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NEW YORK CITY CHAPTER: ALC Takeaways for Chapter Improvement and Planning

SUMMARY: The New York Chapter wanted an easy way to capture remarkable ideas from as many sessions as possible and share what they learned from the ATD Chapter Leader Conference (ALC) with the entire board. Before the conference, the board strategizes on which sessions they want to attend to ensure there is no overlap in sessions. During the conference, board members input takeaways from each session into the organized spreadsheet. After the conference, the chapter held a review session to go over the spreadsheet and this allowed each board role to determine if any of the ideas can be incorporated into the next year’s planning and goals.

  • New York City - SOS Submission Form

  • New York City - ALC Takeaways Template

YEAR: 2021

HAWAII CHAPTER: Formula for Transforming Your Chapter = Strategic Planning + ALC Learning + Continuous Improvement Practices

SUMMARY: By combining a practical strategic planning framework, lessons learned at ALC 2017, and continuous improvement practices, the chapter increased board engagement, improved the member experience, increased program attendance and membership growth, and received national recognition. The chapter leveraged the Kano Model, a theory for product development and customer satisfaction, to establish consensus on the state of the chapter and identify areas for improvement. Over the course of a year, the chapter experienced a 58 percent increase in membership, a nearly 20 percent reduction in no-shows at events, improved financial stability, and stronger strategic partnerships.

  • Hawaii - SOS Submission Form

  • Hawaii - Execution Road Map

  • Hawaii - ALC Presentation Slide Deck

YEAR: 2019

NEBRASKA CHAPTER: Process for ALC Sponsorship

SUMMARY: With more chapter leaders wanting to attend the ATD Chapter Leaders Conference (ALC), the chapter needed to determine a way to support its chapter leader development while staying within budget. As a result, the chapter created a process for chapter leaders to generate their own funding to attend. Interested chapter leaders were encouraged to ask their employer if it would be willing to cover all or a portion of the costs associated with conference registration and attendance. To further support the ask, the chapter created a template letter for the chapter leader. Should the employer not be able to cover some or all of the costs, the chapter leader can then apply to use chapter funds to support attendance. However, all chapter leaders applying to use chapter funds must also have submitted a proposal to facilitate a session at the conference whether accepted or not. Because session facilitators receive complimentary registration, this requirement is a great way to get exposure for the chapter and also further cut costs. Through this process, the chapter doubled the amount of chapter leaders it previously sent to the conference leading to more informed and engaged board members.

  • Nebraska - SOS Submission Form

  • Nebraska - Financial Support Proposal

YEAR: 2018

CENTRAL INDIANA CHAPTER: Making Connections at ALC

SUMMARY: In 2017, the focus of the Indiana Chapter was to connect, learn, and grow. In staying true to its vision, the chapter wanted to ensure its new board members attending the ATD Chapter Leaders Conference (ALC) would take the opportunity to connect, learn, and grow from their peers. The president purchased stickers of the 50 states. The president provided each chapter leader with a set of stickers with directions to meet as many people as they could from different states and learn their names, roles, and their chapters’ focus. Following ALC, the chapter president awarded the leader with the most stickers distributed with a $5 Starbucks gift card. The Indiana Chapter walked away with new ideas and connections to help make the chapter’s vision a reality.

  • Central Indiana - SOS Submission Form

YEAR: 2018

NORTHEAST WISCONSIN CHAPTER: Key Takeaway From Chapter Leader's Conference

SUMMARY: The chapter’s current president attended the ATD Chapter Leaders Conference (ALC) as president-elect with the goal of learning how other chapters operate. The chapter leader attended a session covering board structure, and learned about a specific chapter’s board that was comprised of VPs who had voting rights and non-voting, director-level positions who reported to board members. The chapter desired to focus more on membership, programs, and communication, but felt this was too much for the board to handle it on its own. By creating these new director positions, the chapter created new volunteer opportunities, developed a leadership pipeline, and reduced the workload of the chapter board.

  • Northeast Wisconsin - SOS Submission Form

YEAR: 2016

PUGET SOUND CHAPTER: Ramped and Ready! Preparing Your Volunteers for Success

SUMMARY: The Puget Sound Chapter developed and implemented a comprehensive onboarding program for chapter volunteers using the free resource, Good Classroom. This initiative standardized the onboarding process and automated several tasks, addressing previous inefficiencies and reducing the administrative burden on the chapter. As a result, volunteer engagement and satisfaction increased, and the onboarding experience became more streamlined and effective, ensuring volunteers were better prepared and integrated into their roles.

YEAR: 2024

METRO DC CHAPTER: Board Member Technology Onboarding

SUMMARY: One of the Metro DC Chapter’s 2020 goals was to establish a formal onboarding process for incoming board members. Through this effort, the chapter created a self-paced and comprehensive technology onboarding section of toolkits. The toolkits are also used as a repository of technology information that can be referenced throughout the year. The toolkits cover securing a board account, setting up a Google account, setting up a Slack account, getting to know Wild Apricot, and accessing other technology tools (such as Zoom, Google Meet, Google Forms, Google Analytics, Doodle Poll, etc.). Twenty board members were onboarding using the self-paced structure and 80 percent of board members strongly agreed and 20 percent agreed that “the course has helped prepare me for the board service.”

YEAR: 2021

ORANGE COUNTY CHAPTER: New Board Member Orientation Experience

SUMMARY: The chapter designed and developed a total of 26 microlearning modules to onboard new board members. The topics were determined by interviewing current and incoming board members. The modules were grouped into four sections to be completed in sequential order by incoming board members. However, navigation was left open so any board member could easily access a specific topic if they needed a refresher on ATD and/or chapter knowledge. The onboarding delivered through microlearning will help the chapter reduce meeting times by 50 percent and the cost of year-end meetings by 75 percent, while increasing the effectiveness of arriving at strategic conclusions by 90 percent and board member onboarding engagement and socialization by 95 percent.

YEAR: 2021

BATON ROUGE CHAPTER: Board Buddies

SUMMARY: The 2020 executive board had an equal mix of new board members and returning board members. The president paired board members and allowed the board buddies to connect, ask questions, and have an extra support system. The partnership between board members developed an additional level of support for new board members and helped create a cohesive executive board.

YEAR: 2020

DETROIT CHAPTER: Respect and Professionalism Policy and Protocol

SUMMARY: To serve as a guide for communications, behavior, and interactions among the board, the chapter developed a respect and professionalism policy and a virtual meetings protocol. The chapter’s work established a written policy that defines and describes respectful behavior expected of all board members and volunteers; described examples of disrespectful and unacceptable behavior; explained expectations of board members during board meetings, when conducting board business, and when handling written communications for board and chapter business; stated the ground rules and the protocol applicable to virtual board meetings; and provided a structured format for achieving efficiency and effectiveness in chapter leadership/operations. The documentation resulted in a more respectful atmosphere during board meetings, prevented a loss of 20 percent of board members due to other board members’ behaviors, and increased participation of the board by 30 percent.

YEAR: 2020


CENTRAL NEW YORK CHAPTER: Leadership Team Onboarding—On Your Own

SUMMARY: In need of strong onboarding for new chapter leaders, Central New York developed an asynchronous PowerPoint approach to be reviewed by new leaders on their own time. The deck requires about 20 to 30 minutes for review and includes slide notes to guide the learner through an overview of the chapter’s mission, history, membership base, key programs and related activities, and roles. The approach was supplemented with one-on-one meetings with the managing director to discuss each board member’s role, responsibilities, and expectations. As a result, the chapter achieved 100 percent participation and created a stronger leadership team.

  • Central New York - SOS Submission Form

  • Central New York - Onboarding PowerPoint

  • Central New York - Informational Document

  • Central New York - Onboarding Email

YEAR: 2018

METRO DC CHAPTER: New Director Orientation

SUMMARY: To address the challenge of having to onboard new board members in a relatively short time, the chapter developed a formal board orientation. The program helped ensure that all board directors received consistent messaging about the chapter culture, norms, expectations, and that they could sufficiently navigate within the chapter's critical software applications.

YEAR: 2014

CENTRAL IOWA CHAPTER: Team Building

SUMMARY: This Central Iowa event was an opportunity for the entire board to learn about each other on a personal basis, meet the new board members, have fun, and learn a little more about the operational side of the board to jump start and energize all to get a head start with the 2011 year.

YEAR: 2011

NEW YORK CITY CHAPTER: Using Instagram to Promote Board Roles

SUMMARY: To promote the chapter election process, introduce chapter members to board members, and target a broader audience for the chapter, the board used Instagram to create visibility. Board members had set questions to answer in addition to an open Q&A for viewers who had follow-up questions. These posts generated content for the chapter’s website and newsletter, and the use of the social media platform increased the chapter’s brand awareness within the New York City area.

YEAR: 2018

CHATTANOOGA CHAPTER: Vetting Process for Board Members

SUMMARY: To ensure the chapter was placing candidates into the right positions, the chapter used Survey Monkey to create an application. The chapter reviews the submissions and contacts references to get further information about the potential board member. Through the application process, the chapter ensures it provides information about the position itself so that applicants understand the role, which ultimately decreases mid-year turnover.

YEAR: 2017

CENTRAL IOWA CHAPTER: Volunteer Management

SUMMARY: The chapter formed a committee that was made up of a group of members who wanted to get actively involved in the chapter. Their main need was to seek out members to get involved with the Networking Committee and become involved with the organization through volunteering.

YEAR: 2009


SACRAMENTO CHAPTER: New Volunteer Recruiting

SUMMARY: The Sacramento chapter posted ads on Volunteer Match, JobCrank.com, and LinkedIn. The chapter received over 10 responses and many of those qualified to interview for open associate positions. Associate positions are assistants to directors with the intention of progression into the director’s role the following chapter year.

YEAR: 2009

GREATER ATLANTA CHAPTER: Using a Collaboration Tool for Reflection and Strategic Planning

SUMMARY: In mid-2022, the Greater Atlanta Chapter board dedicated their monthly meeting to reflecting on the first half of the year and outlining changes they wanted to make in the future. With an entirely new board, it was particularly important to take the time to reflect on the chapter’s successes, challenges, and potential risks to plan strategically for the future. This technique allowed the board to celebrate the work they had done, address immediate issues, and set expectations moving forward. The use of Miro, a free collaborative tool, allowed all board members to contribute their ideas to the discussion simultaneously and created a living, editable representation of the board’s thoughts and conclusions. As a result of their meeting, the chapter was able to streamline their communication processes and establish a stronger volunteer engagement strategy to improve volunteer retention and succession planning.

YEAR: 2022


SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN CHAPTER: Data-Driven Chapter Governance (Including Wild Apricot, Power BI, and Business Intelligence Dashboards)

SUMMARY: To strengthen the chapter’s operational strategy and governance, the Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter constructed a series of business intelligence dashboards to track chapter data. The board uses Wild Apricot and Power BI to pull data that allows it to identify strategic opportunities, set goals, and define metrics for success. As a result, the chapter has developed a new data-driven approach to decision making, improved chapter operations in a number of fields, and discovered new areas for further exploration and growth.

YEAR: 2022

LOS ANGELES CHAPTER: Biannual Strategic Planning Process

SUMMARY: The Los Angeles Chapter needed a comprehensive strategic planning process to establish goals for chapter programming, event planning, social media, marketing, and volunteer recruitment. The chapter, spearheaded by Kavita Gupta, developed a biannual strategic planning process and detailed strategic plan template to further chapter goals. The board, including incoming members, met in person in the fall to create action plans for the following year and again in the new year to refine their plans and follow up on execution. In the year following the implementation of their new planning process, the chapter saw a 50 percent increase in chapter meeting attendance, a 10 percent increase in membership, and significant cost reductions. The in-person process also fostered feelings of camaraderie amongst the board members and allowed them to streamline the leadership transition between incoming and outgoing board members.

YEAR: 2022

North Dakota: Using a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) Analysis to Align Chapter Strategy to CARE

SUMMARY: The North Dakota Chapter needed actionable and measurable goals for its high-level ideas to continue growing. The board completed a S.W.O.T. (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis of the six areas of CARE for each board position to identify areas of weaknesses and opportunities. The chapter then used their findings to create work groups to determine an actionable and measurable strategy that aligns with CARE.

