Here in Tulsa, we got hit hard
when several major companies went bankrupt and others cut their
training department and their budgets.

We did several surveys by; Survey Monkey, paper on the tables at
meetings, email blasts and phone calls.

One of our main problems we learned was our meeting day.  We met on
the second Wednesday of each month and folks said that was a
problem.  We gave them choices of when they thought would be a better
time to meet.  We now meet on the second Friday of each month.  We
used to try to alternate lunch and dinner meetings.  We now meet 99%
of the time at lunch.  Once in a while we may have a special program
that can only be done in the evening, such as a "Networking" workshop
that we sponsored.

We also asked for input concerning the types of topics they would
like to see and hear.  The input was all over the place, but we
managed to sift and come up with some general ideas.  We cover
several different topics during most of the year, during the summer
we do a "Trainer's Toolbox" series which focuses on building training
skills.  We do not meet in December.

At every meeting, we have evals on the table for everyone to complete
and each one asks for what other topics they would like to see and
hear.  I make sure to remind them at the end of each meeting to take
a couple of minutes to complete them and most do fill them out.  We
also make the meetings fun; small door prizes, egg time (3 minutes
for one person per table to talk about themselves), applaud new
members at their initital meeting, etc.

We also do about 2 special programs each year to raise chapter money
and to offer something really special for our chapter members and
guests.  This year we had an all day workshop put on by "Learning
Unlimited" who specializes in experiential training exercises.  In
September, Rita Bailey is coming to Tulsa and we have invited TAHRA
(the Tulsa chapter of SHRM) to attend.

I have a terrific board that has worked hard the last couple of years
to bring our chapter back to exciting times. We now have about 100
members and average about 40 members per meeting.

If you would like to see the charts and graphs showing this year's
progress and programs, I will be happy to share it with you.

