We are off to a great start with our fall chapter meetings, with twenty meetings already scheduled and more to come. For some members this may be their first time attending a meeting, or for others this may be their first in person meeting in a couple years. Either way, attending a chapter meeting is an exciting opportunity for members to gain new knowledge, learn best practices and network with their peers and industry colleagues. However, once the meeting ends, we want to ensure we maintain our momentum and our connections that we made during the meeting. We can do this using a few strategies to maximize the knowledge we gained and build on the connections we made.
Monthly Networking Circles – Implement a virtual networking circle, like our Leadership Happy Hour calls, that extends from your meeting’s networking event. Once a month or every other month, invite participants to attend the meet-up and continue their discussions as well as meet others and ask and answer industry questions.
Set Goals Related to Content – Much of the content we learn can be applied to our everyday jobs and/or volunteer roles. Before leaving the chapter meeting, ask attendees to set goals for themselves that are related to the content taught at the meeting. This encourages attendees to use the knowledge they have gained and apply it to real life situations.
Follow-up Webinars – Once attendees have set goals, schedule a follow-up meeting(webinar) for those that would like to report on their progress and share what they learned through applying their knowledge gained at the meeting.
Check in on New Members/First Timers – Be sure to keep in touch with first time attendees, new members, students, and non-members that attend the meeting. New member advisors can be tasked with reaching out to these individuals to act as a mentor or simply check in to see how they are doing. It can be a great opportunity for relationship building among industry peers.