Learn More: Getting Organized with Tools for Secretaries

A Section/Chapter could make plans to have an outstanding event, but this event will not be successful without engaging and getting local member and non-member participation.  vTools.Meetings can assist Section/Chapter volunteers in publicizing their event.  Using this tool, your unit will be able to:

• distribute meeting announcements without a webmaster;
• allow members and the public to view upcoming meetings online, drill down for details, and register;
• feed meeting information into the community desktop in myIEEE;
• use the data already included in the meeting announcement to submit as a meeting report form after the event is conducted.

The appointments made by each Section Chair vary depending on the size of the Section, but usually include the following positions.

• Industry Relations Coordinator
• Newsletter
• Professional Activities
• Educational Activities
• Student Activities
• Historian
• Awards and Recognition
• Chapter Coordinator
• Membership Development
• Electronic Communications Coordinator

Each Section shall appoint a Nominating Committee of three or more Section members not then Officers of the Section. A member of the Section Nominating Committee who does not resign from the Committee prior to the meeting at which nominees are selected is not eligible to be nominated for any office to be filled by the Section Executive Committee.

The duties of the Section Nominating Committee shall include the preparation of a slate of candidates recommended for the offices of Section Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer (or Secretary/Treasurer), and such other members of the Section elected at-large, to be submitted for approval by the Section Executive Committee.

Additional information is noted in the MGA Operations Manual - Section 9.5.H and 9.5.I

IEEE has over 325 Sections in over 70 countries around the world.  In order to maintain viability and to ensure that all Geographic Units are meeting the needs of their members, each Unit is required by the Member and Geographic Activities Board to submit annual reports of the following:

1. Meeting activity
2. Current Officers
3. Financial activity

Units that meet the basic reporting requirements will earn a rebate payment to support Unit operations. 

Section and Geographic Council Secretaries are responsible for submitting meeting activity for their Unit and for checking that subgroups (Subsections, Chapters, and/or Affinity Groups) have submitted reports for their Unit.  They are also responsible for submitting the roster of Officers for the current year.

Section and Geographic Council Treasurers are responsible for submitting the annual financial report for their Unit and any Subunits (Subsections, Chapters, and/or Affinity Groups). 

Reports are due annually in the third week of February.  When all data is submitted and approved, the Section will receive funding in the form of a Section Rebate.  If all reports are submitted by the February deadline, your Unit will earn an additional 10% bonus to the total rebate.  Units submitting reports later than 31 March of the current year will not receive rebate payment for prior year activity.

IEEE Geographic Units are the local IEEE presence in their geographic area, and they conduct over 10,000 events annually.  The IEEE MGA Board needs to ensure that the needs of IEEE members are being addressed by these local Units in the form of local activities.  The local activities could include meetings, conferences, and workshops.  In providing this information to the IEEE MGA Board, the Units are providing evidence that IEEE members are being engaged and also ensuring that the Units are eligible to receive funding from the MGA Board.

Meetings should be reported via the online meeting report form or by using the IEEE vTools.Meeting online registration system.

Meetings can be the most dreaded part of business, yet they are essential to good communication.  Make them a positive part of your business operation by organizing them well.  In organizing an administrative meeting for your Section, below are some suggested steps.

1. Decide exactly who should attend the meeting (typically, the Section Executive Committee, including Technical Chapter and Affinity Group Chairs).
2. Schedule a time for the meeting with the persons attending, making it clear what the meeting is about and how long it will take.
3. Schedule a place for the meeting that is conducive to discussion and does not allow interruptions.
4. Plan an agenda with a time schedule for addressing each issue.  A common sequence of agendas:
   1. Adoption of Agenda   
   2. Approval of previous minutes  
   3. Action Items 
   4. Discussion Items          
   5. Reports                         
   6. Information Items
   7. Old Business
   8. New Business
   9. Next Meeting
   10. Adjournment
5. Distribute the agenda well in advance of the meeting, asking for any modifications or additions.
6. Once the meeting starts, the Section Chair shall manage the meeting and facilitates discussion.
7. The Section Chair should stimulate and clarify communication, summarizing points made.
8. Consensus should be encouraged, but don't make that the endpoint.
9. If more information is needed for making decisions, schedule another meeting with homework assignments.
10. At the end of the meeting, the Section Secretary should clarify what has transpired and what the next steps are.
11. The Section Secretary should distribute a summary of decisions reached at the meeting, including the date and time of any future meetings.