YEAR: 2021

RESEARCH TRIANGLE AREA: Templates for Strategic Planning with CARE

SUMMARY: The chapter created a strategic planning template and tracker which incorporated CARE Plus. Each board member contributed to their respective areas of the chapter’s two-year operating plan using the strategic planning template. The template was tied to the budget process so every goal in the plan is specifically linked with an income or expense. To help track the board’s progress throughout the year, the president elect created a CARE Plus Tracker spreadsheet that expanded on and incorporated multiple existing ATD CARE Plus templates. Due to the templates and organization of the process, the budget and strategic plan were completed in a timely manner and decreased the approval time by 50 percent. Tracking their progress throughout the year helped the board fill out its CARE survey accurately and efficiently.

YEAR: 2021

CENTRAL OHIO CHAPTER: Board Goal and Accountability Plan

SUMMARY: Through the adoption of a board goal and accountability plan, the chapter board successfully focused its efforts, prioritized initiatives, and added value for chapter members. To avoid repeating the same strategic goals from year to year, chapter leaders carefully reviewed the membership survey to determine long-term goals by position. The board reviewed the goals at each board meeting and at its mid-year planning session to establish accountability. This initiative increased board engagement and enabled the chapter to achieve all of its strategic goals.

YEAR: 2019

CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS CHAPTER: Building Up From the Ashes

SUMMARY: After spending several years struggling to recruit new volunteer leaders and keep members engaged, the Central Massachusetts Chapter was on the brink of dissolution. The chapter sent out an urgent communication about volunteer needs that yielded seven new board members. Following a comprehensive onboarding program, the new chapter leaders attended a planning meeting during which they selected their desired board roles and identified strategic goals for the chapter. As a result of this new energy and leadership on the board, the chapter has attracted new members, increased its joint membership percentage, improved event marketing, and made events profitable.

  • Central Massachusetts - SOS Submission Form

  • Central Massachusetts - Retreat Agenda

  • Central Massachusetts - Operational Plan

YEAR: 2019

AUSTIN CHAPTER: Getting Strategic With Your Organization

SUMMARY: The chapter transformed its leadership team from a flat organization to one that functions more smoothly and fosters succession planning. The Austin Chapter transitioned from 13 board members to a group of 23 chapter leaders to improve efficiency. By being transparent with membership and explaining the changes at several meetings, the chapter filled multiple director positions. The path helps members build leadership experience and transitions them through escalating roles—from member to volunteer to director to president elect to president. The pipeline also helped pace the leadership, allowing the chapter to have engaged directors by lowering the rate of burnout.

YEAR: 2018

ROCKY MOUNTAIN CHAPTER: After Action Review Process/Evaluation for Process Improvement

SUMMARY: The chapter created and implemented an evaluation process for events. Once each event or activity was complete, four key questions are posed and discussed: 1) What was supposed to happen? 2) What did happen? 3) Why did it happen? 4) What we can do to improve for the next time? Since implementing this evaluation process, the chapter has seen its events and activities improve beyond the data they were getting through its surveys. Event attendees provided general feedback on surveys, but their comments did not address the event’s planning and coordination. The after-review process identified a strategy for how the board or the coordinators can provide a better event by strengthening the process.

YEAR: 2018

ROCHESTER CHAPTER: Adding Membership Value With a Small and Mighty Team

SUMMARY: After attending the ATD Chapter Leaders Conference (ALC), a member of the board brought back a strategic planning tool. The board used this tool to review the chapter’s current practices and identified areas for improvement. The team looked at everything the chapter was producing through a lens of how it adds value for the members, promotes community engagement, and increases the chapter’s operational focus. The board underwent this process in a strategy meeting, which helped the board become more organized and design ways to communicate more effectively with the chapter members.

  • Rochester - SOS Submission Form

  • Rochester - Strategic Compass

YEAR: 2017

NEW YORK CITY CHAPTER: Chapter Goal Template & Dashboard

SUMMARY: To keep annual goals, initiatives, and activities on target, the chapter created a goal setting template and monthly dashboard to track results. At the chapter’s board retreat in January, these tools fostered discussions on how to strengthen and grow the chapter. The documents have been used to develop the monthly board meeting agenda and are reviewed at the start of each meeting. Outcomes of the discussions led to the delivery of several half-day and full-day programs. Operating the Chapter like a business allowed the board to develop teamwork, stay focused on our goals and achieve results. These tools allowed for that process to happen by providing focus, accountability and insight as to our successes and when course corrections needed to be made. The Chapter experienced a significant increase so far this year in membership (+11%), corporate membership (+66%), member retention (+14%), power membership (+28%) and the chapter achieved its goal of 35% for the first time since 2013 with an increase in revenue (+11%). Discussions around the goals outlined led to the creation and delivery of additional events in the area of coaching, generating both increased member engagement and revenue.

YEAR: 2017

CENTRAL INDIANA CHAPTER: Recruit > Engage > Retain: Strategic Planning Retreat Agenda

SUMMARY: To ensure that the yearly board retreat allowed for actionable items, the agenda centered on three topics: recruit new members, engage new members, and retain members. Any topic that arose that did not support the three goals was put aside. By concentrating on only the three goals, the board was able to focus all attention on building accountability and built in methods to measure its progress and success. Because of the retreat agenda’s structure, the board progressed towards or completed all goals by June, allowing the board to focus on secondary goals sooner.

YEAR: 2017

KENTUCKIANA CHAPTER: Continuing the Rejuvenation by Developing a Three Year Strategic Plan

SUMMARY: Just a few short years ago, the Kentuckiana Chapter was on the brink of calling it quits. After a couple years in the rebuilding period, the executive team wanted to continue the excitement of the hard work. To keep up the momentum, the chapter brought in a national strategist to facilitate a full-day strategic planning session for the entire board. At the end of the session, a new mission, vision, and three-year strategic plan was developed. The board outlined specific behaviors, beliefs, and its Five P’s for Success: passion, people, powerful programs, partnerships, and promotion. The team left the session energized for a successful year and ambitiously pursuing the same goal.

YEAR: 2017

DALLAS CHAPTER: Strategic Planning and Implementation

SUMMARY: The Dallas Chapter took a strategic approach to restructuring and implemented a new model of its leadership, the board, and the chapter to increase engagement both within the chapter and with corporations in the local area. The chapter desired to recruit more volunteers to not overwork the current team. The chapter also believed that leadership in the field needed more of a platform to be recognized for their programs, best practices, and corporate efforts locally. The board took ATD’s framework and structured the chapter’s programs around the ATD Competency Model. The chapter designed each quarter of the year to align with four core principles: organizational development, talent management, innovation learning solutions, and managing learning programs and teams. As a result, the chapter set a record of more than 400 people at events (previous average was 180), grew in membership and revenue for the chapter, increased corporate participation and engagement, and recruited up to 22 sponsors.

YEAR: 2017

DETROIT CHAPTER: Strategic Plan Process

SUMMARY: The chapter developed and executed a strategic planning process. This process resulted in a completed strategic plan with four distinct and defined key result areas and corresponding goals, a membership communication piece, focus areas and goals for each Vice President, specific criteria and review processes of how the chapter is lead and meeting its mission statement.

YEAR: 2016

HOUSTON CHAPTER: Launching a Leadership Council

SUMMARY: The Houston Chapter created a leadership council consisting of senior leaders within the learning and development community, who work as advisors in setting strategy for the local chapter.

YEAR: 2014

CASCADIA CHAPTER: Becoming a Welcoming Organization

SUMMARY: The Cascadia Chapter started an initiative to become a more welcoming organization. With the help of outside facilitators, the board identified key areas for chapter improvement. The chapter focused on the key areas and has seen increased membership and program attendance, and more volunteers getting involved at the board level.

YEAR: 2012

CENTRAL INDIANA CHAPTER: Board Development: Chapter Mission

SUMMARY: Through an interactive process as a board, the chapters use the majority of their 2010 Board retreat to update their mission and vision to reflect the current state of the chapter; they used this time to develop a set of values to support their ways of working together.

YEAR: 2010

CENTRAL INDIANA CHAPTER: VP of Technology

SUMMARY: The chapter didn’t have a point person or someone that was in charge of their website and social media presence. Various board members were constantly updating the website which caused much confusion. To deal with this, the chapter created a new board position titled “VP of Technology.” The position serves a marketing role to recruit new members and to encourage current members to be more involved.

YEAR: 2010

SACRAMENTO CHAPTER: Chapter Five Year Strategic Plan

SUMMARY: The Sacramento chapter employed a formal structure to identify core value propositions representing the chapter members and defined an action plan for the next five years. The chapter board formerly operated on lackluster long-range goals without the benefit of vetting through the membership or achievable objectives toward success.

YEAR: 2009

FORT LAUDERDALE CHAPTER: Strategic Planning

SUMMARY: This board retreat and strategic planning event allowed the new and existing board members to build relationships and identifying goals and initiatives for the coming year.

YEAR: 2008

RIVER CITIES CHAPTER: Chapter on the Rise

SUMMARY: In December of 2008, the entire board of directors for River Cities Chapter changed. During a time of continuing decline in local ASTD participation, a new management team was born. Since then, meeting space was donated, time and resources for web development was volunteered, and personal donations were made to get the chapter up and running again. Membership has increased and program attendance is increasing each month.

YEAR: 2008

NEBRASKA CHAPTER: Running it like a Business

SUMMARY: ASTD is no longer just a training organization, but a business that strategically supports workplace learning across the globe. In this SOS, ASTD Nebraska describes how they spent the last three years developing strategic goals, realigning for financial commitment, and tapping into their volunteer base through long-term strategic planning to be able to provide a stronger organization.

YEAR: 2007

SAN DIEGO CHAPTER: Strategic Planning and Transitioning

SUMMARY: The San Diego chapter’s submission provides tools used for developing a solid strategic plan using the chapter’s planning model.

YEAR: 2006

EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA CHAPTER: Build and Maintain Your Board on Solid Foundations

SUMMARY: The Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter restructured the chapter board, developing new job Descriptions, leadership development as part of a yearly action plan, and a five year strategic plan.

  • Eastern Pennsylvania - SOS Submission Form

  • Eastern Pennsylvania - 5-Year Strategic Plan

  • Eastern Pennsylvania - 2006 Board Action Plan

  • Eastern Pennsylvania - Board Budget Worksheet

  • Eastern Pennsylvania - Board Job Descriptions

  • Eastern Pennsylvania - Board Qualifications

  • Eastern Pennsylvania - Sample Action Plan

YEAR: 2006

SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN CHAPTER: ASTD-SCWC Extreme Makeover: Using Appreciative Inquiry for Strategic Planning

SUMMARY: The South Central Wisconsin Chapter developed a strategic planning effort that used appreciative inquiry to engage all members in planning future programs and services. Appreciative inquiry uses dialogue about positive past experiences in order to build wishes for the future, rather than focusing on problems that need to be solved. As a result, it is an extremely energizing process.

YEAR: 2004

CENTRAL FLORIDA CHAPTER: Board Action Planning and Accountability

SUMMARY: The Central Florida Chapter designed and implemented a new board member update and meeting template to streamline board meetings, promote action planning, and increase accountability within the board. By centering the template around events, action items, responsible parties, and areas for support, the chapter could better capture the board’s work while tracking progress toward chapter goals. Furthermore, using Google Slides allowed the board to standardize their meeting structure and work collaboratively while providing the flexibility to include notes, images, and data as part of the meeting agenda. As a result, the chapter has increased the board meetings’ efficiency and better tracked ongoing projects and chapter metrics.

YEAR: 2023

NEW YORK CITY CHAPTER: Board Meeting Position Status Report Templates

SUMMARY: To promote accountability and build a stronger board, the ATD New York City Chapter Board created three templates to guide board meetings. The Status Report Template documents any updates and relevant information about each role and enabled the board to move information out of the monthly board meetings. The Board Notes Template provides the detail behind the information included in the meeting minutes and serves as the working document behind all board business. The Meeting Minutes Template captures the outcomes of the discussions and is made accessible to interested chapter members. The templates helped the chapter board eliminate duplicated work, identify new synergies, more accurately reflect what each position does, and serve as a better reference for future boards.

YEAR: 2018

VALLEY OF THE SUN CHAPTER: Board Meeting Minutes Collaboration through Google Docs

SUMMARY: To increase ownership of the meeting minutes for all board members, the board shifted the responsibility from the secretary role to all members of the board. Using a consistent template set up in Google Documents, the board members added in their information in advance of the meeting. While meetings are held virtually, all board members can view the document simultaneously on the call. The change has decreased the hours spent on crafting the meeting minutes and increased transparency as meeting minutes are available sooner to members.