Peggy Hancock
President
Northeast Oklahoma Chapter

--- In astdchapterleaders@yahoogroups.com, Kurt Steuck
<Kurt.Steuck@s...> wrote:
> All,
>
> I have several comments.
>
> Meeting attendance:
> We had one of our all time lows last night (25 paying attendees).
We have noticed a gradual drop in attendance similar to what Larry
showed.  I'm guessing 2003 was the highest for us (San Antonio) in
the recent years.
>
> Our audience is so eclectic that we have to provide a variety of
topics.  As a result, it really is hit or miss with the topics and
who attends.  In other words, we don't have any pearls of wisdom at
the moment.
>
> Survey:
> In Jan 2004, the San Antonio chapter conducted a member survey.  We
had a 61% return rate (97 responses out of 158 members who had valid
email addresses).  We used Survey Monkey to deliver it via the
Internet.  We sent out the original email announcing the survey and
two reminders to those who had not responded.  (You can track this
via Survey Monkey.)  As incentive we gave out a free meeting coupon
to 5 responders and $5 off to another 20 responders.  The names were
randomly drawn from the list of who responded.  We had people respond
who had not been to a meeting in several months due to conflicts so
the sample included more than those who routinely attend the monthly
meetings.
>
> I recommend Survey Monkey (www.surveymonkey.com) or one of the
other online survey tools for a variety of reasons.
> - Can import a mailing list and email the link to the members.
> - Can send out reminder emails to those who have not responded.
> - Can use a wide variety of question/response types.
> - Instant data reporting.  You can let the members see the current
results as soon as they have finished the survey.  (We did not.)
> - Data can be downloaded in a variety of formats including
HTML, .txt, or .xls files.  There was one instance where the data was
output in a form that made interpretation of the responses
difficult.  One of the downloads is set up for importing into SPSS,
but the online tool had some data analysis capabilities built into
it.  The problem was in the format we used to structure the
question.  (I'm to blame for that one since I wrote and set up the
question and responses.)
>
> I'm attaching an example from our survey report (hope this works).
It includes the question, a short summary of the data, a table of the
results, and a graph.  The table and graph were automatically
generated by the online survey tool.
>
> We never finalized the survey report, but have a draft copy
available.  You can see the format of the graphical output.  We
literally copied and pasted HTML into a Word document.  Sharon, if
you want to post it, I can send it to you to post on the forum.  I
have to give credit to the San Diego chapter, since we used their
survey report as a model.
>
> Nominal Group Technique
> In October 2004, we conducted a follow-up to the survey by
dedicating one chapter meeting to finding out what the members
wanted.  We set it up as a dual-purpose meeting.  One goal was to
teach our members how to do the Nominal Group Technique.  The second
goal was to apply the technique to program topics that our members
wanted to have presented.  They learned about a job-related technique
while giving the chapter leaders input.
>
> OK, time to go back to my day job.  ;-)
>
> Kurt Steuck
> President 2005
> San Antonio Chapter of ASTD
>
>
> Sharon Epstein <SharonE@n...> wrote:
> Larry:
>
> 25% response to a member satisfaction survey is actually very good,
based on the averages I'm aware of across the country.
> (side note to all participants:  If you think you've gotten a
successful response to your membership survey, tell us the response
rate you got, and how you did it!)
>
> I'm curious whether you got sufficient detail from your survey
results to know what specific program problems to address, and
whether you did indeed address them.  No need to answer here, just a
question for you and your Board, and for others to consider if they
are ever in a similar situation.
>
> I would wonder how the one change you mentioned of tying the
program topics to the ASTD competency model addressed the negative
comments people had.  If, for example, members said they
wanted "meatier" topics, did you know what those topics were, or did
you assume that the ASTD competency model topics would be the
answer?  It could be, for example, that the topics that were selected
were not a match for what your members wanted to learn.
>
> Speaking in general, as I don't know if this is your situation, if
a chapter didn't have enough detail from the survey results, it would
be useful to collect some before you make changes; otherwise, you
can't be sure they were the right changes to improve things.
>
> Regarding your program idea for December 2006, I think that sounds
great!  My local OD Net chapter does that once a year, invites
everyone who wants to have input to send ideas or come to the
meeting.  They ask a question like "What's keeping you up at night in
your job?"  At the meeting, each person writes individual ideas on
index cards, and then they go through a process of posting and
sorting the topics into categories.  Some topics end up going to
SIGs, some stay for monthly programs, some become the focus for
special workshops, etc.
>
> Best wishes to you and your Team,
>
> Sharon Epstein
>
> ASTD National Advisor for Chapters, 2003-2005
> Dallas ASTD President 2001
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
> From: Larry M. Wilson [mailto:larrywilson@t...]
> Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2005 11:03 AM
> To: astdchapterleaders@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: RE: [astdchapterleaders] Meeting Attendance
>
>
>
> Sharon:
>
> I like the idea of a survey that focuses on just the issue of
program topics.  I failed to mention in my initial message that we
did a "satisfaction survey" in 2004.  The topic of programs had a
number of negative responses, but then only about 25% of the members
responded to the survey.
>
> The 2005 programs were "beefed up" with every one being tied to a
competency in the ASTD model. Attendance declined.
>
> We do not have a December meeting planned at this time.  I am
