1. GOLD Meeting Ralph Ford, Ph.D.
IEEE 2013 Vice President, Member and Geographic Activities
Toronto, ON, Canada
17 May 2013
12/8/2018

2. Role of Member & Geographic Activities (MGA)
Advocate for all IEEE members to meet their needs as technical professionals and provide a best in-class membership experience Across the IEEE Experience Technical mastery  Professional Skills
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3. MGA Quick Facts 429,000 members in 2012
>50% outside of US
333 Sections in 10 geographic regions
2,110 technical chapters
2,173 student branches in 80 countries
585 student branch technical chapters
404 affinity groups
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4. Challenges and Opportunities
Low Member Satisfaction
New geographic markets
Declining membership in mature markets
Rise of social media & changing demographics
Complexity & volunteer commitment
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5. Goal 1: Deliver a World-Class Membership Experience
Demonstrate measurable progress on improving member satisfaction & retention
Top areas for improvement
Networking opportunities
Continuing education
Career resources
2012 Member Segmentation Survey Result
Reduce and simplify product offerings
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6. Goal 2: Expand IEEE’s Global Membership Presence
Increase the IEEE membership base & geographic reach
New geographic markets
New markets of professional members
New membership models
Geo-Unit Vitality 6
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7. Goal 3: Modernize the Volunteer Experience
Implement new experimental approaches for volunteer development, commitment & engagement
Social media & professional career tools
Limited time & focus commitments
Segment 2
Young members who are connected to IEEE’s vision and want to be more involved. Career services, networking, education, and social media/online tools are very important to them.
(20%) Segment 4
Members (geographically skewed to EMEA) who want to be more involved and hold leadership positions in the future, but do not know how and have not been invited to do so. They feel products and services are difficult to use. Because of this, satisfaction is low and they are the least inclined to renew their membership.
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8. MGA 2013 Priority Projects Volunteer Leader Development
Member onboarding pilot
Online Member Networking
Pilot online communities to meet business needs
MyIEEE & MemberNet Enhancements
Career Resources
Comprehensive plan to improve career offerings
Develop 3 new career products for members
Smart Tech Metro Area Workshops
Smart Tech Workshop in a Box
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9. MGA 2013 Priority Projects, cont’d
Member Experience
Google Apps for IEEE members & ieee.org alias
Volunteer Extranet
Improved member & volunteer communications
Regional Geographic Implementation
Japan
India
USA (R1-6 strategy)
Geo-Unit Vitality
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10. Let’s talk about IEEE Volunteers & GOLD
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11. The focus of IEEE Volunteers
Operational Focus
Management, detail, logistics
Impact
Focus
effective programs, service to profession & members, volunteer leadership
90%
10%
10%
90%
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12. Red = operationally/internally focused
The GOLD Charter
Key
Red = operationally/internally focused
Blue = impact focused
Promote strategies to facilitate the transition from Student Member to higher grade and to work with the Student Activities Committee to achieve this goal.
Advocate IEEE GOLD-specific benefits and services to the appropriate IEEE units ..
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13. The GOLD Charter
Assist the development of volunteer leaders among GOLD members and promote their representation in appropriate IEEE organizational units.
It continues with strong operational focus,
and one thing is noticeably absent,
an emphasis on …
Supporting the career and professional needs of our IEEE Young Professional members
12/8/2018

14. My Recommendations to GOLD
DOs
Focus “like a laser” on the career needs and development of Young IEEE Professionals (YIPs)
Create activities, services, etc that support development of YIPS
Change the name from GOLD to YIPs (nobody outside IEEE understands GOLD, but they know young professional groups)
DON’Ts
Focus on your place in IEEE constantly (hint – the “Do’s automatically make this happen)
Get hung up things like retention and IEEE operational details
Be afraid to be different from the rest of the IEEE volunteer culture
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15. The GOLD Charter IF (and that is a big IF) you change the GOLD Charter
Make it simpler (much simpler)
“Focus like a laser” on the career and professional development of Young IEEE Professionals (their needs and interests)
Change your Vice Chair job descriptions to “focus like a laser” on Young IEEE Professionals careers
A word of caution – organizations that obsess on governance and organizational issues have lost their focus or have very deep problems.
12/8/2018

16. Closing Thoughts
If you focus on the DO’s and create significant impact, I will help you get spport, exposure at MGA Board, and sing your praises. Use this meeting wisely to develop outcomes that create positive impact for the careers of Young IEEE Professionals
12/8/2018