  • Valley of the Sun - SOS Submission Form

YEAR: 2018

NEBRASKA CHAPTER: Board Education

SUMMARY: In 2016, the chapter’s executive council began incorporating a monthly “Education Nugget” into board meetings to keep the group informed. Topics vary from month-to-month and include information about the chapter, ATD, and general leadership topics. Board members are learning more each month and realizing that there is a large benefit to being a leader of an ATD chapter.

YEAR: 2017

CHATTANOOGA CHAPTER: Keeping Board Members Engaged and Up-To-Date With Monthly Calls with the President

SUMMARY: To ensure that board members stayed engaged between meetings, the chapter president set up monthly calls with each board member in addition to the monthly board meetings. This process helped ensure all deadlines were met and allowed the president to understand what questions individual board members had. The calls provided each board member with an outlet if they had questions or concerns that they did not want to ask with the full group.

YEAR: 2017

GREATER ATLANTA CHAPTER: Efficient Board Meeting Scheduling

SUMMARY: To make board meetings accessible to people in a wide geographic area, the Greater Atlanta Chapter Board of Directors efficiently scheduled its meetings to align with the chapter’s programming schedule. On even months, the board holds meetings prior to chapter meetings and on odd months, meetings are held online since there is not a chapter meeting. This schedule has helped significantly cut down on the amount of time spent traveling to and from a stand-alone meeting.

YEAR: 2017

MARYLAND CHAPTER: Engaging Through Open Board Meetings

SUMMARY: To encourage more engagement from chapter members, the board opened its meetings to members. The chapter moved its monthly board meeting to a weekend day and extended the time allotted. The board sent out invitations to members to attend. This open invitation allowed members to see what happens behind the scenes and encouraged volunteerism. From the initiative, the chapter filled two board positions with members that attended the board meeting.

YEAR: 2017

NORTHEAST WISCONSIN CHAPTER: Changing Venues and Improving the Community

SUMMARY: The chapter moved its programming and board meeting venue from a local hotel to a local nonprofit organization, the Goodwill, in order to reduce its costs from approximately $4,000 to $1,000 per year. By reallocating these costs, the chapter is better positioned to achieve its 2016 focus of bringing its members more valuable learning programs with a strategic focus that involves both local and national talent. Additionally, the new location provides the community with an increased awareness of the Goodwill’s mission, and has resulted in members bringing items to donate to the chapter’s events.

YEAR: 2016

DETROIT CHAPTER: Chapter Meeting Host

SUMMARY: In the past, the chapter president played the role of host at each chapter meeting. The chapter meeting host is charged with reviewing chapter business, introducing the speaker, selecting winners of gift drawings, and providing closing remarks. In order to showcase specific different board member roles to attendees, the chapter chose to rotate this responsibility among each of the board members. By rotating this responsibility, chapter members are exposed to the individual members of the chapter's leadership team, and board members are excited for the opportunity to host a meeting.

YEAR: 2015

GREATER LAS VEGAS CHAPTER: Roles and Responsibilities Connected to CARE

SUMMARY: In an effort to organize the chapter and run it like a business, the Greater Las Vegas Chapter identified its CARE responsibilities and broke them out by board member role. At the beginning of 2017, the board reviewed the CARE and joint membership requirements and came up with daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly tasks for each board member role. The chapter developed a roles and responsibilities document for each chapter leader position to monitor, measure, and analyze monthly to ensure CARE achievement. To create the process, the chapter reviewed job descriptions on the Chapter Leader Community, customized them for the chapter, added foundational and additional joint membership activities, and highlighted the CARE items in orange so they stand out on the document and can be reviewed at each monthly board meeting. In terms of outcomes, the chapter achieved 100 percent CARE, received Super Star recognition for having a joint membership rate greater than 50 percent, and was awarded a Power Membership Award, second place in the small chapter category, for its joint membership rate of 68 percent in 2017.

  • Greater Las Vegas - SOS Submission Form

  • Greater Las Vegas - President Roles and Responsibilities

  • Greater Las Vegas - President Elect Roles and Responsibilities

  • Greater Las Vegas - Vice President of Communication and Social Media Roles and Responsibilities

  • Greater Las Vegas - Vice President of Finance Roles and Responsibilities

  • Greater Las Vegas - Vice President of Programming and Professional Development Roles and Responsibilities

  • Greater Las Vegas - Vice President of Membership Roles and Responsibilities

YEAR: 2018

NEBRASKA CHAPTER: Creating a Director of Partnerships

SUMMARY: The Nebraska Chapter created the director of partnerships role to focus on developing targeted partnerships and maintaining relationships with sponsors. The position is nestled into the marketing communications area and serves to develop relationships and bring in new partnerships for the chapter and events. The chapter’s 2018 conference was the first large-scale event for which the chapter garnered partnerships, and it profited over $18,000, allowing the chapter to keep the cost down for attendees.

  • Nebraska - SOS Submission Form

  • Nebraska - Job Description

  • Nebraska - Sponsorship Prospectus

YEAR: 2018

BAY COLONIES CHAPTER: VP Strategy Role for Past President

SUMMARY: The chapter identified a need to leverage the ATD experience in the chapter. A chapter leadership role was created to focus on onboarding and coaching new board members, identifying network and liaison opportunities with ATD, planning and facilitating the annual strategic planning effort, supporting the annual CARE submission, and ensuring that the mission, vision and values are upheld. The position is perfectly suited for a former past president, who is interested in continuing in a leadership role with the chapter.

  • Bay Colonies - SOS Submission Form

YEAR: 2016

SACRAMENTO CHAPTER: Creation of Volunteer Coordinator Position

SUMMARY: The chapter board asked one of its repeat volunteers to serve as volunteer coordinator. As the volunteer coordinator, the person is responsible for keeping a running list of volunteers, recruiting and organizing new volunteers, and sending thank you emails. The board created the new position and started introducing her at the monthly meetings. Since she has been in the position, she has become the face of the volunteer program and has added a personal touch that has gone a long way with the members. The position worked out so well that the person is now transitioning to a voting member of the board as the Director of Programs. Because of this effort, there has been an increase in volunteers, a steady rotation of volunteers, and an organized process in place. The membership is more engaged, and the chapter has gained more publicity.

  • Sacramento - SOS Submission Form

  • Sacramento - Position Description

YEAR: 2017

CENTRAL INDIANA CHAPTER: VP of Technology

SUMMARY: The chapter didn’t have a point person or someone that was in charge of their website and social media presence. Various board members were constantly updating the website which caused much confusion. To deal with this, the chapter created a new board position titled “VP of Technology.” The position serves a marketing role to recruit new members and to encourage current members to be more involved.

  • Central Indiana - SOS Submission Form

  • Central Indiana - Sample Business Cards

  • Central Indiana - Technology Tools

  • Central Indiana - Social Media & Program Marketing Presentation

YEAR: 2010

CENTRAL IOWA CHAPTER: VP of Strategic Partnerships

SUMMARY: The chapter needed to significantly improve their marketing efforts both internally and externally. They also needed to find ways to increase their income stream and to raise brand visibility. These needs grew because no existing board position was identified as being accountable to address them. This gave them the need to create the VP of Strategic Partnerships board position.

  • Central Iowa - SOS Submission Form

  • Central Iowa - VP of Strategic Partnerships Position Description

YEAR: 2009

CHATTANOOGA CHAPTER: CORE Board Position

SUMMARY: By establishing a position on our Board of Directors we increased awareness of all components to effectively operate the Chapter. We discuss how we are meeting the standards and share that information at monthly meetings, raising awareness of the professional association.

  • Chattanooga - SOS Submission Form

  • Chattanooga - CORE Position Description

YEAR: 2009

NEBRASKA CHAPTER: Driving Engagement With the Past Presidents Council

SUMMARY: To ensure that tenured chapter leaders remain engaged, the Nebraska Chapter established a Past Presidents Council. The council meets quarterly to discuss the status of the chapter and has been a valuable source of strategic advice for current board members. In addition, the council has been directly responsible for conference and program planning efforts as well as continually improving the chapter’s succession plan.

  • Nebraska - SOS Submission Form

YEAR: 2019

HOUSTON CHAPTER: Past President Engagement

SUMMARY: The chapter assigned the responsibilities of the sponsorship committee chair position to the past president with the intent of improving the relationship between and increasing the commitment of sponsors to the chapter. The shift provided consistency as relationships formed during the president’s tenure would continue to be nurtured. The chapter also designed the role so that the president elect would partner with the past president allowing for mentorship. As a result of the change, many past presidents remain engaged with the chapter and continue to volunteer for either the chapter or for ATD national committees.

YEAR: 2018

NIAGARA FRONTIER CHAPTER: President's Meeting

SUMMARY: The chapter's president-elect, president, and immediate past president began meeting a few days prior to the chapter's board meeting to discuss the meeting agenda, chapter and board issues, and any additional items of importance to the chapter president. The informal meetings provide an opportunity for the past president to serve as consigliore to the president, and for the president-elect to acclimate to the role of president prior to taking office.

YEAR: 2014

BATON ROUGE CHAPTER: The President's Council

SUMMARY: The ASTDBR President's Council was established on to begin meaningful, ongoing consultation and strategy sessions for dual purposes: (1) to keep Past-Presidents involved in the Chapter as active members and (2) to utilize their knowledge and expertise of Chapter management and Chapter history in leadership roles to support the current President and Board.

YEAR: 2009

GREATER LAS VEGAS CHAPTER: Board Transition Made Easier via Pre-Planned Annual Events

SUMMARY: To ease the transition between the outgoing and incoming board, the Greater Las Vegas Chapter hosts three annual events that take place in January, February, and March. These events are some of the chapter’s most popular and include the State of the Chapter Meeting, a member-run Unconference, and the chapter’s Tribute to Learning Award Celebration. By ensuring the incoming board has pre-planned programming for the first three months of its term, the chapter lessens the stress of the transition and sets incoming board members up for success as they adjust to their new roles.

YEAR: 2023


PUGET SOUND CHAPTER: Developing Succession Planning Fluency in The Board of Directors

SUMMARY: Succession planning has been an ongoing area of focus for the Puget Sound Chapter. In 2022, they decided to implement a succession planning tool to help their current board identify areas of opportunity, uncover blind spots, and leverage the strengths of their existing volunteer network. The exercise included significant self-reflection and encouraged board members to think strategically and take proactive measures to identify a successor. By gathering consistent information across each position and putting their thoughts in writing, the entire board was better able to understand the nuances of each position and strengthen their commitment to developing future leadership. Taking a more structured approach to succession planning has given the board a sustainable and repeatable process for selecting and supporting board members in years to come.

YEAR: 2022

NEBRASKA CHAPTER: Setting Your Chapter Up for Success Through Timely Succession Planning

SUMMARY: The chapter recognized that effective and timely succession planning strongly supported its continued success. To further support the succession planning process, the chapter shifted its timeline for identifying, nominating, and voting for open board positions from the third quarter of the year to the second. This change strengthened knowledge management practices, empowered incoming board members to set goals for their terms, made it possible for more chapter leaders to attend ALC, and generally improved onboarding and leaders’ understanding of board acumen.

  • Nebraska - SOS Submission Form

  • Nebraska - 2018 Executive Board Interview Process and Questions

  • Nebraska - 2018 Succession Planning Form

YEAR: 2019


CENTRAL OHIO CHAPTER: Overhauling the VP of Finance Role for Financial Literacy

SUMMARY: By adopting targeted recruiting strategies for the VP of Finance position, the chapter identified a qualified candidate with dual backgrounds in finance and talent development. The new VP has improved the chapter’s financial reporting procedures to better align with standard accounting processes, which has both increased the board’s awareness of the chapter’s financial position and improved its ability to make decisions. Strengthening the chapter’s financial reporting processes supports the chapter’s financial stability and longevity while improving its ability to achieve strategic goals.