considering an idea to take to the Board - have a holiday party /
meal without charge.  Break attendees into work groups to determine
program topics for 2006.
>
> Larry Wilson
> Human Resources - Staff Development
> 100 E. Weatherford Street
> Fort Worth, TX  76196
> (817) 884-2744  voice
> (817) 212-6844  fax
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
> From: astdchapterleaders@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:astdchapterleaders@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Sharon
Epstein
> Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2005 10:53 AM
> To: astdchapterleaders@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: RE: [astdchapterleaders] Meeting Attendance
>
>
>
> Congratulations, Larry, on taking an analytical approach (looking
for route causes) to find out what has caused the drop in chapter
program attendance and involving your Board.  That is a great problem
solving model for others to see.
>
> In quickly reading your Board's responses, I'd say there are a lot
of great ideas there - particularly about acting on the topic and
speaker suggestions it sounded like were generated from your members
at the January meeting, talking to members to find out why they are
not attending now, having more interactive programs with a variety of
formats, etc.  None of these ideas are new, but that's okay.  Many
times, the basics work just fine, but we are not doing all we can to
execute them well.
> That's what I would encourage you to do.
>
> In these situations it's also hard to come to conclusions you can
feel confident about without input from your members - they can tell
you best what they are thinking and feeling about your programs and
why they attend or don't.  Any other data is at best an on the mark
guess or intuition.
>
> So where to start?
>
> Devise a strategy to solicit member input.  Each Board member could
call and email chapter members and ask some questions. Make sure all
members are contacted.  Personal outreach vs. on-line survey tends to
work well in this type of case because it allows you to probe about
the responses you get when they are vague or unclear.
>
> You could set up the conversations (in your own words, of course)
with "We've noticed a drop in attendance at our monthly programs over
the last few months.  We want to make sure we are serving our members
well and would like your input about the types of programs that would
best meet your needs."
>
> Some questions could include:
> 1) Have you attended meeting in the last 3 (or whatever number you
choose) months?
> 2) Why or why not?
> 3) What programs or topics would you be excited to attend?
> 4) What's keeping you up at night about your current job?  If we
had programs that addressed those issues, would you attend?
> 4) What elements are important to you at our programs (provide
choice of all that apply)
> - time to socialize with other participants
> - food
> - well known speaker
> - interactive programs
> - cost
> - consistent location
> - whatever else you want to know about
>
> Close with an invitation to the next event and a commitment that
the Board will discuss and act on these recommendations.  As a Board,
you should obviously commit to that before you agree to this effort.
Someone will need to summarize the data and provide it to the Board
and membership.  Then, you'll have to look at the data and decide who
should be responsible for implementing the results you get.
>
> No doubt it's a time consuming process on top of everything else
you are already doing.  However, it is one way to get real data that
can answer your question and point you in a better direction.
>
> You can always call on your NAC member of Chapter Support
Specialist for help at any stage of your effort.
>
> Have other members of this email group tried similar or better
approaches?  If so, please tell us what has worked for you!
>
> Regards,
> Sharon
>
> ASTD National Advisor for Chapters, 2003-2005
> Dallas ASTD President, 2001
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
> From: Larry M. Wilson [mailto:larrywilson@t...]
> Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2005 10:09 AM
> To: vicki8304
> Cc: astdchapterleaders@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [astdchapterleaders] Meeting Attendance
>
>
>
>
> Vicki, et.al.
>
> Attached is my tracking record of meeting attendance for the Fort
Worth / Mid-Cities Chapter.  I started as VP Programs in January 2002
and continued thru December 2003.   My position was replaced in 2004,
but the individual was not willing to commit full attention to
details of the meetings.   About mid-way through 2004, I resumed
responsibilities for Programs, even though I was simultaneously
holding another position.  In 2005, I became Chapter President, but
continued providing some attention to Programs.
>
> We have been unable to identify anyone willing to take on the
responsibility.  We have over 100 members in our chapter.
>
> At the last Board meeting we discussed the attendance issue.  In
advance of the meeting, I asked everyone to suggest what the cause
might be.  Attached are some of the reasons and possible solutions
that various Board members listed.  Discussion of the items did not
result in any new ideas or solutions.
>
> Larry Wilson
> Human Resources - Staff Development
> 100 E. Weatherford Street
> Fort Worth, TX  76196
> (817) 884-2744  voice
> (817) 212-6844  fax
>
> <<ChapterMeetingAttendance3year.xls>> <<BoardResponses.doc>>
>
>
> ASTD Mission: Through exceptional learning and performance, we
create a world that works better.
>
>
>
> SPONSORED LINKS
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consultant Business finance schools Business finance schools Human
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>
> ---------------------------------
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>
>
>     Visit your group "astdchapterleaders" on the web.
>
>     To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
>  astdchapterleaders-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>
>     Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of
Service.
>
>
> ---------------------------------

