Virtual chapters sound like a great idea, don’t they? After all, associations are already virtual experiences for members who don’t go to your in-person events. For these members, their entire association experience is online.
In our last post, we explained how a hybrid chapter enhances the local chapter membership experience by offering a blend of in-person and online benefits. Now, let’s look at several associations that use a virtual chapter to solve their membership challenges.
Virtual chapters offer what every member seeks: education and networking. However, instead of attending a local chapter meeting, virtual chapter members go online to take advantage of these benefits—and that difference is crucial.
“Virtual chapters offer a certain amount of flexibility to those who aren’t (geographically) close to a traditional chapter or whose schedules don’t allow them to participate in traditional chapter activities,” said Scott Wadle, program director of council and chapter affairs at the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA).
Virtual chapters are a solution for members who are challenged by local geography or busy schedules. “We have professionals in locations that are really difficult to reach—rural environments or places where people are spread out, like Alaska and Hawaii,” said Rick Grimm, CEO of NIGP – The Institute for Public Procurement. “Hawaii is a unique situation—imagine going from island to island for a lunch meeting.” NIGP now has a virtual chapter for members in Alaska and Hawaii and is considering one for Montana too.
Time is every member’s most precious resource. You probably have members who work from home to avoid awful commutes. Virtual chapters are a solution for members who live in congested areas where it takes too long to travel to local chapter meetings. They also serve members who can’t take time away from their busy work or family schedule.
Some members may live near a local chapter but aren’t home frequently enough to participate in chapter activities. A member of the National Investor Relations Institute’s virtual chapter (NIRI) said,
“I travel frequently as many [Investor Relations] professionals do, which makes it difficult to attend in-person chapter meetings. Fortunately I can regularly attend NIRI virtual events from wherever I am.”
Virtual chapters are also a welcome option for people who have trouble getting around or are homebound because of disabilities or other personal reasons.
In some industries, members have a desire for community and conversation with their peers, but not with their local competitors. For more than two decades, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) has organized Builder 20 clubs, networking groups comprised of 20 professionals from across the country who are in the same building specialty. Traditionally, these groups only met in person, but now they supplement those meetings with web conferencing and online forums.
Members aren’t the only ones who benefit from virtual chapters. Virtual chapters help your association expand its reach to prospects who don’t live near a chapter or can’t participate in local chapter activities. They increase inclusivity by providing educational and networking opportunities to those with accessibility issues.
In areas that don’t have enough members for a local chapter, a virtual chapter serves as a stepping-stone to official chapter status and a foundation for a hybrid chapter experience. Virtual chapters allow more professionals to take part in the association experience.
Virtual chapters must offer the same practical and emotional experiences that members of local chapters enjoy: knowledge and relationships, but also a sense of belonging, contribution, and self-actualization.
