Preparing for the First Year

September 19, 2018

Establishing Chapter Leadership

1. Schedule a meeting with the chapter members; in addition to whatever programming you want to provide, have the members vote to ratify the slate of officers and chapter bylaws that were voted on at the organizing meeting of the forming chapter.
2. To help with succession planning, identify chapter presidents for the first three years
3. Using the chapter bylaws for guidance, determine who will serve on the Chapter Board of Directors if additional directors are needed for the first year. The Board should meet every month, before or after the regular chapter meetings, and conduct the business of the chapter. (Meeting every month is best practice for the first year; chapter meetings may be held at lunch, early morning or late afternoon, whatever best meets the needs of members.) Following each Board meeting, the president should make a report to the membership during the "business" portion of the next chapter meeting.
4. Establish chapter committees (e.g., membership, professional education, diversity, public affairs) and elect/appoint chairs for each committee.
   1. Determine chapter elects for committees when possible
   2. Committee Job Descriptions (see Attachments)
5. Include expenses for the Chapter President and/or President-Elect to attend the Chapter Presidents’ Council Meetings and the Leadership Academy in your proposed chapter budget.
6. Plan to send a representative to the Chapter Board Workshop held following the AFP International Conference or to the Leadership Academy. We strongly urge Presidents-Elect to attend a workshop prior to assuming the office of president.
7. The AFP Director of Chapter administration will virtually attend your first board meeting. This meeting should occur in the first three months and will cover important information for your chapter moving forward.
8. Important Dates and Deadlines

Financial Information 

1. Apply to the IRS for an Employer Identification Number (EIN). You will need this number in order to establish checking and savings accounts in the name of the chapter. Get signature cards signed by three officers, with two signatures required for every transaction. A copy of IRS Form SS-4 will be sent to you after the chapter has been granted a charter. NOTE: Prior to receiving a charter, forming chapters should assign an individual to manage the small amount of chapter revenue and report frequently to the forming committee.