Tips:

1. It is important to include all critical parties for a meeting, but any number greater than eight reduces the meeting's effectiveness.
2. The Section Chair should be a facilitator who is there to listen, not an active participant.
3. Meetings do not need to be held for lengthy reporting.  Reports can be written and circulated for comments.

IEEE Sections can hold a variety of activities (conferences, workshops, tutorials, networking), but the following categories have been established in reporting these activities to IEEE MGA.

• Administrative - meetings of the Section/Chapter/Affinity Group Executive Committee to discuss Unit administrative matters (e.g., elections, Section functions, activity planning).
• Technical - meetings or conferences of a technical nature specific to the needs of the Unit or of interest to the members.  Educational meetings usually fall under the technical category.  Society Chapters must hold and report a minimum of two technical meetings annually in order to qualify for the rebate.
• Non-Technical - generally meetings of a professional nature.  For example, a speaker discussing the current job market, preparation of resumes, etc.  This category can also include such things as awards dinners or social events.

If a Section, Chapter, or Affinity Group meeting is reported more than once, and the date, location, type of meeting, and number of attendees are the same, it is considered one (1) meeting and the duplicate meeting reports are deleted from the records.

Regardless of the length of a meeting (whether 1 hour, 8 hours, or longer), for reporting purposes, it is considered one (1) meeting.  There may be several speakers and topics; however, they would be considered 'sessions' of the same meeting.  To be considered separate meetings, the type of meeting, the location, and/or the number of attendees must vary.  For example: if a Unit meeting begins at 9:00 AM and ends at 5:00 PM, even though there are several speakers and topics, it is considered one (1) meeting.

Occasionally, Section Meetings are followed by Chapter/Affinity Group meetings, or are joint meetings of 1 or more subunits.  In those instances, the meetings may be reported individually by the Section(s) and Chapter/Affinity Group(s) and can be counted as a separate meeting for each of the subunits.

If a Unit Executive Committee holds an administrative meeting, followed by a general technical or non-technical meeting, the meetings can be reported individually and will be counted as two (2) separate meetings. 

Section, Chapter, and Affinity Group meetings should be held within the geographic boundaries of the Section.

If necessary, a Section may opt to use Robert's Rules of Order (latest revision) when conducting business at meetings of IEEE Organizational Units.  The rules are designed in such a way as to enable the body to get through the business of the day expeditiously.  These rules are meant to give a fair hearing for all participants, whether as presenters or in debate.  The Chair ensures the impartiality of decisions such that the members may discharge their fiduciary responsibilities as appropriate.  Review the summary guidelines (PDF, 98 KB).

Meeting minutes are important and should be taken at all Section Executive Committee meetings.  They capture the essential information of a meeting - decisions and assigned actions.  They keep attendees on track by reminding them of their role in a project and clearly define what happened in a group session. 

The meeting minutes shouldn’t be an exact recording of everything that happened during a session.  Minutes are meant to record basic information such as the actions assigned and decisions made.  Then, they can be saved and used for reference or background material for future meetings relating to the same topic.  The following instructions will help you take useful and concise meeting minutes.

Before the Meeting

• If you are recording the minutes, make sure you aren’t a major participant in the meeting.  You can’t perform both tasks well.
• Create a template for recording your meeting minutes and make sure you leave some blank space to record your notes.  Include the following information:
  • Date and time of the meeting
  • The purpose of the meeting
  • The meeting lead or chair’s name
  • Assigned action items
  • Decisions made

Before the meeting, gather as much information from the host as you can.  Ask for a list of attendees, as well as some information on the purpose of the meeting.  This way you won’t need to scramble to understand what’s going on while you’re recording notes.

