Guest Author: Sophia Conforti, Associations Now
A virtual chapter might fit in with an increasingly digital-first world, but it can also present organizational obstacles. Also: easy actions for planning sustainable meetings.
With the world going digital, it’s only natural that associations jump in on the trend with virtual chapters. But launching such a program comes with its own set of challenges—namely, who qualifies for virtual chapter membership?
“Some associations are concerned that virtual chapters will end up competing for members with national and other chapters,” writes the BillHighway team on its blog. “If you require dual membership, national shouldn’t have any worries. However, it’s a different story for your chapters. Will they see a virtual chapter as ‘cannibalizing’ their membership?”
Ultimately, your team will have to define its own parameters for membership. For instance, maybe you limit membership to those who live at least 100 miles from a geographic chapter. But let’s say a member who lives within 100 miles of a local chapter doesn’t drive. What then? Of course, you don’t want to exclude anybody, so make sure to set a rule for special cases, too.
