“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.”

— Pablo Picasso

Primary Objectives

 

The primary objective of the group is to help members in the following ways:

  • Provide business referrals or introductions whenever possible.

  • Offer professional expertise to fellow members.

  • Be a thought leader and share expertise and key insights during meetings for the benefit of all members.

  • Be a contributing member to at least one committee or the leadership group.

  • Be active on social media highlighting and boosting fellow member’s presence.

Group Structure

 

Members will have exclusivity to their specific industry.

  • The group will have the following leadership positions:

    • 2 Chairpersons

    • Treasurer

    • 2 Secretaries 

  • The Chairpersons will be responsible for approving meeting agendas, approving Membership Committee proposals for membership, managing the overall direction of the group, and leading the meetings.

  • The leadership positions will be voted on annually by the full membership. Names can be submitted for consideration via self-nomination or via recommendations by other members.

  • The Treasurer will maintain group funds.

    • The Secretaries will share responsibilities to prepare and maintain notes for each meeting. 

    • Secretary will be responsible for assigning the monthly one-on-ones.

The group will consist of the following committees to balance roles and responsibilities to be fulfilled by its members.

  • Membership committee (minimum of 3 members) – identify potential new members and review requests for membership before submitting to the entire group for approval.  Enforces the 75% attendance expectation. 

  • Agenda committee (minimum of 3 members) – gather input on relevant topics and develop agendas for each meeting.

  • Marketing committee – promote the activities of the group

  • Each member will contribute $50 annually as a commitment to being a part of the group.  The funds will be used to reward active members, and to better the community.   

  • Each member will be assigned a one-on-one each month with a fellow member.  The Secretaries will assign the pairings for each pairing for each one-on-one meeting to occur monthly.  The Membership will review the completion of one-on-ones each month.

Meetings

 

A set time, duration, and location will be established for meetings.

  • Each meeting will occur from 8:00 - 9:00 am.

  • Meeting location will change from time-to-time based on the interests of the group. 

  • Meetings will occur every two weeks.

  • Members will describe their business and will more specifically define what an ideal referral is from their perspective.

  • Referral/introduction success stories will be a part of every meeting.

  • Each meeting will include time to acknowledge referrals and introductions provided by fellow members. 

  • A minimum of 75% attendance at meetings is expected and will be enforced by the Membership committee.  Once a member is either absent 25% of the time within a six-month duration or considered to be a non-contributing member to the group.  A discussion will be initiated by Membership committee to ascertain commitment level.

Considerations

 

It is vital that we respect each person in the group.

  • When interacting with each other, we will be considerate of others.

  • Use of cell phones and laptop computers during meetings should be kept to a minimum.

  • We will respect each other’s background, culture, and beliefs.

  • Everything officers and committees do will be in the best interests of the group, and they will exert their best effort to fulfill their respective roles and responsibilities.

  • Members are expected to be regular contributors to meeting discussions and group activities outside of meetings.

  • Confidentiality, when warranted, will be preserved by all group members regarding subject matter discussed during meetings.

Communications

 

The success of the group will be based on strong communication occurring among group members

  • All members will reply to messages from other members within 24 hours whenever possible.

  • Detailed information will be sent by email, and each member is expected to promptly and thoroughly review each email

  • Members are encouraged to share information openly and in doing so request confidentiality outside of the group when necessary.

  • Members should feel comfortable expressing candid comments during meetings. If they are more comfortable, they may submit an anonymous note to a Chairperson that can then be addressed at the following meeting if necessary. 

  • A website can be developed and maintained to aid in providing communications to the entire group.

  • Members should interact with social media posts by other members.

  • Members should acknowledge and contribute to member listings on Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, Yelp, and other services/social media platforms.

Continuous Improvement

 

On a quarterly basis, a Chairperson will lead a discussion to address the effectiveness and productivity of the group. Questions to be addressed include:

  • What are additional ways in which we can help one another beyond direct referrals?

  • What worked well regarding group meetings?

  • What can be improved during the upcoming quarter?