Decide how you want to record your notes.  If you aren’t comfortable relying on your pen and notepad, take a laptop to the meeting.

During the Meeting

As people enter the room, check off their names on your attendee list.  Ask the meeting lead to introduce you to meeting attendees you aren’t familiar with.  This will be helpful later when you are recording assigned tasks or decisions.

Don’t try to record notes verbatim - it’s not necessary.  Minutes are meant to give an outline of what happened in the meeting, not a record of who said what.  Focus on understanding what’s being discussed and on recording what’s been assigned or decided on.

Record action items and decisions in your template as they happen - don’t wait until after the meeting to pull them out of your notes or you could make a mistake.  If you don’t understand exactly what decision has been made or what action has been assigned, ask the meeting lead to clarify.

After the Meeting

With the Section Chair, review the notes and add additional comments, or clarify what you didn’t understand right after the meeting.  Do this while the information is fresh in everyone’s mind.  Type your notes out in the template you created before the meeting - this will make the notes easier for everyone to read and use.

When you’re writing out your notes, use some of the following tips from the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP).

• Number the pages as you go so you aren’t confused later.  Remember, though, that the minute-taker is responsible for providing good flow.  Don’t force yourself to write the minutes in the actual chronological order of the discussion - it may not work.
• Focus on action items, not discussion.  The purpose of minutes is to define decisions made and to record what actions are to be taken, by whom and when.
• Be objective.  Write in the same tense throughout and avoid using people’s names except for motions or seconds.  This is a business document, not about who said what.
• Avoid inflammatory or personal observations.  The fewer adjectives or adverbs you use, the better.  Dull writing is the key to appropriate minutes.
• If you need to refer to other documents, attach them in an appendix or indicate where they may be found.  Don’t rewrite their intent or try to summarize them.
• When you finish typing the minutes, ask the meeting lead to review the document for errors.  Send the final copy of the minutes to attendees right away.  Keep a copy of the notes (and the template) for yourself in case someone wants to review them later.
• Recording meeting minutes ensures that the decisions and actions resulting from a meeting aren’t lost or forgotten.  By taking the time to record proper meeting notes you’ll make sure the time and effort that goes into a meeting isn’t wasted.

Your Section Web site could be one of the most important tools for your Section.  A well designed and updated Web site can assist in getting your local members engaged in Section activities.  In some cases, the Web site could be the first point of contact with the members, and it is important that you make a good impression.  In creating the Web site, some points to consider:

• Provide compelling content/something of value - the Web site visitor is looking for something specific.  Emphasize the professional, technical, and social benefits of participating in the events.  Make sure your Web site has the following:
  • Annual calendar of events
  • List of Technical Chapters/Affinity Groups within your Section
  • List of contacts within your Section/Chapters/Affinity Groups
• Make things easy to find - put some thought into organizing the information and try to minimize the number of clicks required to get the information.
• Make sure the page is easy to read - do not make the page too wide; ensure that the text is large enough to be read.

IEEE offers a tool to assist Geographic Units in creating a Web site.  IEEE Entity Web Hosting (EWH) is a free hosting service for IEEE Organizational Units.  This service is intended to meet the needs of IEEE entities who want to develop, create, and maintain their own Web site on an IEEE host.  The general philosophy is that posting entities will be responsible for their content, its maintenance, and its conformance to IEEE policy.  Entities are expected to choose a single Webmaster who is skilled in managing Web content.  This Webmaster will be the entity contact and the only one authorized to post content to the Web site.  The Webmaster will be expected to work with IEEE staff to insure that site security measures are effective.  The disk limit for Sections is 500 MB.

Sections are required to hold and report at least five meetings each year.  Meetings held by a Chapter or Affinity Group, or Joint Chapter or Affinity Group, of a Section may be counted in fulfilling the MGA requirements.  A sample calendar of events for each Section officer is shown below.  In some cases, a Section may alternate locations for the Section Executive Committee meetings

Preliminary 2010 Calendar for XXX Section