| Plexus Consulting Group | Success Stories | ||
| SHRM Develops Customized Internet Site |
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| Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) |
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Plexus Consulting Group, LLC |
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Vital Stats SHRM is the largest nonprofit organization of its kind in the world
and the global voice of the Human Resource profession. Two thousand
of its members are from outside the United States. These members joined
SHRM despite there not being any direct marketing or recruiting effort
outside the US. The largest number of non-US members comes from Canada,
Mexico, the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe. In all, SHRM's
international membership covers 105 countries.
The Challenge | The Solution | The Process |Unintended Consequences | Unforseen Benefits | Measurements & Results | Lessons Learned How to convince chapters and non-national members the value of affiliating with the national organization? SHRM has always had a chapter focus, and relies heavily on its chapters
and volunteer leadership structure. Chapters are the "core"
of the organization and an information channel to professionals "in
the field." How can the national organization attract and retain
non-national members at the local level? "Think national act local." SHRM's focus on volunteer engagement, area-based chapter management, active marketing and financial incentives are the keys to its chapter program success. Also, it is riding the wave of the new economy. While the new economy poses a challenge to associations by providing
alternative avenues for potential members to explore, networking remains
the priority reason that human resource professionals join SHRM. They
are not likely to find the professional quality and access elsewhere.
As an information powerhouse, SHRM's chapter growth is spurred by
the Internet and e-mail communication. As a result, SHRM's local visibility
has increased significantly.
By taking the lead in providing online reports, award programs, and opportunities to participate in activities such as "teaming for success", SHRM uses new economy tools effectively to bring value to its chapters and to help them address the challenges of internet overload and time constraints. SHRM's recipe for successful development of the national organization involves focusing on:
By working with its area managers, SHRM has created a chapter structure that draws local professionals into the national organization through:
For example, SHRM's Volunteer Leadership Conference provides two and a-half days of training annually, enriching volunteers with opportunities to absorb and share best practices as well as providing financial support to encourage active participation. Area-based Chapter Management
Governance Ground Rules
The Chapter Affiliation Process
Succession planning for chapter management is a continual consideration. SHRM is addressing this with the help of targeted marketing materials delivered throughout the chapter network "Give and take." The success of SHRM's chapter program has developed a strong "give and take" ethic between local chapters and the national organization:
SHRM helps to draw senior professionals to local chapters. Here's how:
SHRM does not require its chapters to be "100 percent membership"
chapters. Originally, only 10 percent of a given chapter's membership
was required to hold national membership in SHRM. This requirement
was subsequently revised to 50 percent and in 1994, 30 percent was
chosen as the target national membership threshold. Giving each chapter
a year to "get started", SHRM reached the 30 percent goal
by 1999. The chapter program is so intrinsic to SHRM's organizational identity
that there have been no specific metrics devised, other than routine
tracking of membership statistics to measure the success of the program.
As member surveys attest, the result - - 470 chapters each boasting
30 percent membership in the national organization - - speaks for
itself. The key lessons learned from SHRM's chapter-building efforts are:
SHRM's marketing effort is relentless and all encompassing. From chapter affiliation guides to step-by-step affiliation instructions, SHRM actively assists supports new affiliates by providing:
Chapter memberships are inherently limited by the extent of the local human resources profession and local membership restrictions. Interestingly, over 35 percent of SHRM's members now join over the Internet and the rate of retention of online members is very high. This "ultimate one-stop shopping" venue has blessed the organization with exponential growth, both at the national and chapter levels. However, while chapters formed the core of the society, the level of growth of national members at large far exceeds the growth of chapter memberships due to inherent local population constraints - - there are only so many human resource professionals in any given region. Perceived value is the biggest challenge to boosting membership at
both the local and national level. SHRM works diligently to drive
the value proposition throughout all of its programs with consistent,
repeated messages and formidably easy access to the most cutting-edge
professional resources.
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