  • Central Ohio - SOS Submission Form

YEAR: 2019


LOS ANGELES CHAPTER: Succession Planning Program

SUMMARY: The chapter developed a process to fill the role of manager for different committees working under a chapter officer with executive voting powers. All chapter volunteers were interviewed by a minimum of two chapter officers, including the president. Interviews were conducted by phone to assess skills and motivational fit. Selected candidates were then invited to the in-person board meeting to meet the rest of the board. For succession planning purposes, a manager can be promoted to director and a director to a vice president as the volunteer serves more terms on the board. This incentive educates and trains newer volunteers in a progressive manner, and recognizes those that continue their service on the board. The program has resulted in a targeted selection of volunteers that are ready to take on the responsibilities of their roles and better prepared to be successors.

  • Los Angeles - SOS Submission Form

YEAR: 2016


ROCKY MOUNTAIN CHAPTER: Finding a VP Finance/Treasurer

SUMMARY: The chapter found it challenging to fill the role of VP Finance/Treasurer among its membership. As a result, the chapter contacted the local association of CPAs to find an experienced finance professional, who had experience supporting adult learning organizations, to sign on to the position. The chapter found that having a board member with deep financial knowledge and experience has enabled it to create better financial reporting allowing the chapter to not only maintain but build upon its stable financial foundation.

  • Rocky Mountain - SOS Submission Form

YEAR: 2014


FORT LAUDERDALE CHAPTER: Board Appreciation

SUMMARY: The chapter board invited all current and future board members to a board appreciation dinner. The group began with a 45 minute dinner where they discussed current goal. Following dinner they participated in different team building activities to focus on open communication and proper hand off of responsibilities.

  • Fort Lauderdale - SOS Submission Form

  • Fort Lauderdale - Supplemental Information

YEAR: 2010


MIDDLE TENNESSEE CHAPTER: Board Succession Planning

SUMMARY: The chapter created a succession planning process to ensure a full slate of officers to facilitate chapter leadership. A nominating committee was formed to actively find prospects and recruit new leaders to the board. As a result, a successful election was held in November 2009 and recognition was given to the new officers at the December chapter meeting.

  • Middle TN - SOS Submission Form

  • Middle TN - Open Position Sample Email

  • Middle TN - Interview Questions

  • Middle TN - Candidate Tracking Sheet

YEAR: 2010


BATON ROUGE CHAPTER: Leadership Succession Planning

SUMMARY: Over the past few years, the Baton Rouge chapter leaders have focused a great deal of attention on volunteer engagement which in turn grew the leadership pipeline. The Leadership Succession Planning Guide was created to assist chapter leadership with knowledge and commitment transfer.

  • Baton Rouge - SOS Submission Form

  • Baton Rouge - Leadership Succession Planning Guide

YEAR: 2009


PUGET SOUND CHAPTER: New Board Succession Management Process

SUMMARY: For several years interest in Board positions has not been strong enough to allow us to present a competitive slate of candidates to our members for a full-chapter vote. Targeted recruitment of our successors by Board members produced inconsistent results. This allowed us to create a new process we hoped would identify, recruit and fit potential candidates to open Board positions to more successfully meet chapter needs and individual skills and preferences.

  • Puget Sound - SOS Submission Form

  • Puget Sound - Succession Discussion Matrix

  • Puget Sound - Board Application

  • Puget Sound - Board Deskbook

  • Puget Sound - Outline for Board

YEAR: 2009

CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS CHAPTER: Using ChatGPT to Create Faster, Higher Quality Annual Reports

SUMMARY: To streamline the reporting process, the Central Massachusetts Chapter utilized ChatGPT and ChatGPTSplitter to summarize past programs and board meeting minutes to help draft the chapter’s annual report and its executive summary. While the ChatGPT output did require additional editing, the use of AI technologies allowed the board to complete the report in a fraction of the time with a higher quality end product.

YEAR: 2024

HAWAII CHAPTER: 2018 Journey Highlight Film

SUMMARY: During the 2017 ALC, the chapter decided to adopt a mindset of continuous improvement. As part of this mindset, the board used Chapter Affiliation Requirements (CARE) to create metrics for a chapter health dashboard. Additionally, the board captured video of the chapter practicing its mission in action to demonstrate its commitment to continuous improvement as well as its other value, local-global balance. During the chapter’s year-end celebration, the board premiered the video, which included the chapter’s metrics dashboard, continuous improvement efforts, and candid shots from every event. Through the video, the team created a marketing tool exhibiting the value of local and national membership and promoting upcoming events.

YEAR: 2018

KANSAS CITY CHAPTER: Annual Report with Infographic

SUMMARY: The chapter's board of directors worked together to gather data for its annual report, which included information from the chapter's annual survey. To make the data more reader-friendly and increase readership, the chapter developed an infographic to convey the survey results.

YEAR: 2015

GREATER ATLANTA CHAPTER: Different Ways to Become a Community Partner and Support Early Learners

SUMMARY: As part of its 2022 community relations strategy, the Greater Atlanta Chapter contributed to a local elementary school’s back-to-school fundraiser. The board chose to support early learners while giving back to the larger community as part of their efforts as a learning organization. They plan to extend their support to a wider range of schools and local communities in future years, as recommended by chapter members. In this way, they can gain positive publicity and recognition as a community partner supporting education.

YEAR: 2022

BAY COLONIES CHAPTER: “Get to Know Your Chapter” Video Series

SUMMARY: To foster a sense of community and strengthen their social media presence, the Bay Colonies Chapter created a video series to highlight chapter members. Participants sent in photos and videos of themselves to showcase their lives, jobs, hobbies, family, and more, which were edited together into video packages and shared across social media platforms. This campaign led to increased member engagement, including the recruitment of a new board member, and improved performance on social media (with their latest video receiving more than 550 views).

YEAR: 2022

CUYAHOGA VALLEY: All That and a Bag of ChIPs

SUMMARY: The Cuyahoga Valley chapter sought an innovative way to promote the Chapter Incentive Program (ChIP) and increase the chapter’s revenue. The chapter purchased multicolored chip clips and bags of chips with an attached advertisement encouraging members and friends to use their chapter’s ChIP code when purchasing products and services via td.org. They distributed the bags of chips at dinner meetings, member appreciation events, and networking events. The chapter’s ChIP income more than doubled in 2019, from $400 in 2018 to more than $800 in 2019. These funds were used to send two board members to ALC, and the chapter hosted two member appreciation events.

YEAR: 2020

DETROIT CHAPTER: Professional Association Partnering

SUMMARY: The Detroit Chapter established a marketing partnership with other local professional associations, including the ATD Ann Arbor Chapter, Detroit Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI) Michigan, and National Association of African Americans in Human Resources (NAAAHR)–State of Michigan. The chapter’s various partners have agreed to promote chapter events during their own programs, on social media, and by allowing representatives from each group to speak at one another’s events. Through the partnership, the chapter expanded its target audience, secured discounted event rates for chapter members, collaborated to host events, identified new ideas and strategies, and increased its social media presence.

  • Detroit - SOS Submission Form

  • Detroit - DSHRM Event Cross-Marketing Program

  • Detroit - DSHRM Cross-Marketing Partner Email

  • Detroit - ATD Detroit Chapter Meeting Slides

  • Detroit - Ann Arbor Chapter Website

YEAR: 2019

NEW YORK CITY CHAPTER: Visual Newsletter

SUMMARY: To provide chapter members with an easily digestible newsletter, the chapter created an infographic that allowed readers to view all relevant information in one glance. The infographic contains information about the chapter and also references ATD content including articles, upcoming webcasts, upcoming conferences, and more to promote the value of ATD. The graphic is inserted into the chapter’s weekly e-blast email and linked to the PDF version for clickable content. The chapter received great engagement with newsletter format, and the click-through rate surpassed previous newsletters. Within the infographic, the chapter welcomed comments and suggestions for improvement to incorporate member feedback.

  • New York City - SOS Submission Form

  • New York City - Visual Newsletter

  • New York City - Video Briefing

YEAR: 2018

BUFFALO NIAGARA CHAPTER: Canva for Nonprofits

SUMMARY: The Buffalo Niagara Chapter needed a way to quickly and easily create visuals for both digital and print marketing. With Canva, designs created by any individual can be shared with the team and leveraged for new designs or downloaded and used multiple times. The improved marketing has increased the chapter’s overall community engagement and attendance at events.

  • Buffalo Niagara - SOS Submission Form

  • Buffalo Niagara - Graphic Specs

  • Buffalo Niagara - Examples

  • Buffalo Niagara - Picture 1

  • Buffalo Niagara - Picture 2

YEAR: 2018

AUSTIN CHAPTER: Don’t Forget Your Members

SUMMARY: The chapter aimed to help new members feel welcome and notify them about chapter activities while acknowledging renewing members and keeping them engaged by sending a personalized postcard printed through Zazzle. The process has been in place for three months, and the chapter has seen an uptick in new member registration for chapter meetings and special interest group (SIG) events.

  • Austin - SOS Submission Form

  • Austin - Postcard Example 1

  • Austin - Postcard Example 2

  • Austin - Postcard Example 3

YEAR: 2018

LONG ISLAND CHAPTER: Booth at SHRM’s Annual Conference

SUMMARY: To promote the chapter to professionals in the local area, the chapter held a booth at its local SHRM Annual Conference. The chapter aimed to build awareness and visibility particularly within the SHRM community. When the chapter registered for a booth, it received a reusable banner and raffle basket. The table had marketing materials provided by ATD as well as chapter promotional materials. The exhibition opportunity has led to an increase in chapter event attendance, which the chapter hopes will convert into new memberships.

  • Long Island - SOS Submission Form

YEAR: 2018

UTAH CHAPTER: Using Google AdWords to Promote Your Chapter

SUMMARY: The Utah Chapter signed up with Google for Nonprofits and enrolled in the Google Ad Grants program, which allows for $10,000 a month in AdWords advertising. Taking advantage of this opportunity proved to be a quick and easy way to promote awareness of ATD and its offerings to talent development professionals in Utah. The chapter has campaigns set up for membership, monthly events, and its annual conference. Over the last year, the chapter received $1,250 in free advertising and their ads have been viewed 32,743 times and clicked 810 times.

  • Utah - SOS Submission Form

  • Utah - Ad Grants for Chapters

YEAR: 2017

AUSTIN CHAPTER: All in One Board Business Cards

SUMMARY: Inspired by a previous SOS, this chapter designed and printed a single business card for all board members. The chapter realized that printed cards for each board member were wasted each year. As a result, the card the chapter created provides all contact information for chapter leaders and its media contacts. Because the board felt a tangible, personal connection was important when greeting potential or current members, the card has space for each board member to fill in his or her own information. The template was created on MOO.com and it can easily be updated for future use. Printing 400 cards cost $109, and the cards were distributed to all board members.

  • Austin - SOS Submission Form

  • Austin - Business Card

YEAR: 2017

CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA CHAPTER: Committee Promotion Poster

SUMMARY: To increase the amount of interest in people volunteering on committees, the chapter created a poster template for each committee to use at networking and learning events. The chapter’s succession plan includes the need for a member to be on a committee prior to becoming a board member. The posters provide new and seasoned members with the knowledge on how to increase their professional skills in talent development by becoming a committee member. They also allow the vice president of the committee to network with all members and discuss the needs of their group.

  • Central Pennsylvania - SOS Submission Form

  • Central Pennsylvania - Poster Template

  • Central Pennsylvania - Picture of the Programming Committee Poster

  • Central Pennsylvania - Poster Template for the Marketing Team

  • Central Pennsylvania - Networking Event Membership Poster

YEAR: 2017

FLORIDA SUNCOAST CHAPTER: Chapter Business Cards

SUMMARY: The chapter created business cards for the board members to pass out at local professional events, conferences, and meetings. The cards contain the chapter’s ChIP code, address, domain, and logo on one side and a custom QR code that points to its online calendar of events on the back side. The initial design did not require much time to put together, and the cost was minimal. The board members distributed all of the original order of 500 cards at local events such as PMI, SHRM and Chamber of Commerce and had to reorder several times. This small gesture generated interest for the chapter in the community.

  • Florida Suncoast - SOS Submission Form

  • Florida Suncoast - Picture of Business Cards

YEAR: 2016

GOLDEN GATE CHAPTER: Community Outreach Programs

SUMMARY: The Community Outreach Program (COP) is one of the Golden Gate Chapter’s on-going Special Interest Groups (SIGs). The COP consists of Chapter volunteers who donate their professional services – needs analysis, instructional design, training delivery, and meeting facilitation – to non-profit organizations in the Bay Area. COP uses ISD principles to build its learning solutions so there is efficient flow and tracking for the various projects.

