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 Okay, first let me explain my presence here in this column. I’m Cynthia Curl, an employee of CIBER, Inc. and until recently I was vice-president of the STC James River Chapter. In February, Don White, the chapter’s 2007-2008 president, resigned his office. Those of us who worked with Don wish him well in his future endeavors. As vice president, I was asked to step into the office of president in accordance with national STC by-laws by which we run our chapter.
I took this office with no small amount of trepidation. I haven’t held an elective office since I was president of my dorm during my sophomore year at college. That—trust me—was a very long time ago. For many years, I was active in the Lone Star Chapter of STC (Dallas area) as Job Bank manager and sometime competition judge, but I never aspired to hold an office. Needless to say, I haven’t brought much in the way of experience to the job of STC officer, and for that reason I have a lot of questions. Before I ask you to continue down this path with me, I have a few questions I’d like to pose for you as a chapter member.
Do We Really Want an STC Chapter?
What’s the purpose of having a local STC chapter? We all know that that people join professional organizations for a variety of reasons: to stay up to date on professional skills, to review issues current in their industries, to establish contacts with others in their profession, and so on. Why do we have James River Chapter? Here’s why I ask.
Our chapter has a small cadre of members who tend to show up at meetings and do the actual work of the chapter—setting up and attending programs, participating in administration meetings, writing and distributing our newsletters and other types of communications, maintaining chapter finances, and so on. That’s not really unusual in a volunteer organization, but it’s a problem in our situation because we have so few members who participate in any visible way.
We have roughly 40 members who are scattered throughout the southern half of Virginia. Out of those, we have only about six members showing up at meetings and doing the work. Why don’t more people participate? We have online meetings so that people don’t have to drive great distances. We have administrative board meetings by conference phone. I know we’re spread thin throughout half the state, but we have the tools and technology to overcome the communications barriers that distance presents. Geography isn’t an insurmountable obstacle, and it does not entirely explain the lack of participation.
I think we lack a sense of mission about chapter membership in general and our own chapter in particular. We need to decide individually and as a group that we want and need a chapter. I have no answer for the question I posed, because the answer bubbles up from the membership pool. You need to decide whether or not you want a chapter and communicate that decision by participating in any way that fits into your professional life.
What Do I Want Out of My Chapter Membership?
Jobs came my way due to the many contacts I made through my [STC] Chapter.
My first and foremost intention in joining STC in the first place was utterly crass: I wanted a job. I knew I had the education and the chops to be a technical writer, but I needed to get my foot in someone’s door. I didn’t get my first job out of my chapter membership, but succeeding jobs came my way due to the many contacts I made through my STC chapter.
I still believe this type of networking is the key to having an active and thriving STC chapter. Toward that end, members of this year’s admin board have suggested that we start scheduling and promoting more networking meetings, where the aims are to talk with each other about job leads and other kinds of information sharing. We may partner with an outside organization, or schedule gettogethers for people outside the Richmond area. I’m not sure what form these networking meetings will take, but it’s something we need to work on.
More networking is what I want out of my membership. What do you want? Your chapter leaders need to hear from you in order to fulfill whatever needs you have out of your chapter membership.
Is There a Crisis?
In a word, Yes.
We simply can’t continue running a chapter the way we have been. Unless we promote and find more consistent participation among chapter members, we could risk losing our chapter. Our participating members of today become chapter leaders of tomorrow, and right now, we don’t have enough in the pool to expect a full slate of officers next year. The current officers have all agreed to run for office again in order to keep the chapter going, but you are invited to put your name forward if you want to run. Whoever inherits responsibility for the James River Chapter also takes on the job of ensuring the chapter’s future.
If we fail to keep the chapter open, we have options. We can dissolve it completely, making all of us national members only. We can become a satellite of a larger chapter and allow that chapter to maintain our finances for us. However, accepting either option robs us of the opportunity to make our own mark on our area.
Call for Thought
This column is less a call for action than a call for thought. Please take this opportunity to think about the issues I’ve posed here and decide whether or not you really want the James River Chapter to continue. Let your officers know by talking, voting, email, logging in to the chapter web site, and participating in meetings.
Action is easy. It’s your resolve that’s needed.
Let your officers know your interests & needs by talking, voting, e-mailing, logging in to the chapter Web site, and participating in meetings.
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