Vicki, et.al.

Attached is my tracking record of meeting attendance for the Fort Worth / Mid-Cities Chapter.  I started as VP Programs in January 2002 and continued thru December 2003.   My position was replaced in 2004, but the individual was not willing to commit full attention to details of the meetings.   About mid-way through 2004, I resumed responsibilities for Programs, even though I was simultaneously holding another position.  In 2005, I became Chapter President, but continued providing some attention to Programs.

We have been unable to identify anyone willing to take on the responsibility.  We have over 100 members in our chapter. 

At the last Board meeting we discussed the attendance issue.  In advance of the meeting, I asked everyone to suggest what the cause might be.  Attached are some of the reasons and possible solutions that various Board members listed.  Discussion of the items did not result in any new ideas or solutions. 

Larry Wilson
Human Resources - Staff Development
100 E. Weatherford Street
Fort Worth, TX  76196
(817) 884-2744  voice
(817) 212-6844  fax

<<ChapterMeetingAttendance3year.xls>> <<BoardResponses.doc>>

Vicki, et.al.

Attached is my tracking record of meeting attendance for the Fort Worth / Mid-Cities Chapter.  I started as VP Programs in January 2002 and continued thru December 2003.   My position was replaced in 2004, but the individual was not willing to commit full attention to details of the meetings.   About mid-way through 2004, I resumed responsibilities for Programs, even though I was simultaneously holding another position.  In 2005, I became Chapter President, but continued providing some attention to Programs.

We have been unable to identify anyone willing to take on the responsibility.  We have over 100 members in our chapter. 

At the last Board meeting we discussed the attendance issue.  In advance of the meeting, I asked everyone to suggest what the cause might be.  Attached are some of the reasons and possible solutions that various Board members listed.  Discussion of the items did not result in any new ideas or solutions. 

Larry Wilson
Human Resources - Staff Development
100 E. Weatherford Street
Fort Worth, TX  76196
(817) 884-2744  voice
(817) 212-6844  fax

<<ChapterMeetingAttendance3year.xls>> <<BoardResponses.doc>>

Vicki, et.al.

Attached is my tracking record of meeting attendance for the Fort Worth / Mid-Cities Chapter.  I started as VP Programs in January 2002 and continued thru December 2003.   My position was replaced in 2004, but the individual was not willing to commit full attention to details of the meetings.   About mid-way through 2004, I resumed responsibilities for Programs, even though I was simultaneously holding another position.  In 2005, I became Chapter President, but continued providing some attention to Programs.

We have been unable to identify anyone willing to take on the responsibility.  We have over 100 members in our chapter. 

At the last Board meeting we discussed the attendance issue.  In advance of the meeting, I asked everyone to suggest what the cause might be.  Attached are some of the reasons and possible solutions that various Board members listed.  Discussion of the items did not result in any new ideas or solutions. 

Larry Wilson
Human Resources - Staff Development
100 E. Weatherford Street
Fort Worth, TX  76196
(817) 884-2744  voice
(817) 212-6844  fax

<<ChapterMeetingAttendance3year.xls>> <<BoardResponses.doc>>

Vicki, et.al.

Attached is my tracking record of meeting attendance for the Fort Worth / Mid-Cities Chapter.  I started as VP Programs in January 2002 and continued thru December 2003.   My position was replaced in 2004, but the individual was not willing to commit full attention to details of the meetings.   About mid-way through 2004, I resumed responsibilities for Programs, even though I was simultaneously holding another position.  In 2005, I became Chapter President, but continued providing some attention to Programs.

We have been unable to identify anyone willing to take on the responsibility.  We have over 100 members in our chapter. 

At the last Board meeting we discussed the attendance issue.  In advance of the meeting, I asked everyone to suggest what the cause might be.  Attached are some of the reasons and possible solutions that various Board members listed.  Discussion of the items did not result in any new ideas or solutions. 

Larry Wilson
Human Resources - Staff Development
100 E. Weatherford Street
Fort Worth, TX  76196
(817) 884-2744  voice
(817) 212-6844  fax

<<ChapterMeetingAttendance3year.xls>> <<BoardResponses.doc>>

ASTD Maryland chapter has been using CVENT since
February of this year.  Please feel free to contact me
directly at my email address if you would like to
discuss its pros and cons.

-Julie Spokus
Finance Director, former Technical Director
ASTD Maryland




____________________________________________________
Start your day with Yahoo! - make it your home page
http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs

Greetings all!

Greater Cleveland ASTD purchased a Cvent license this Spring.
We've used it for two meetings. I'm interested in hearing
about any challenges and successes. I want to use it as a
newsletter template, and I have to explore the finer details.
Any insight would be appreciated.

We had a hard time getting it set up at first, and the
training isn't the best. Thought: We, of ASTD, should offer
to redesign Cvent training in exchange for really reduced
license fees for all chapters.

Best,
Lori Klepfer
Principal,LJK Consulting
440-605-9463
Lori.Klepfer@...
_____________________________________
Helping you educate and assist your employees, customers, suppliers, and vendors
_____________________________________
President, Greater Cleveland ASTD
www.cleveastd.org

I would like to publicly thank Khanh Bui, President of the Baton Rouge
Chapter, for creating a really nice logo for our Yahoo Group home page!

Check it out!

By the way, in one week we have gathered over 60 members.  I expect it
will take us a couple months to get most of the chapters represented --
  but I'm really pleased with the progress made during our first week.