  • Golden Gate - Community Outreach Submission

  • Golden Gate - Program Description

  • Golden Gate - Outreach Program Processes

  • Golden Gate - Outreach Program Testimonials

  • Golden Gate - VP of Community Outreach Job Description

YEAR: 2012

CENTRAL FLORIDA CHAPTER: Sponsorship and Advertising Media Kit

SUMMARY: Several chapter leaders collaborated to create an online media kit that promotes the chapter, and outlines a menu of advertising and sponsorship opportunities for businesses and organizations.

  • Central Florida - Media Kit Submission

  • Central Florida - Published Media Kit

  • Central Florida - Writable Media Kit

YEAR: 2012

NEBRASKA CHAPTER: Themes Are for More Than Just Programming

SUMMARY: To strengthen its brand and grow member engagement, the Nebraska Chapter developed a theme beyond its annual programming—“Get in your VAN and go!” VAN stands for volunteer, attend events, and network. This theme helped the chapter coordinate its efforts around programming, membership, professional development opportunities, marketing, and even sponsorships. As a result, the chapter increased attendance at its summer social to an all-time high and recruited new board members and volunteers from a wide variety of professional backgrounds.

YEAR: 2022


SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN: Defining Chapter Strategy Through Market Landscape Analysis

SUMMARY: The Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter sought to differentiate and market the chapter in a unique way from the other organizations. The board organized a market landscape analysis to help the chapter know how to better communicate to their core audience and determine the chapter’s value proposition. The board mapped the current market by listing other players in the market and what key attributes there are in the market. Then the board scored each player on the various attributes. Using the data, the chapter organized how they can use it to communicate with our internal and external stakeholders. Immediately after this initiative, the chapter is seeing more alignment around volunteer work and strategy alignment. Chapter members now have consistent language to describe the chapter’s value proposition across its member communication, sponsor and partner outreach, and internal board discussions.

YEAR: 2021

CHICAGOLAND CHAPTER: Three-Pronged Approach to Marketing—1-2-3 GO!

SUMMARY: The Chicagoland Chapter adopted a three-pronged approach to improve the results of its LinkedIn marketing efforts for in-person and virtual events. First, the vice president of marketing promotes the event using a customized image that relates to the subject matter. She then highlights the event topic and speaker using an image that is similar to the initial image. Finally, she publicizes a short video that includes the custom images and event details. The chapter used Canva and Lumen5 to create the images and videos for free. The new strategy has more than doubled the chapter’s total number of LinkedIn visitors and has increased visibility of the chapter’s website.

YEAR: 2019

NEW YORK CITY CHAPTER: Using Instagram to Promote Board Roles

SUMMARY: To promote the chapter election process, introduce chapter members to board members, and target a broader audience for the chapter, the board used Instagram to create visibility. Board members had set questions to answer in addition to an open Q&A for viewers who had follow-up questions. These posts generated content for the chapter’s website and newsletter, and the use of the social media platform increased the chapter’s brand awareness within the New York City area.

YEAR: 2018

KANSAS CITY CHAPTER: Using Trello to Collaborate With Programs

SUMMARY: The programming director used Trello, a web-based project management application, to manage chapter projects and events and to promote better communication and organization among board members and volunteers. All volunteers get access to each program so that they can find the information at the moment of need. Each event/program has its own plan in Trello, allowing for all information to be in one place and providing notifications if something is updated, added, or completed so that stakeholders know the status of a project in real time. The system allowed for better work flow, thus creating better programs for members and higher satisfaction among stakeholders.

YEAR: 2018

CENTRAL INDIANA CHAPTER: Making Connections at ALC

SUMMARY: In 2017, the focus of the Indiana Chapter was to connect, learn, and grow. In staying true to its vision, the chapter wanted to ensure its new board members attending the ATD Chapter Leaders Conference (ALC) would take the opportunity to connect, learn, and grow from their peers. The president purchased stickers of the 50 states. The president provided each chapter leader with a set of stickers with directions to meet as many people as they could from different states and learn their names, roles, and their chapters’ focus. Following ALC, the chapter president awarded the leader with the most stickers distributed with a $5 Starbucks gift card. The Indiana Chapter walked away with new ideas and connections to help make the chapter’s vision a reality.

YEAR: 2018

HOUSTON CHAPTER: Using a Mobile Mic to Capture Content

SUMMARY: To provide more meaningful, targeted marketing messages, the chapter purchased an iRig microphone that plugs into Apple and Android devices for on-the-go content development. The tool works with a cell phone to capture testimonials for the chapter’s website, YouTube channel, monthly events, weekly emails, marketing for future events, and sponsorship opportunities. The mobile mic allows the chapter to do voice-overs for its presentations, capture better quality audio for presentations and other e-learning, and provide live feeds for programs. The mic has increased the chapter’s social media presence through custom, short videos on its website.

YEAR: 2018

CHATTANOOGA CHAPTER: #Slack

SUMMARY: After learning about Slack from another chapter, the Chattanooga Chapter adopted the platform to help maximize real-time communications and strategy planning. Having a communication tool that can be used through group channels, private messages, video conference, and sharing documents has allowed the board to visualize conversation and subsequently be more productive as a team. The platform allows for quicker responses from the group and people can easily search for key information. The board created topic-based channels such as finance, programming and marketing.

YEAR: 2017

GREATER ATLANTA CHAPTER: Leveraging SLACK as a Leader Communication Alternative to E-mail

SUMMARY: The chapter utilized a free messaging tool called Slack to minimize the amount of emails board members received. The tool helped to keep everyone in the loop without feeling overwhelmed by information and created an archive of all past communication. Once the chapter figured out the tool was a more efficient system than emailing, each board member’s team was then added. The tool was originally implemented at the beginning of the new board’s term to start building out the channel framework, then opened the channels to their teams as the year went on.

YEAR: 2016

CENTRAL INDIANA CHAPTER: Board Communication & Accountability with Basecamp

SUMMARY: The chapter implemented the collaborative work platform, Basecamp, to streamline the chapter’s internal communication and create transparency. Emails were reduced by over 75 percent, and the platform ensured that board members were receiving the information. The chapter leaders were able to spend less time focused on administrative tasks and more time strategizing and engaging with its membership.

YEAR: 2016

SOUTH CAROLINA MIDLANDS CHAPTER: Mobile App

SUMMARY: To streamline communication and provide a platform to engage its members, the chapter worked with AppyPie to create its own mobile app that hosts all the chapter’s online offerings. The app was created to offer a mobile version of the, “Member Rewards Card,” but the chapter soon realized the vast possibilities the application permitted. The mobile app allows for full access to the chapter’s Wild Apricot website, YouTube Channel, and social media platforms. The chapter also now has its own “Social Wall,” which functions much like Facebook allowing app users to engage with one another.

YEAR: 2016

NEW YORK CITY CHAPTER: Wild Apricot Sidekick

SUMMARY: The New York City Chapter developed an onscreen quick reference guide to support chapter leaders in creating consistent and complete event listings in Wild Apricot. Their Wild Apricot sidekick guides users through each step in the event creation process with helpful screenshots and tips. It provides an easy-to-use template to ensure volunteers have all the necessary information before publishing. The guide is hosted through a free Google Site, which houses all the documented processes and allows for instantaneous updates without draining chapter resources. The sidekick is editable and can be easily tailored to the needs of other chapters looking to implement something similar. This new tool has allowed the chapter to streamline its event creation and management process and reduce errors for members attempting to register for events.

YEAR: 2023


METRO DC CHAPTER: Website Revamp Project

SUMMARY: The director of communication took on the project of reformatting and updating the Metro DC Chapter’s website and used the director of technology and vice president of learning for extra assistance. The team aimed to make the website easier to navigate with a visually appealing look to create a customer-centric experience. The other goal of the website update was to grab the attention of and usher in a younger demographic into the chapter. After a thorough process, the website enhancements were marketed heavily through social media to generate excitement among members. After the new website launched, the chapter saw an increase in visitors, site visit duration, and revenue.

YEAR: 2021

NEW YORK CITY CHAPTER: “Starting Soon” Manual Event Reminder Email in Wild Apricot

SUMMARY: The New York City Chapter desired to send a reminder email a few hours before chapter events as it noticed that registrants were not responding to reminder emails sent the day prior and attendance was taking a hit. To address the issue, the chapter established a job aid allowing chapter leaders to send a “starting soon” reminder email to registrants one to two hours before an event’s start time. Through the incorporation of the “starting soon” reminder email, the chapter increased registrant attendance by approximately 10 percent, averaging a 50–60 percent rate of attendance for registrants.

YEAR: 2021

NEW YORK CITY CHAPTER: Knowledge Center on Wild Apricot Website

SUMMARY: The Knowledge Center serves as the repository for recordings and documents from chapter events and is accessible to members only through the chapter’s website. For chapter events, webinars, and SIG events, the chapter posts the slide presentation, embeds any event recordings, and uploads other documents/handouts provided at the event. Through the repository, the chapter provides members access to content and allows them to access all programming benefits that come with chapter membership.

YEAR: 2018

GREATER BIRMINGHAM CHAPTER: Making the Business Case for Simple Investments

SUMMARY: In response to a surplus reserve fund, the Greater Birmingham Chapter board decided to develop an investment strategy, aiming to generate passive income while minimizing risk. They evaluated a wide range of investment options, including mutual funds, money market accounts, and certificates of deposit, to determine which would be the best fit for the chapter. After researching each option and drafting competing proposals, the board chose to invest a significant amount of chapter funds into certificates of deposit. Throughout the process, the chapter demonstrated prudent stewardship of chapter funds and the importance of proactive financial planning, allowing them to increase their interest earnings and promote the chapter’s financial sustainability.

YEAR: 2024

CENTRAL IOWA CHAPTER: Maximizing Chapter Finances

SUMMARY: The Central Iowa Chapter developed a process to "put their reserves funds" to work.

YEAR: 2006

SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN: Reporting Financial Health Through E-Newsletter to Members

SUMMARY: The chapter makes its finances readily available to the board and chapter members to encourage more transparency and help the chapter understand the decisions being made. On a monthly basis the finance chair compiles a profit and loss statement that highlights the areas in green where the chapter is doing better than expected and in red to highlight the areas of concern. Following the chapter board’s review, the report is included in the chapter’s monthly e-newsletter, which shares insights into chapter operations with members.

  • Southeastern Wisconsin - SOS Submission Form

  • Southeastern Wisconsin - Income Report

  • Southeastern Wisconsin - Expense Report

  • Southeastern Wisconsin - Finance Report with Graphs Template

YEAR: 2020

BATON ROUGE CHAPTER: Integrated Payment Processes

SUMMARY: To improve the speed and efficiency of preparing the monthly financials, the chapter implemented Paymentech. The new financial processing system not only reduced the time to complete monthly financials, but provided a means for all financial systems to communicate electronically with one another, allowing for a simplified process of managing chapter financials and monthly reconciliations. Additionally, the implementation of Paymentech created an easier and more efficient way for members to access chapter services through a one-step login for registration and payment services. While chapter operations improved and board meeting preparation time decreased, members also benefited from the increased timeliness of charges and refunds when needed.

YEAR: 2018

PITTSBURGH CHAPTER: Financial Audit Through Universities

SUMMARY: The chapter reached out to a local university MBA program to have graduate students conduct a financial audit of chapter records. The students went through all of the chapter’s receipts, bank records, credit card statements, etc. Under the supervision of their professor, an accountant, the students performed a review and presentation of their findings to the chapter’s board. Not only was the chapter able to achieve one of their goals at no cost to the chapter, but the students were excited to receive “real world” experience.

YEAR: 2016

CASCADIA CHAPTER: Internal Review

SUMMARY: The Cascadia Chapter designed internal review templates to ensure that the internal financial review process is consistent and key financial issues are addressed in a timely manner to maintain a financially sound chapter.

YEAR: 2008

BATON ROUGE CHAPTER: Monthly Financial Reporting

SUMMARY: The Baton Rouge Chapter created a process to summarize and report chapter financial activities monthly for better reporting at board meetings. The ability to easily gauge progress made on the annual budget is key to effective and responsible management of chapter financial resources. The format used allows the board to review an overview of the budget monthly, provides an easy to understand breakdown of income and expenses, and makes note of the original budget drafted at the beginning of the calendar year to support chapter initiatives. The easy-to-read financial report helps the board stay on budget, provides an increased awareness of the state of chapter funds, and helps the board make responsible and informed decisions.

