Chapter Development

The Advantages of a Local Chapter

The leadership core must understand the local advantages among themselves before they can convey them to other prospective members. Obviously, a local chapter links the managers of your facility with the national work of FMA. More importantly, there are local advantages to you and your managerial colleagues. To summarize them:

1. An FMA chapter brings managers together to identify mutual problems, promote self-help and professionalism, and to create forum to stimulate an exchange of ideas and techniques.

2. A local chapter provides managers with channels of communication to all levels of management, including the executive level both locally and nationally.

3. A local chapter creates a form for high-level speakers and training programs, to meet the needs identified by your membership.

4. A local chapter creates a vehicle for encouraging favorable public attitudes toward the civil service, through community relations projects and media contacts.

5. A local chapter, through its affiliation with a national association of recognized authority and integrity, becomes a clearinghouse for information for members on all developments affecting their careers and job security.

6. A local chapter provides a line of communication with the FMA National Office for assistance in problem solving, including:

      a. Direct access to the highest levels at the Agency concerned;

      b. Direct line to key members and committees of Congress;

      c. Input to FMA's Quarterly magazine; and  

      d. A vast store of knowledge and experience for individual and localized        

          problem solving.

 

The Attitude of Top Management 

and When to Approach Them

In working to form an FMA chapter, you are developing a new entity to offer constructive input into top decision-making at your facility. Executive management finds that it has a solid source of thoughtful views of field leadership. Your chapter will strengthen the team concept through discussions with top management, free of emotional pressures and based on mutual interests in productivity and efficiency. In spite of this, managers forming new chapters may sometimes find top management confused as to your motives.

?     Depending on local circumstances, you should inform your agency's top management at an early opportunity of the purpose and goals of your FMA chapter and ask for their cooperation.

?    To aid you, we have on file, many reproductions of letters of endorsement from representative government agencies. You should share these with top management. 

?    The federal government's personnel program recognizes and endorses the concept of management organizations.

 

The Basic Requirements to Apply for an FMA Charter

FMA requires a minimum of six charter members to establish a chapter. Since you are not a union, there is no numerical minimum required to establish dues check-off. Obviously, the more representative your group is amount the divisions or sections of your facility, the more effective you will be.

To apply for an FMA Charter, you will need to send FMA the following:

1.   An Application for Charter -- request from the FMA National Office
2.   A copy of your Chapter Bylaws -- request from the FMA National Office
3.   A list of your officers, including names, addresses and both work and home telephone numbers.

This material, sent to the FMA National Office, will be forwarded to the National Secretary who will prepare your Official Charter for presentation at the National Convention.

Ideas and Suggestions for Contacting and Informing Prospective Members

Having decided to form an FMA chapter, you will next want to inform all managers and supervisors in your facility and invite their membership and participation. Be sure to include top level management as their support is vital to the successful implementation of a new chapter.

?      Build a list of prospects (for future reference; there is no better time to recruit a new member than as soon as he or she comes on board or joins the managerial-supervisory ranks at your facility).

   ?     Plan a campaign to spread the word:

1. Person to Person Contacts
2. Telephone Squad
3. Direct Mail

Other techniques are: bulletin board announcements, story placed in your local newspaper, public service announcement sent to your local radio station, or sponsor a guest speaker at management luncheons.

 

FMA National Office Will Support 

You Every Step of the Way!

Be sure to call the National Office and inform the staff of your intentions to start a new chapter. The National Office is eager to help in any way possible. Specific assistance will include:

1.      Recruitment materials at no cost to the chapter, in the quantities you require. The various types include: a promotional brochure, membership application, fact sheets, a sample Federal Manager quarterly magazine, and membership certificates.

2.   Supporting publicity in the FMA and magazine.

3.   Testimonials from top management of other agencies.

4.   Editorial assistance in polishing your local recruiting letters.

5.   A guest speaker at your exploratory meeting.

6.   Assistance with your formal chartering ceremonies.

Developing a Budget and Dues Schedule

This work of the Steering Committee will be the most important for the chapter's success. Dues in FMA chapters vary, depending upon the size and scope of activities of various chapters. Some chapter dues are as low as $7 per pay period; some are as high as $12. It is highly desirable to arrange at the outset to have FMA dues voluntarily deducted from members' pay automatically in accordance with Federal law. It is important to set dues rates realistically at the outset since it may be difficult to raise dues later, if initial dues rates are set too low.

National FMA dues -- National FMA dues are added as a surcharge to chapter dues. You bill for them and collect along with your chapter dues, then remit national dues to the FMA National Office. FMA national dues are to be remitted quarterly. Chapters are invoiced electronically, invoices are sent to Chapter Treasurers. National membership dues are as follows:

Regular Member: $26.25 per quarter
Retired Member: $13.25 per quarter
Associate Member: $26.25 per quarter
Lifetime Retiree Membership: one-time payment of $250

Income -- Income, especially at the outset, will be derived nearly 100% from member dues. It will take longer to develop other sources of income. To estimate various levels of income, multiply a possible dues rate by your estimated membership. If the income will not permit you to meet anticipated expenses, you face on of four options:

1. Reduce your anticipated expenses.
2. Count on recruiting more members to share the load.
3. Increase your dues rate.
4. Develop fund raising events.

Expenditures -- No chapter has a payroll of office overhead. But, you must budget for printing and postage, the cost of holding meetings, special events and similar expenses.

Also, you should budget expenses for a chapter representative to attend the National Convention, and Region meetings.