Also -- timely discussion of CVent.  I have been working with the
Philly Chapter this week to decide whether or not they will go with
CVent, stay with 123SignUp, or explore other options.  It's really
nice to be connected to other chapter leaders in-the-know!

-- Theresa

NAC 2005-7
Past President, Greater Phila Chapter

-----Original Message-----
From: astdchapterleaders@yahoogroups.com [mailto:astdchapterleaders@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Greg Boudreau
Sent: Tuesday, August 09, 2005 7:06 AM
To: astdchapterleaders@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [astdchapterleaders] Web site, E-commerce and Cvent

Good morning from Greater Detroit ASTD

Our chapter is looking trying to find an integrated web site and member communications software product or ASP. Our current web site, (I believe it is called “Stay in Touch”) does nor support e-commerce or member e-mail communications, seems to be difficult to administer and the web page skins are nor particularly attractive.

 

To date we have not been able to find a service or product and are looking at 3 packages, Cvent as an e-commerce and chapter meeting communications and marketing tool, Constant Contact for e-mail communications, and are still looking at web site products.

 

Has anyone found an ASP vendor or software tool that meets web site, e-commerce and communications needs?

 

We are also seeking input from chapters that have been using Cvent for a year or more, who can share their experiences with the strength and weaknesses of the product.  Any experience with a competitive product would be appreciated.

 

Regards,

Greg Boudreau

President Greater Detroit ASTD

 

 

 

I have been on the Board of the Fort Worth Chapter since January 2002, when I
became VP Programs.  Attendance was low through most of 2002, but increased
through 2003.  Our top attendance was 65 in april 2003, with several months in
excess of 40 present.  In 2004, attendance began to slide toward the end of the
year, but picked up again early in 2005.   May, June and July attendance has
been in the teens, in spite of the fact that we have offered some of the best
programs!

I have kept stats with mothly totals and an average.  March and April have the
highest average attendance.  We discussed this topic at our last Board meeting,
and find that there is no easy answer.

Larry Wilson
Fort Worth

	 -----Original Message-----
	 From: astdchapterleaders@yahoogroups.com on behalf of vicki8304
	 Sent: Fri 8/5/2005 12:50 PM
	 To: astdchapterleaders@yahoogroups.com
	 Cc:
	 Subject: [astdchapterleaders] Membership Struggles


	 I'm so excited to see this exchange begin and it's nice to know we
	 aren't alone in our struggles with membership.  When I first started
	 in
	 our chapter, it wasn't uncommon to see 80-90 at every meeting.  Now
	 we
	 see anywhere from 10-30.  Suggestions for increasing member
	 participation would be greatly appreciated!





	 ASTD Mission: Through exceptional learning and performance, we create a world
that works better.



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   _____

I'm so excited to see this exchange begin and it's nice to know we
aren't alone in our struggles with membership.  When I first started
in
our chapter, it wasn't uncommon to see 80-90 at every meeting.  Now
we
see anywhere from 10-30.  Suggestions for increasing member
participation would be greatly appreciated!

This issue appears to be a constant problem for chapters.  I hope we can
have some meaningful dialogue and hear from chapters who have a
moderately-sized membership and how they successfully run monthly
meetings with significant attendance.  We will be voting in new board
members soon and I would love to get some viable info to our VP of
Membership and Programming.

Deb Nugent
President, New Hampshire Chapter
Dover, NH

-----Original Message-----
From: astdchapterleaders@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:astdchapterleaders@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of cloudchaser01
Sent: Wednesday, August 03, 2005 3:31 PM
To: astdchapterleaders@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [astdchapterleaders] Nice to meet You

This looks like it will be an interesting chat group.  I'm looking
forward to participating and learning.

Concerning the thread on increasing memebership, there are a lot of
excllent ideas.  Our challenge is finding the time to implement any
of
them. We have to select the ideas with the most payback for the
effort.  We're still working on figuring that out.

Is there a spell checker around here?

Ken Stein
President, Space Coast Chapter
Brevard County, FL





ASTD Mission: Through exceptional learning and performance, we create a
world that works better.
Yahoo! Groups Links

This looks like it will be an interesting chat group.  I'm looking
forward to participating and learning.

Concerning the thread on increasing memebership, there are a lot of
excllent ideas.  Our challenge is finding the time to implement any
of
them. We have to select the ideas with the most payback for the
effort.  We're still working on figuring that out.

Is there a spell checker around here?