YEAR: 2017

PUERTO RICO CHAPTER: Establishing an Operational Budget

SUMMARY: An operational budget was established to help set realistic programming goals and avoid unexpected financial crises. The excel template has categories that relate to CARE. This system created an easy process for chapter leaders to be able to create an annual report for the chapter website, which will provide transparency of chapter spending and comply with tax, audit, and financial review requirements.

YEAR: 2017

NEBRASKA CHAPTER: Transparent Budget Reports

SUMMARY: The chapter board desired to increase its business acumen and develop solid, reputable business processes to govern the chapter. Prior to these reports, chapter budgeting was performed by copying the estimate from the previous year. For the 2015 budget, the board broke down chapter expenses into individual categories and added groupings for clarification. Having the board understand the financial aspects of running the chapter has increased awareness of the use of chapter funds and increased the ease in financial decision-making.

YEAR: 2015

PUGET SOUND CHAPTER: Chapter Financial Management

SUMMARY: The chapter shared best practices on how they successfully manage chapter finances and distribute that information to their board members. The chapter also addressed the importance of educating board members about prudent financial management.

YEAR: 2012

CASCADIA CHAPTER: Event Budget Form

SUMMARY: The Cascadia Chapter put together a budget form that they use when planning all their events and meetings.

YEAR: 2012

GREATER ATLANTA: Revamping Your Chapter Sponsorship Packet

The chapter needed to build upon its current sponsorship package by making it more structured. To do this, they tiered the sponsorships, added advertising rates, and included social media content curation. The key to the sponsorship package is identifying the chapter’s value proposition and aligning it with the sponsor value proposition. The chapter also developed a separate conference sponsorship packet to attract more vendors. The chapter has seen an increase in chapter sponsorships from one main sponsor at the beginning of 2021 to 10 sponsors across a variety of tiers by August 2021, with more pending.

YEAR: 2021


FORT WORTH/MID-CITIES: Securing Grants (and Matching Funds) From Employers

The chapter was looking into alternative approaches to procuring extra income to benefit the chapter. The chapter found that some companies provide grants to their employees based on their volunteerism. As a nonprofit, the chapter can accept volunteer grant funds. Board members reviewed their companies’ volunteer grant policies and if able to, submitted a volunteer grant from their companies. The chapter received $1,500 in volunteer grant money to go towards its member services.
** Please note, it is important to understand your chapter’s tax status and donation guidelines for you state. If you have any questions, contact your chapter relations manager.**

YEAR: 2021

GREATER CINCINNATI: Creating and Communicating a Holistic Chapter Sponsorship Program

The Greater Cincinnati Chapter created a sponsorship package that offers potential chapter sponsors exact options making it easy to solicit sponsorships. The chapter offers two levels of general chapter sponsorships. The first level offers marketing opportunities for chapter programs, while the other level offers opportunities for marketing and interaction with the chapter beyond general programming. The chapter also offers three sponsorship levels for the chapter conference. Chapter volunteers use email and call scripts to solicit potential sponsors. The sponsorship options are available via the chapter website for an easy sign-up and payment option for sponsors. The sponsorship program brought the chapter more than $13,500 of income in 2019.

YEAR: 2020

HAWKEYE CHAPTER: Building Value for Event Sponsors—Networking Triple Threat

SUMMARY: The Hawkeye Chapter desired to show the value of sponsorship for its two-day conference. The chapter created a multifaceted approach to networking that benefited the event sponsors and attendees. To start, attendees were given a conference gift of an empty clear container. Attendees were encouraged to visit sponsor tables and fill the container with candy and snacks located at the tables. Secondly, the chapter incorporated designated times during both days to have booth sponsors move through the participant tables to share a little bit about their organizations and answer questions. Finally, attendee ribbons were made available exclusively at sponsor tables, which encouraged attendee engagement with the sponsors. The three-pronged strategy made the networking between sponsors and attendees feel more approachable, fun, and engaging.

YEAR: 2020

KANSAS CITY CHAPTER: Sponsor Supported Regional Meetup at #ATD2019

SUMMARY: Leaders from the Kansas City chapter partnered with the Nebraska and St. Louis chapters to create an in-person opportunity to connect with members and prospective members at ATD 2019. The Midwest ATD Chapter Meetup was sponsored by SkillPath, who sponsored the Kansas City Chapter and ATD 2019. The event enabled ATD chapters to connect with current and prospective members, share the benefits of the Kansas City chapter’s strategic partnership, and further develop the relationships among ATD’s Midwest chapters.

YEAR: 2019

CENTRAL IOWA CHAPTER: Sponsorship Coffee Hour

SUMMARY: The Central Iowa Chapter Board wanted to gather potential sponsors in one location for a casual meet-and-greet. To align with the chapter’s networking culture, the chapter created a Sponsorship Coffee Hour to be attended by all board members. Through a review of past data, the chapter identified potential sponsors to include on the guest list for the event. The opportunity was also shared with chapter members to inquire if they were aware of potential sponsors that should be included. The board reviewed the chapter’s existing offerings and created a new sponsorship packet to provide to attendees. Through the coffee hour, the chapter secured a platinum-level sponsorship for its conference, an annual sponsorship, and it filled an open board position through one of the connections made at the event.

YEAR: 2018

CASCADIA CHAPTER: Conference Exhibitor Prework

SUMMARY: Working with UMU, the chapter developed a webpage that allowed visitors to review information about each of the vendors prior to the conference. The information included short product and service videos, examples of questions to ask the vendor, and who to contact. Providing vendors with a high-quality experience and a more productive interaction with conference participants led to validating the money exhibitors spent to participate. Out of 213 conference participants, 76 completed the raffle connected to the exhibitor site.

YEAR: 2018

METRO DC CHAPTER: Partnership Model

SUMMARY: The Metro DC Chapter created a partnership model that provides a framework to help the chapter become efficient and proactive at establishing partnerships and leveraging the chapter’s power to support its goals. The chapter also created a procedural document and agreement template that helped it quickly implement this model. As a result, the chapter has three confirmed partnerships and raised $6,000 in 2017 to support chapter goals.

  • Metro DC – SOS Submission Form

  • Metro DC – Partnership Agreement Template

  • Metro DC – Partnership Model

YEAR: 2018

PIKES PEAK CHAPTER: Process for Sponsorship/Partnership

SUMMARY: The chapter designed and implemented a process to increase sponsorships and partnerships. The board felt that developing relationships within the community would lead to increased visibility in the community and enhance the chapter’s overall success. As a result of the chapter’s focus on these relationships, the chapter acquired three sponsors, seven partnerships, and $900 in financial gains.

  • Pikes Peak - SOS Submission Form

  • Pikes Peak - Intro Letter

  • Pikes Peak - Sponsorship Tiers

YEAR: 2016

SOUTH FLORIDA CHAPTER: Conference Sponsorships

SUMMARY: In order to offer its members and the South Florida community a robust, full-day conference, the chapter found sponsorship revenue essential. The chapter formed an ad hoc committee to plan and coordinate the conference with a goal to break even. The committee used a “prospect list” that the chapter has maintained for several years, and divided the list to reach out to as many vendors and learning organizations as possible. With a goal of $6,000 in sponsorship revenue the chapter exceeded this goal by obtaining a record of 12 sponsors for $11,000, not including sponsors who donated AV equipment, promotional giveaways, and raffle prizes. Because the chapter surpassed its goal, it was able to spend more than budgeted to provide additional giveaways and speaker gifts while still making a profit of $5,000 on the event.

YEAR: 2016

CENTRAL OHIO CHAPTER: Annual WLP Conference Sponsorship Drive

SUMMARY: The Central Ohio Chapter put together an incentive program to increase volunteer engagement and sponsorships for their annual Workplace Learning Professionals conference. The multi-tiered incentive program provided the chapter with a mechanism to reward volunteers based on the number, and total amount, of sponsorships he or she was able to secure in advance of the conference.

  • Central Ohio - SOS Submission Form

  • Central Ohio - Sponsorship Drive Incentive Program

YEAR: 2012

GREATER ATLANTA CHAPTER: Sponsorship Sales

SUMMARY: The Greater Atlanta Chapter has increased sponsorship and advertising sales in support of its programs by outsourcing the sales portion of sponsorships to a specialized agency. This enables the chapter leaders to concentrate on delivering the service, branding, marketing for membership growth, and marketing programs for attendance. The salesperson works under the board’s supervision using approved materials. The contracted individual follows ATD branding guidelines and ensures the board approves everything first. Sales increased from $2,500 to $26,000.

  • Greater Atlanta - SOS Submission Form

YEAR: 2012

CENTRAL FLORIDA CHAPTER: Sponsorship and Advertising Media Kit

SUMMARY: Several chapter leaders collaborated to create an online media kit that promotes the chapter, and outlines a menu of advertising and sponsorship opportunities for businesses and organizations.

  • Central Florida - SOS Submission Form

  • Central Florida - Published Media Kit

  • Central Florida - Writable Media Kit

YEAR: 2012

CENTRAL FLORIDA CHAPTER: Chapter Elections in a Digital Box

SUMMARY: To streamline chapter elections and keep members informed and involved in the process, the chapter used the collaboration portal, Moxtra. The chapter formed a virtual nominating committee and used the platform to distribute details and hold virtual meetings. The chapter also used Moxtra to hold elections, empowering chapter members with more information on the election process and giving them a deeper look into the operations of the chapter. After the committee approved the election results, a full summary was provided to members. The implementation of Moxtra addressed the need to conduct a critical part of chapter business more efficiently by providing more flexibility to the nominating committee members who were vetting the candidates.

  • Central Florida - SOS Submission Form

  • Central Florida - Call For Nominations Email Template

  • Central Florida - Request for Nominations Email Template

  • Central Florida - Updated Bylaws with Election Process

  • Central Florida - Election Results Summary

YEAR: 2018

NEW YORK CITY CHAPTER: Interview Guides for Board Roles
SUMMARY: Through the development of interview guides, the chapter’s nominating committee was better able to focus on candidate interviews and evaluating responses rather than on the process. The guides provided a consistent way to accurately evaluate, compare, and select candidates to fill board roles. The compilation of all necessary documents in one packet helped to ensure consistency and reduced the time needed for interviewers to get up to speed.

  • New York City - SOS Submission Form

  • New York City - Interview Guide for Board Roles

YEAR: 2018

GREATER BOSTON CHAPTER: Chapter Operational Plan

SUMMARY: The chapter leaders at the Greater Boston Chapter put together a great guide on how to create your chapter's operational plan.

  • Greater Boston - Chapter Operational Plan Submission Form

  • Greater Boston - Operational Plan

  • Greater Boston - Annual Report

  • Greater Boston - Nominations & Elections

  • Greater Boston - Call for Volunteers

YEAR: 2012

GREATER DETROIT CHAPTER: Chapter Business Office Administrative Policy and Procedure Manual

SUMMARY: The Greater Detroit Chapter contracted with a new administrative management firm. In order to provide a smooth transition for the administrative management company and chapter board members, an Administrative Process and Procedure Manual was created.

  • Greater Detroit - SOS Submission Form

  • Greater Detroit - Annual Report

  • Greater Detroit - Administrative & Procedure Manual

YEAR: 2004

GREATER LAS VEGAS CHAPTER: Score Card

SUMMARY: In January 2017, the board evaluated the CARE and Power Member requirements to come up with a Chapter Metrics Scorecard. The scorecard was built to identify the most important goals, track specific metrics, and use those metrics in decision making. The chapter tracks six metrics that align with both CARE and Power Membership requirements: membership, Power Membership, chapter meeting attendees, budget year-to-date, money across accounts, and social media. The effort supported the growth of members and the community by providing higher-quality programs and allowing the board to make more informed decisions. This has led to a huge jump in Power Member numbers, from 46 percent to 68 percent in one year!

YEAR: 2018

GREATER DETROIT CHAPTER: Chapter Scorecard

SUMMARY: Greater Detroit Chapter came up with a scorecard to address ongoing metrics of the chapter and to ease the CORE process. The scorecard was targeted to aid the board primarily in making decisions about how to run the chapter and ensure alignment with CORE requirements.

