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Board Member Resources

New Chapter Board Member Orientation

You have been elected to the Board of your Chapter. What do you need to know?

Orientation Video

Job Descriptions & Performance Evaluations

 

Important Resources

 

Financial Management

Chapter finances must be among the chief concerns of chapter officers and executives. Chapter members entrust their leaders with the management and administration of the chapter dues they pay. They want to see a return on their investments in the form of chapter activity and to know that chapter funds are spent and managed wisely.

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Succession Planning

Does your chapter have a succession plan? To ensure the continuous coverage of executive director duties, here is a sample succession plan along with a contact & inventory form template you can adapt to your chapter.

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Legal Audit

Do you have a copy of your chapters Articles of Incorporation? Do you have minutes of all your board meetings? Do you know the Record Retention Schedule, and is it followed? Are your membership lists marked “Confidential”? The answer to all these questions, and more, are found through ACEP’s Legal Audit.

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Membership Involvement

In the Fundamentals of Chapter Management, section 4 deals with membership involvement. It has a lot of valuable information to help you build an active chapter. 

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State Advocacy

ACEP's State Legislative Office offers resources on current legislative issues and provides assistance to chapters in developing effective strategies to enhance their state legislative efforts. 

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Services & Resources Available to ACEP Chapters

ACEP offers a wide range of services and resources to help ACEP Chapters and their leaders maximize their effectiveness. 

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What I Wish I Knew

What are some available resources to maximize our performance as chapter leaders?

  • Attend the Leadership and Advocacy Conference held every year in Washington, DC
  • Mentorship by former leaders in your chapter or national board member mentors
  • Institute a Chapter Leadership Development Program in your chapter (find out more about existing chapter programs)

How can I learn from other leader’s perceived failures? How do we not reinvent the wheel?

  • Mentoring by former chapter board members
  • Talking to other chapter leaders (similar size chapter)
  • Contact Chapter Services (Maude S. Hancock) or if it’s a legislative issue, contact Adam Krushinskie at national (Chapter and State Relations at National)

How do I build a strong team with my executive committee and board members?

  • Have a weekly or bi-weekly phone call with your executive committee (large/medium chapters)
  • Small chapters have a monthly call with executive committee/board
  • Strategic Planning
  • Identify future chapter leaders
  • Find out the interests of your members and get them involved in the chapter

How do I recruit future leaders?

  • Observe colleagues and chapter members—identify who has potential as a leader and recruit them
  • Get young physicians/residents involved in the chapter
  • Offer a stipend and/or promote the Leadership and Advocacy Conference in DC to young physicians
  • Start a leadership program in your chapter. Several chapter grants were given for leadership programs and are here.

What is our relationship with national ACEP supposed to be like?

  • Chapters and national ACEP are partners in meeting the needs of emergency physicians.
  • National ACEP strives to provide chapters with the information and support they need to be effective
  • The College also seeks chapter feedback regularly on member needs

What resources does national ACEP provide to chapters?

Chapter and State Relations staff

What are some of the resources available for a chapter president?

Where can I find the officer job descriptions for my chapter?

There is a resource called The Fundamentals of Chapter Management, what is it?

It contains everything you need to know about running an ACEP chapter

  • Section 1: The Relationship Between Chapters and National
  • Section 2: Chapter Structure
  • Section 3: Chapter Finances
  • Section 4: Membership Involvement
  • Section 5: Chapter Communication
  • Section 6: Membership Development
  • Section 7: Chapter Programs and Meetings

What is the time commitment needed as president or board member?

  • Some chapters have a one-year term as president, others two. Officers in many chapters follow a succession plan. An officer starts out as secretary/treasurer, becomes President-Elect, then President.
  • In a small chapter, the time commitment can be more critical. You need to build a team from the active members in the chapter.
  • Find members willing to commit time.
  • Depends on how often the chapter meets. The chapter bylaws state how often the chapter meets.
  • Key point is to have members willing to be officers and board members. The time commitment can be greater if you don’t have members willing to step up.

How do various chapters disseminate information to their members?

  • Email members with important information
  • Via engagED. ACEP's online member community is more than an e-list to disseminate information. It's a peer to peer communication tool, a discussion forum where members can ask questions, share information and resources, connect to each other, etc. engagED communities can also be set up for your chapter Board, committees, etc.
  • Chapter website
  • Distributing a regular e-newsletter is another way to disseminate information to chapter members
  • Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, etc.
  • Hold a virtual town hall

How much does the president need to know about chapter finances?

  • The president needs to know everything about the chapter finances.
  • All chapter officers have a fiduciary responsibility to the chapters to know how much money the chapter has and how money is being spent.
  • Chapter treasurer should always have a report available at meetings.
  • President or treasurer can always call national with any questions regarding chapter finances.

As chapter president, not counting LAC, how often should you meet with your legislators?

  • Depends on the size of the chapter and how close the state legislature is to the chapter
  • In a smaller state, it might be easier because the distance is close for members
  • Larger chapters can schedule a Legislative Day or schedule regular visits, also visit when an issue comes up
  • Another idea would be to have your local legislator tour your Emergency Department

How can I motivate current leadership members in my small chapter to take on responsibilities, and how can I recruit new, motivated members?

  • Mentorship is one way. Has to be on a personal basis
    • You need to identify who can be future leaders in the chapter—mentor these members or have someone else in the chapter help you
    • You need to engage young physicians because they are the future of the chapter
  • Professional development program
  • Find out your members interests and their issues. Create micro-volunteer opportunities. Get them engaged in the chapter

How can we recruit eligible emergency physicians who are not ACEP members?

  • Your Executive Director has access (via the Chapter Portal) to a list of emergency physicians in your state who are eligible to become ACEP members.
  • If there are emergency residency programs in your state, build a relationship with the Residency Program Director(s). In collaboration with National ACEP, schedule a residency visit(s) to meet with the residents and show them the importance of organized medicine and the value of belonging to ACEP and to your Chapter. National ACEP can help with this.
  • Visit emegency departments in your state. Several chapters do this well and can be a resource to you. Contact National ACEP to be connected with those chapters.
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