Start a Chapter
Interested in forming a new Chapter?
Starting a Chapter is an excellent way to give AEG members the ability to network with fellow AEG members and provide educational opportunities! A Chapter can help retain members of the Association and attract new members to AEG. AEG Bylaws (Article 7.9) provide a framework for forming a new Chapter with the most important aspect being the need for 8 members to petition the Chapter for approval.
Areas where we need YOU!
- Geographic areas where members can not readily go to an existing Chapter's meetings.
- Large metropolitan areas where traffic and distance make travel to an already existing Chapter's meetings difficult.
- Areas with lots of geologists, but few active professional associations.
The following guidelines are suggestions on how to help Chapters work cooperatively for the benefit of the Chapter members and AEG.
Keys to Successful Chapters
- Begin with a core of strong local leadership and great ideas!
- Have a core group of local members and meeting participation. Chapters with high meeting attendance have answered a need for an applied geology organization where one hasn’t existed before.
- Fulfill a professional need (networking, technical discussions, meeting potential future employers, etc.).
- Provide continuing education in states where CEUs are required for licensure renewal.
- Provide frequent communication between the Chapter and Members.
- Have local financial support in the form of sponsors (drilling companies, equipment supply, and analytical laboratories are great sponsors).
- Low cost (or comparative to other organizations) for dinner meetings to promote more participation.
- Think outside the weeknight sit-down dinner concept - offer a field trip or short course regularly!
How are Chapters Organized within AEG?
For Chapter Officers to be successful, officers and members understand their responsibilities and the resources available to help them be successful:
- Chapters are part of AEG and are integral parts of the Association. The Chapter Chair is responsible for providing a report on the Chapter’s activities to the Board. Chapter officers will need to know when financial reports are due and what format they need to be in.
- Because of AEG’s organization, Chapters are listed under the same tax ID number, so all funds belong to the Association as a whole. Practically speaking, this means that the Executive Council has signatory authority on Chapter checking accounts and Chapters have financial reporting requirements. Chapter’s finances are part of the Chapter’s responsibilities and need to be reported in a format that feeds into the Chapter’s financial report.
- Chapters get money through Chapter fees, a portion of Corporate Sponsorship funds the Chapter brings to AEG, and monies raised through field trips, short courses, and other local fund raising efforts.
- Officer elections should be conducted at least every two years within the Chapter to meet the Directory publication dates and bylaw timelines.
Tips to Optimize Meeting Participation
- Avoid meeting conflicts with local organizations and the Chapter itself.
- Coordinate speaker invitations and speaker topics with other Chapters in your State or Region.
- Presentations by the Jahns Lecturer and the AEG President can be viewed as an opportunity to bring Chapter, and Student members together and optimize the potential for professional and student participation if a single meeting at a central location is not practical. This might allow the Chapters to defray the costs to these speakers in a more meaningful way.
Resources
Your Regional Director (who serves as your Chapter's representative on the Board of Directors) and other Association Officers can help organize a new Chapter by contacting members in population centers away from the usual meeting location to see if there is interest in a Chapter in their area. The Regional Director can provide lists of local members in a potential Chapter area, help organize kick off meetings for a new Chapter, and even provide a speaker for the first meeting. A few documents we hope will be helpful are included in this section of the website:
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