YEAR: 2006

SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN CHAPTER: Developing an RFP Process to Select a Chapter Administrator

SUMMARY: The Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter conducted a comprehensive review of its administrator vendor services to align with the chapter’s evolving needs while maximizing value and efficiency. This process included drafting service priorities, creating a Request for Proposal (RFP), conducting interviews and reference checks, evaluating potential vendors via an evaluation matrix, and ultimately selecting a vendor. As a result, the chapter improved administrative efficiency and fiscal compliance, while freeing up time for board members to focus on high-value tasks aligned with the chapter mission.

YEAR: 2024

CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS CHAPTER: Improved Chapter Workflow via Free Project Management Tool

To better maintain operational continuity amid volunteer turnover, the Central Massachusetts Chapter implemented project management templates within the free project management tool Asana, aimed at streamlining workflows and standardizing key processes. By developing templates for various workstreams, such as communications, financial audits, and programming, the chapter improved operational efficiency and maintained consistency despite transitions in board membership. This initiative facilitated clearer documentation of standard operating procedures, enhanced collaboration among team members, and ultimately led to more organized and effective chapter operations.

YEAR: 2024


SOUTH CAROLINA CHAPTER: Making VP of Finance “EZ”—SOP for Filing 990-N and 990-EZ Tax Returns

In 2019, The South Carolina Chapter’s income exceeded the limit to file a 990-N postcard. The chapter had never filed a 990-EZ, so the board created a standard operating procedure (SOP) as the vice president of finance went through the process to create a resource that can be passed down to future board members. The SOP saves the chapter the expense of an accountant to prepare the filing, and it expects to see a 75 percent (7.5 hours) reduction or more in the completion of future tax returns.

YEAR: 2021


NEBRASKA CHAPTER: Operations Manual

SUMMARY: The chapter created a manual to ensure that key details not included in the bylaws or chapter leader job descriptions would be passed on to future leaders. The manual allowed for consistent onboarding from year to year and served as a reference for the processes that impact chapter operations. Having the information in one central location increased board member satisfaction, ensured consistency through board transitions and onboarding, and created a one-stop shop for learning more about procedural details.

YEAR: 2018


EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA CHAPTER: VP of Technology Training Solution

SUMMARY: As a result of attending ALC 2015, in particular the session entitled, Your Technology Succession Plan, it became apparent that the vice president of technology role needed to have documented processes for knowledge sharing and succession. After conducting a needs assessment, the chapter’s vice president of technology developed a written training manual to capture the major processes that the role performs. This manual is part of a three-component solution, which also includes training with the outgoing vice president of technology during a transition and a recorded archive of the training for future reference. Now that this is in place, the current and future vice presidents of technology should be able to properly execute the role’s responsibilities.

YEAR: 2016

HAWAII CHAPTER: Digitizing Records and Migrating to a Free Bookkeeping System

SUMMARY: After years of using paper records and a QuickBooks subscription, the Hawaii Chapter board undertook a financial overhaul during which it digitized chapter records and transitioned from QuickBooks to Wave, a free bookkeeping software. Migrating to a cloud-based system simplified the handoff between board members, while making financial records more accessible and increasing overall transparency within the board. Additionally, moving from a paid bookkeeping program to a free alternative resulted in annual cost savings for the chapter.

YEAR: 2024

ANN ARBOR CHAPTER: Free Online Tool to House, Update, and Access Procedures to Transform Board Onboarding and Task Management

SUMMARY: The Ann Arbor Chapter found it lacked documented standard operating procedures for the chapter. The board members created a plan to establish documented processes and procedures. Using Airtable, they created a way to store the processes for easy access. The content is now easily accessible for training and onboarding new chapter leaders, thus shortening the length of new board members' training from six months to four weeks.

YEAR: 2020

BATON ROUGE CHAPTER: The Way We Were: Capturing and Archiving Your Chapter’s History

SUMMARY: The chapter has records dating back to 1998 that needed to be reviewed for archiving, indexing, and retention purposes. The chapter secretary undertook the task of reviewing the records, deciding what was necessary to keep, and devising a strategy for storage, indexing, naming, and searching purposes. A team was put in place to track down the chapter’s history and create a repository of records.

  • Baton Rouge - SOS Submission Form

  • Baton Rouge - 2015 ALC Presentation

  • Baton Rouge - Information on Organizing Digital Files

  • Baton Rouge - Record Retention Guidelines

  • Baton Rouge - Record Keeping Principles

YEAR: 2018

DALLAS CHAPTER: Getting to the Summit Using Basecamp

SUMMARY: To provide an avenue for chapter volunteers to connect and provide transparency internally, the chapter volunteers adopted Basecamp. The platform allowed the volunteers to immediately communicate with one another, collaborate, offer resources and insights, and share documents. The barriers between the four core chapter areas began to dissolve, and documents previously stored elsewhere were moved over to the site to provide historical knowledge and transparency. Basecamp streamlined the chapter’s processes and evolved into a one-stop shop for locating information.

YEAR: 2018

KANSAS CITY CHAPTER: Using Trello to Collaborate With Programs

SUMMARY: The programming director used Trello, a web-based project management application, to manage chapter projects and events and to promote better communication and organization among board members and volunteers. All volunteers get access to each program so that they can find the information at the moment of need. Each event/program has its own plan in Trello, allowing for all information to be in one place and providing notifications if something is updated, added, or completed so that stakeholders know the status of a project in real time. The system allowed for better work flow, thus creating better programs for members and higher satisfaction among stakeholders.

YEAR: 2018

ROCKY MOUNTAIN CHAPTER: G Suite for Nonprofits

SUMMARY: To save about $170 monthly, the chapter moved board emails from GoDaddy to Google Suite (G Suite). A third party, Tech Soup, contacted the chapter to verify its nonprofit status on behalf of Google. Once the chapter was set up, it realized a full suite of free tools to use. The chapter has continued to discover more tools provided by G Suite it can use to manage chapter operations including forms, surveys, and other communication tools. The vice president of finance has started reviewing the chapter’s paid products and services to determine if there is a free or reduced price for nonprofits. The money saved will go back to the chapter through member initiatives.

YEAR: 2017

LOS ANGELES CHAPTER: Volunteer Tab in Wild Apricot

SUMMARY: The chapter created a “Volunteer Only” tab in Wild Apricot with subsections titled by each topic. The chapter implemented a system to designate who receives access to each section, and uploaded documents and historical information to each tab. This system compiles all resources and tools in one location and reduces email congestion and duplication of documents. At each meeting, the chapter shows documents from the volunteer tab instead of recreating PowerPoints.

YEAR: 2016

EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA CHAPTER: Knowledge Management

SUMMARY: The Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter’s Knowledge Management Initiative is designed to capture, document, organize, and publish the operational policies and procedures of the chapter. Standard operating procedures for each functional area and supporting area were created as an outcome of this process.

  • Eastern Pennsylvania - SOS Submission Form

  • Eastern Pennsylvania - Knowledge Management Sample

  • Eastern Pennsylvania - Knowledge Management Template

YEAR: 2007

CHATTANOOGA AREA CHAPTER: CARE Update

SUMMARY: With the President-Elect as the designated board member responsible for CARE, the chapter dedicates time at each board meeting for a CARE update, a review of the CARE checklist, and any additional CARE items that require discussion. This practice recognizes CARE as a central part of the chapter’s business, and as a result, the chapter is on track to meet its goals.

YEAR: 2016

VALLEYS OF VIRGINIA CHAPTER: Recovery From Loss of Nonprofit Status

SUMMARY: After losing its tax-exempt status in 2010 for failure to file its taxes for three consecutive years, the chapter succeeded in reinstating this status with the IRS five years later. Through the process, the chapter learned the importance of transparency, documentation, and accurate financial reporting. With perseverance and diligence, the chapter’s 2014 and 2015 boards put the chapter back on the right track.

YEAR: 2016

FLORIDA SUNCOAST CHAPTER: Developing a Culture of Sharing our Success (SOS)

SUMMARY: The chapter has created a culture of SOS. The 2016 chapter President requested that each board member review the SOS submissions on td.org/sos and report back to the board on two to three SOS submissions that the chapter could implement. Both chapter leaders and chapter members have directly benefited as a result of implementing the various best practices from several SOS submissions

YEAR: 2016

EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA CHAPTER: Creatively Closing the Gap Between CORE and Chapter Operations

SUMMARY: To help chapter presidents and board officers understand their responsibility and develop their skills for ensuring that their chapter was CORE compliant the Eastern PA chapter developed tools for achieving chapter goals by embedding the CORE requirements into the annual plan.

YEAR: 2009

FORT WORTH/MID-CITIES: Risk Assessment

The chapter was planning its first hybrid event during a time in Texas where COVID-19 cases were on the decline, and the state was lifting restrictions on gathering. Using the ATD chapter guidance on convening as a reference, the chapter worked with stakeholders to gather interest and ensure their event met all guidelines. The chapter limited the number of people at the in-person event to 15 attendees and required attendees to sign a waiver and wear masks. The chapter also kept a stash of spare masks on-site just in case. Working with the venue, the chapter identified areas that would require extra sanitation and found ways that venue employees and patrons could use the space with little risk of transmission. The chapter has successfully hosted three hybrid meetings since October 2020.

YEAR: 2021

DALLAS CHAPTER: Round Robin Risk Assessment

SUMMARY: The chapter adopted a round robin approach to conducting its risk assessment to increase board member engagement and mitigate risk. Changing the approach to its risk assessment allowed board members to share their thoughts about potential risks and collaboratively identify strategies for mitigating or eliminating these risks. These thoughts and strategies were incorporated into the final assessment, which was shared with all board members.

YEAR: 2019

SAN DIEGO CHAPTER: Risk Management

SUMMARY: The San Diego chapter created a form and process for comprehensively addressing the Chapter's risk management. This is easily adaptable for any chapter.

YEAR: 2011

KANSAS CITY CHAPTER: Excellence in Practice Awards

SUMMARY: The chapter’s annual conference hosts an Excellence in Practice Awards banquet, celebrating local talent development professionals’ achievements. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the chapter moved the event to a virtual platform with the challenge of keeping it fun and celebratory. To do that, the chapter hired an event producer to play a winner’s submission video then cut to each winner live on Zoom to share a few words. The chapter received positive feedback on the event, and all involved were glad they could celebrate the community during an atypical time. The event had 93 virtual attendees, an increase from the previous year’s 55 in-person attendees. In the month following the event, the chapter added seven new members.

YEAR: 2021

EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA CHAPTER: Excellence in Talent Development Should be Rewarded

SUMMARY: The chapter created its own awards program to celebrate the accomplishments of local businesses and increase community awareness of the chapter. The Excellence Awards recognize successful companies in four categories: effective talent development programs, leadership development, talent development innovation, and powerful partnerships. The chapter invites the winners to present on their submissions at its year-end celebration event, which allows members to learn more about effective talent development trends, methods, and technologies.

  • Eastern Pennsylvania - SOS Submission Form

  • Eastern Pennsylvania - Excellence Awards Submission Form

  • Eastern Pennsylvania - Chapter Holiday Event

YEAR: 2019

KANSAS CITY CHAPTER: Chapter Awards Event

SUMMARY: The Kansas City chapter was focused on promoting and recognizing excellence in the field of talent development, but found its processes were coming up short. As a result, the chapter redesigned its award event to meet the needs of its members and celebrate their successes in a way that is better aligned with the chapter's mission.

  • Kansas City - SOS Submission Form

  • Kansas City - Nomination Summary

YEAR: 2015

ORANGE COUNTY CHAPTER: Volunteer of the Month

SUMMARY: The Volunteer of the Month program is dedicated to increasing volunteer engagement. Each month a chapter member who is not on the board is recognized for their volunteer efforts at the monthly learning event and receives a certificate. In addition to the recognition, the recipient's manager is notified of the award and invited to the chapter event.

  • Orange County - Volunteer of the Month Submission

  • Orange County - Volunteer of the Month Process

  • Orange County - Volunteer of the Month Example

YEAR: 2013

FORT LAUDERDALE CHAPTER: Champions of Learning Event

SUMMARY: For Employee Learning Week, Fort Lauderdale chapter formed an event committee to implement their biggest event of the year, their Champions of Learning event. They marketed and solicited local companies to submit their best practices incentivizing them with recognition and reward. The chapter recognized all contributions at the event with a framed certificate and they selected and awarded the top three submissions with trophies. The event attracted 160 attendees and resulted in a 12 percent increase in chapter membership the following month.

