The Chapter Organization Process

Initial Inquiry

ACM headquarters will respond to all initial requests for information on chapter formation.

If there is already a chapter in the area, the requestor is so informed and given the contact information for that chapter, which in turn is notified that there has been an inquiry. If no chapter exists for that area/expertise, the requestor can proceed with chapter formation. The original request is preserved, so that if multiple inquiries are received from the same area, headquarters will attempt to put the interested parties in touch with one another.

Finding Interested Members

Although it is possible for a single person to take responsibility for the chapter organization process, our experience has shown that successful chapters are formed as a result of combined efforts of three to five individuals.

Sources for chapter members:

1. Current Professional members of ACM

Headquarters can send an announcement of a possible chapter formation to ACM members in a specified area via Listserv. The person making a request must be an active ACM Professional Member.

2. Members of other local computer-related professional organizations

3. Employees of local businesses and governmental agencies engaged in information processing and computing activities

4. Faculty at universities or other educational institutions offering courses in computer technologies, computer science, or mathematics

5. Media: Contact local newspapers, large or small, and provide information on the name of your organization, what you represent, its relationship to their readers, and names of members. It is always necessary to include the time and place of your meetings and a contact person for more information.

NOTE: ACM authorizes and encourages this type of press, but you should avoid representation of your group as an "official" ACM chapter at this stage. The right to represent your group as an ACM chapter, and other rights associated with affiliation with ACM (regarding bank accounts and tax exempt status), are available to you only after a charter has been granted.

The Organizational Meeting:

The objectives of such a meeting are to gather the requisite signatures for the petition; to draft bylaws for the chapter; and to select interim officers for the chapter, including a chair, vice chair, secretary and treasurer. At this meeting, you should have ACM and ACM SIG membership brochures available, and sample copies of ACM publications on display. ACM headquarters can provide these promotional materials. Be sure to set a date for the next meeting and discuss a tentative regular meeting schedule for the chapter, assuring that meeting dates do not conflict with the meeting dates of other related organizations.

The group should consider an appropriate name for the chapter. This name should be short and clear so that potential members will recognize it immediately when they see notices or hear reference made to the chapter. The name of a city centrally located in the chapter's area is most often selected as the name of the chapter. The name should include reference to the ACM. For example, a chapter with the formal name "The Rhode Island Chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery" may be called "Rhode Island ACM" or "RI/ACM." Review of Petition, Bylaws, and Activity Plan by ACM Headquarters

Once you have a signed petition, final draft of chapter bylaws, and a list of interim officers with membership numbers and contact information, you should send two copies of each, along with any membership applications, to the ACM Local Activities Coordinator at ACM for review. The coordinator will acknowledge receipt of the information immediately.

The review of the proposed bylaws often uncovers sections that need to be corrected or improved. Headquarters shall inform the lead petitioner of recommended changes, and review the modified bylaws.

The petition, bylaws, and activity plan will be sent to ACM's Chief Operating Officer and, where appropriate, ACM SIG volunteers, for approval.

Issuance of Charter

Upon receiving approval from the required parties at headquarters, the Local Activities Coordinator prepares the charter documents and sends them to the lead petitioner.

Once the chapter has been chartered, you may open a bank account, file for a bulk mail permit for not-for-profit organizations, and proceed with chapter activities.