Ken Stein
President, Space Coast Chapter
Brevard County, FL

Our goal this year was to increase membership.  We did it through a
combination of things.  First, we worked through the chamber here and
they sponsored a dinner where we got a name person to speak.  It was
Jack Stack who wrote the Great Game of Business and was instrumental
in developing the concept of Open Book Management.  We also had the
University here sponsor a dinner where the Basketball coach talked
about the Art of Coaching. He did a great job. The idea was so get
speakers everyone knew about and have a few sponsors to show how
important training is.   Both were free and we challenged each member
to find a new member to invite free to the dinners.  Our membership
increased by 75% in just six months.

Don
Don Schlueter
President, Springfield/Branson Chapter
ASTD


--- In astdchapterleaders@yahoogroups.com, "angelbirg"
<birgertraining@a...> wrote:
> Thank you for inviting me to participate in this group!
>
> Our chapter, GPASTD, struggles to keep membership numbers up.
> Everytime we try to find out what the members want from their
> membership, through emails, surveys, planning meetings, or
whatever, we
> get very poor response.  How do we meet their needs to keep them as
> active members if they won't take the time to tell us what those
needs
> are?
>
> I feel like we are banging our heads against a brick wall at times
when
> we keep trying things and they get very little results.
>
> It'll be great to have a group for support here!!  :)

We struggle with the same thing with our group in Knoxville.
When I became a member 5 years ago, there were only 12 - 15 individuals
at our meetings and that quickly dwindled to less than 10 each
meeting.

Tell me more about how your group: When are your meetings?  What do
your meetings consist of?

I would love to hear so that we can compare notes.  Our numbers are
beginning to grow and I look forward to reaching at least 15 at each
meeting by the end of this year.


--- In astdchapterleaders@yahoogroups.com, "angelbirg"
<birgertraining@a...> wrote:
> Thank you for inviting me to participate in this group!
>
> Our chapter, GPASTD, struggles to keep membership numbers up.
> Everytime we try to find out what the members want from their
> membership, through emails, surveys, planning meetings, or whatever,
we
> get very poor response.  How do we meet their needs to keep them as
> active members if they won't take the time to tell us what those
needs
> are?
>
> I feel like we are banging our heads against a brick wall at times
when
> we keep trying things and they get very little results.
>
> It'll be great to have a group for support here!!  :)

I am very interested in being a part of this group!
This is a great way to network and get ideas from other chapters.

My profile:
ASTD Smoky Mountain Chapter President 2005 - Knoxville, TN
Company I work for: Edfinancial Services in Knoxville, TN
Business: student loans for college
Job: Training and Development

Thank you for inviting me to participate in this group!

Our chapter, GPASTD, struggles to keep membership numbers up.
Everytime we try to find out what the members want from their
membership, through emails, surveys, planning meetings, or whatever, we
get very poor response.  How do we meet their needs to keep them as
active members if they won't take the time to tell us what those needs
are?

I feel like we are banging our heads against a brick wall at times when
we keep trying things and they get very little results.

It'll be great to have a group for support here!!  :)

Welcome to our ASTD Chapter Leader Yahoo Group!

We encourage you to post questions, share resources and kudos, and
actively participate in this group!  Our hope is that this will
become the hub for Chapter Leader communications.

You are encouraged to read the guidelines you received upon joining
the group.  If you didn't receive the guidelines, please click here
and scroll down to "Welcome to ASTD Leaders Group":
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/astdchapterleaders/files/

In that note you will find information on how to post a message,
receive postings, unsubscribe, and other important points of
interest.

We are building our resource section – so you'll see more and more
information in our Files, Links, and Database section of the Yahoo
Group.  If you have a resource to add in Links or Files, feel free.
Please be mindful that we have limited space, so be prudent when
adding files.  Where possible add web links instead of files to save
space!

There are also a couple databases out there to capture information
for comparison.  You'll find them under "Database" in the menu on
the left side of the message board, or by going to the link:
   http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/astdchapterleaders/database

Right now we have Membership Rates and Program Rates databases.  You
are encouraged to enter the information for your chapter so folks
will have a basis of comparison.  If you have ideas for other
databases, please let us know.

Like any team, our group will go through the Forming-Storming-
Norming-Performing stages.  We ask for your patience and support as
this group goes through each phase of development.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to send
them to your group moderators:

Theresa Hummel-Krallinger, tkrallinger@...
Sharon Epstein, SharonE@...