FAQ: Technical Chapter Information

How do I form a Chapter?

A petition to establish a Chapter shall contain the following:

Name of the Section(s);
Name of the sponsoring Society(ies);
Name of the organizer (who becomes interim Chair pending election of a regular Chair at a later organization meeting);
Signatures of at least twelve (12) IEEE members, other than Students, who are members of the Society(ies) and Section(s) involved. Each petition to form a Technical Council Chapter will be signed by at least 12 individuals who are members of a Society which is a Member Society of the Technical Council.
A Joint Chapter may be established by the procedures defined herein to cover the territory of two or more contiguous Sections, or a Council, or the interests of two or more Societies within the territory provided the necessary approval is obtained by all concerned. That petition shall identify the organizational unit assuming responsibility for the Chapter management. That organizational unit shall receive rebates for the Chapter meetings. These funds are intended for the support of Chapter activities.
The petition for a Chapter shall be submitted to the Unit Executive Committee for written approval and forwarded with this written approval to the IEEE Managing Director, Member and Geographic Activities (MGA). The IEEE Managing Director, MGA shall forward a copy of the petition to the President(s) of the Society(ies) for verification to the IEEE Managing Director, Technical Activities for information.

What is the difference between a Region, a Section and a Chapter?

The membership of the IEEE is divided geographically into administrative Units. The first division is that of Regions of which there are 10 worldwide. They are:

Regions 1-6: the United States
Region 7: Canada
Region 8: Europe, Africa and the Middle East
Region 9: Latin America and the Caribbean
Region 10: Asia, Australia and the Pacific Rim countries

Regions are subdivided into Sections. As of November 2007, there are 324 Sections, divided geographically to facilitate administration and local activities.

Chapters are technical subunits of one or more Sections. There are 39 different Technical Societies which can be represented by Chapters in each Section.

Who is eligible to hold office in a Chapter?

To be eligible to hold office in an IEEE Section you must be an active member of the IEEE. You must hold the grade of Graduate Student Member, Member, Senior Member, or Fellow. You must also be a member of the Section and members of the Society (if it is a joint Society Chapter, membership in only one of the Societies is required).

What reporting requirements must Chapters follow?

Chapters are required to report meeting activity, financial activity and current officers.

Meeting reports should be submitted using the form L31 ( www.ieee.org/L31). There is a field available to add additional e-mail addresses so a copy can be provided to the Section Secretary. This form should be completed after each meeting.
A list of current officers , or change of officers during the year, should be submitted to the Section Secretary as soon as that information is available.
Financial information (income and expenses) should be submitted to the Section Treasurer at the end of each year. If your Chapter has a bank account, then bank account information and a copy of the year end bank statement should be included. In addition, you should be familiar with the bank signature card requirements (see B.3)

Additional reporting may be required from the Society. For more information, see Chapter Reporting Requirements.

Are there funds available for my Chapter?

Yes, funds are provided to eligible units through the annual Section rebate. The Chapter must meet the reporting requirements explained above. Additional funding may be available from your Society. Technical Council Chapters will receive funding in the same manner as Society Chapters. For more information on Society funding, please review the Society Chapter Funding Guide.

Why should Society members form a Chapter?

Chapters are ideal vehicles for informative technical meetings and for networking. Chapters can receive funding from both the parent technical and the geographic parent. For Chapter opportunities within your unit see the Society Chapter Funding Guide.

Who can form an IEEE Chapter?

To form a Chapter, you must be an active member of the IEEE holding the grade of Graduate Student Member, Member, Senior Member or Fellow. You must also be a member of the Section, and the Society. If it is a joint Section Chapter, membership in only one of the Sections is required. If it is a joint Society Chapter, membership in only one of the Societies is required.

Do you have a question not listed here? Contact sec-chap-support@ieee.org.