  • Ft. Lauderdale - SOS Submission Form

  • Ft. Lauderdale - Champions Nomination Form

  • Ft. Lauderdale - ELW Project Plan

  • Ft. Lauderdale - Invitation to Submit Best Practices

  • Ft. Lauderdale - Champions Rating Form

YEAR: 2008

METRO DC CHAPTER: Megamixer

SUMMARY: This SOS provides information about an event where the Metro DC Chapter gathered more than 175 workplace learning and performance individuals from multiple organizations, increasing exposure, membership, and raising money.

  • Metro DC - SOS Submission Form

YEAR: 2008

METRO DC CHAPTER: Volunteer Recognition and Fundraiser

SUMMARY: This SOS discusses how the Metro DC Chapter hosted a Volunteer Recognition & Fundraising Dinner to recognize the great volunteering efforts and raise money for the Washington DC Capital Area Food Bank.

  • Metro DC - SOS Submission Form

YEAR: 2008

GREATER BIRMINGHAM CHAPTER: Birmingham TechMixer EXPO 2008

SUMMARY: In an effort to recruit members in the technology industry, the Greater Birmingham Chapter had a booth where their VP of communication, VP of marketing, and President provided information to technology professionals about their chapter. The chapter emphasized the importance of communication in a professional environment and how their ATD chapter provides workshops and programs on these subjects, as well as many other that will assist them in their professional career.

  • Greater Birmingham - SOS Submission Form

YEAR: 2008

HOUSTON CHAPTER: Volunteer Summit

SUMMARY: The Houston chapter's Volunteer Summit is an annual event that helps to promote the value of the ATD Houston chapter through increased membership and volunteerism.

  • Houston - SOS Submission Form

YEAR: 2008

CASCADIA CHAPTER: Co-Sponsor Agreement

SUMMARY: The Cascadia chapter's Co-Sponsor Agreement SOS outlines the roles/responsibilities and associated accountability for any programs sponsored with other organizations.

  • Cascadia - SOS Submission Form

  • Cascadia - Co-Sponsor Agreement Sample

YEAR: 2008

CHARLOTTE CHAPTER: Day of Learning

SUMMARY: The Charlotte chapter's Day of Learning is a one-day conference with multiple tracks and is the main event of the chapter's Employee Learning Week activities. Its purpose is to provide advanced learning practitioners with a local, high quality professional development opportunity.

  • Charlotte - SOS Submission Form

YEAR: 2008

NEBRASKA CHAPTER: Request for Proposal

SUMMARY: The Nebraska chapter strategically plans programs in advance with content that matches the ATD competencies and as a result, gained credible speakers.

  • Nebraska - SOS Submission Form

  • Nebraska - 2008 Program Guide

  • Nebraska - Evaluation

YEAR: 2008

CHICAGOLAND CHAPTER: Redesign of Chapter HRDI Program and Alignment with ATD Competency Model

SUMMARY: The popularity of Chicagoland chapter’s once successful Human Resource Development Institute (HRDI) began to diminish as the materials and content became outdated. The chapter felt that the value to attendees and the training community was still high. By working with local universities, the chapter redesigned the HRDI to a Workplace Learning and Performance Institute and aligned the program with the ATD Competency Model.

  • Chicagoland - SOS Submission Form

YEAR: 2007

GREATER CLEVELAND AND NORTHEAST OHIO CHAPTERS: Employee Learning Week

SUMMARY: The Greater Cleveland and Northeast Ohio chapters developed a joint effort to promote ELW, including an online forum and joint programming for chapter members. Participants received “ELW Toolkits” and gift bags from the chapters. The joint effort increased community awareness of ELW.

  • Greater Cleveland Northeast Ohio - SOS Submission Form

YEAR: 2007

NEBRASKA CHAPTER: Red Carpet Affair: A PR and Recognition Event

SUMMARY: This SOS describes how ATD Nebraska celebrates its 50th anniversary with an Awards Banquet that honors their past, recognizes their present, and looks toward their future.

  • Nebraska - SOS Submission Form

  • Nebraska - Red Carpet Affair Booklet

  • Nebraska - Red Carpet Affair Marketing Plan

  • Nebraska - Red Carpet Affair National Invite

  • Nebraska - Red Carpet Affair Summary

  • Nebraska - Red Carpet Affair Press Release

  • Nebraska - Red Carpet Affair Past President Invite

  • Nebraska - Red Carpet Affair Newsletter

  • Nebraska - Red Carpet Awards Affair Committee

YEAR: 2006

NORTH LOUISIANA CHAPTER: Management Insights Program

SUMMARY: The North Louisiana chapter developed the “Management Insights Program” to increase the awareness of ATD and its mission in their business community and to grow their chapter membership.

  • Northern LA - SOS Submission Form

  • Northern LA - Management Insights Chamber Mailing

  • Northern LA - Strategic Partnerships Event Tickets

  • Northern LA - Management Insights Registration

  • Northern LA - Management Insights Summary

  • Northern LA - Management Insights Timeline

YEAR: 2006

LAS VEGAS CHAPTER: Tribute to Learning Awards Program

SUMMARY: The Las Vegas chapter hosts the “Tribute to Learning Awards,” an annual event that includes best practices in the Southern Nevada training and development field.

  • Las Vegas - SOS Submission Form

  • Las Vegas - Awards Application

  • Las Vegas - Awards Process & Budget

  • Las Vegas - Awards Press Release

  • Las Vegas - Awards Newsletter

  • Las Vegas - Awards Tribute Meeting

YEAR: 2006

SAN ANTONIO CHAPTER: Organization of the Year Award

SUMMARY: The San Antonio chapter developed an “Organization of the Year” Award to recognize local organizations that have at least one employee who is a member of the local chapter.

  • San Antonio - SOS Submission Form

  • San Antonio - Award Letter & Agenda

  • San Antonio - Award Brochure

  • San Antonio - Award Criteria

YEAR: 2005

LINCOLN CHAPTER: Plan. Brief. Execute. Debrief. = Win! A Fighter Pilot's Secret to Business Success

SUMMARY: The Lincoln chapter hosted an event entitled “Plan. Brief. Execute. Debrief. = Win! A Fighter Pilot's Secret to Business Success” with Afterburner.

  • Lincoln - SOS Submission Form

  • Lincoln - Plan Brief Supporting Documents

YEAR: 2005

CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS: A Flexible Model for CPTD® Preparation

SUMMARY: Beginning in 2023, the Central Massachusetts Chapter implemented a rotating study group model for the CPTD certification, allowing participants to join at any time and receive continuous support over a 13-week cycle. This learner-centric approach aimed to promote the CPTD certification while assisting both members and nonmembers in exam preparation year-round. Study group participants have since gone on to become chapter members and successfully earn their CPTD.

YEAR: 2024

ROCKY MOUNTAIN & PIEDMONT CHAPTERS: Creating a Sustainable CPLP Virtual Study Group

SUMMARY: The Rocky Mountain and Piedmont chapters developed and executed a CPLP Study Group Model using the Teach-Back Method. Participants were extremely satisfied with the study group model, and included chapter members from four chapters across the United States.

  • Rocky Mountain & Piedmont - SOS Submission Form

  • Rocky Mountain & Piedmont - CPLP Study Group Model - Sustainable Infrastructure

  • Rocky Mountain & Piedmont - 12-Week Teach-Back Model

YEAR: 2015

HOUSTON CHAPTER: Using a Data-Driven Process to Design Chapter Programming

SUMMARY: Wanting to better tailor programming to their membership’s skills, the Houston Chapter implemented a data-driven process to determine how to best provide valuable resources and learning opportunities that would support their members’ growth and address current challenges in the industry. The chapter board encouraged members to complete ATD’s Talent Development Capability Model self-assessment and share their results. This allowed them to design a programming calendar that catered to the specific needs of their membership. They also utilized ATD’s State of the Industry report and support from internal consultants to further tailor their content. As a result, the board was able to strengthen and hone chapter programming, regain sponsorships that were lost during the pandemic, and return to pre-pandemic attendance rates for in-person programs.

YEAR: 2023

BAY COLONIES CHAPTER: Benefits of an Annual Programming Theme

SUMMARY: To better prepare the chapter for a successful programming year, the Bay Colonies Chapter plans out their programs for the upcoming year during the slower summer months and develops an annual theme around which to center their marketing efforts. This intensive period of group planning allows the board to divide the workload evenly between members while ensuring that chapter programming will be cohesive and easy to market. At the end of the summer, the chapter not only has plans for the upcoming year but also a high-quality marketing graphic to support the marketing team in publicizing chapter programs. As a result, the chapter has been able to strengthen their marketing efforts, improve morale among the board, and recruit new board members who were impressed by the professional approach to programming.

YEAR: 2022

CHICAGOLAND CHAPTER: Wild Apricot Process Documentation for Programming

SUMMARY: The Chicagoland Chapter developed a comprehensive user guide to establish a consistent process for creating events in Wild Apricot. The guide enables any board member to set up an event on the website, whether it’s an evening program, all-day event, conference, or smaller meeting facilitated by one of the professional development networks. Enabling board members to quickly and consistently set up events supports the chapter’s efforts to share timely promotions with members and increase event registrations.

  • Chicagoland - SOS Submission Form

  • Chicagoland - Event Intake Form

  • Chicagoland - Wild Apricot User Guide for Events

YEAR: 2019

LOS ANGELES CHAPTER: Navigating SHRM Credit Process and Job Aid

SUMMARY: The Los Angeles Chapter became a SHRM recertification provider to add value to members and serve those in need of recertification credits for SHRM credentials. The chapter leveraged the 2019 SHRM Recertification Provider Guide and compiled information to assist other chapters interested in going through the process.

  • Los Angeles - SOS Submission Form

  • Los Angeles - Recertification Provider Guide

YEAR: 2019

DETROIT CHAPTER: Chapter 12-Month Program Calendar Maximization

SUMMARY: The Detroit Chapter revamped its program strategy to increase attendance, increase awareness of both the chapter and its brand, and drive interest in events. In addition to the traditional formal events organized in the past, the chapter began to host more informal events, networking opportunities, and webinars to address members’ professional development needs. As a result of this change in strategy, the chapter had 10 members join following its January event and has continued to attract new members monthly. Proactive outreach to venues also enabled the chapter to reallocate funds towards additional ATD Chapter Leaders Conference (ALC) registrations for board members, a website redesign, and a two-day conference.

  • Detroit - SOS Submission Form

  • Detroit - ATD Detroit Proposed Program Calendar

  • Detroit - Companies Offering Webinars

  • Detroit - Letter from the President

YEAR: 2019

NEW YORK CITY CHAPTER: Incorporating “Member Since” to Nametags

SUMMARY: To encourage conversations about membership, the chapter added "Member since XX/XX/XXXX" on nametags at all events. This information was easily pulled from Wild Apricot and made for straightforward identification of new members that allowed board members to alter their conversations based on the tenure of the member.

  • New York City - SOS Submission Form

YEAR: 2018

KANSAS CITY CHAPTER: Using QR Codes on Conference Badges

SUMMARY: Kansas City used a QR code on their conference badges to direct attendees to a conference page on its website. Through Avery, the chapter selected the QR code option at no extra cost when creating and printing badges. The chapter received a lot of positive feedback about the QR codes, created a better conference and learning experience, and increased exposure to the chapter.

  • Kansas City - SOS Submission Form

  • Kansas City - Name Badge Examples

YEAR: 2018

KANSAS CITY CHAPTER: Matching Locations to Speakers

SUMMARY: When determining a location for an event, the chapter matches the speaker’s topic with a correlating location to create an experiential learning event. Recently the chapter used a local art museum for a speaker who spoke about visuals in work with PowerPoint and e-learning. The museum provided free access to a photography exhibit. The presenter and attendees toured the exhibit in groups and discussed their takeaways. Typically, chapter meetings have averaged 30-50 attendees, but the chapter saw a boost in attendance to 60 or more at these events, translating to increased revenue and exposure for the chapter as many people brought guests.

  • Kansas City - SOS Submission Form

YEAR: 2018

DETROIT CHAPTER: Partnerships and Project Management

SUMMARY: In the chapter’s strategic plan they identified the aim to have a larger, signature event. The Board choose to bring in the Disney Institute to promote ATD Detroit’s name to a larger audience in the area and have the opportunity for significant financial gain in potential profit. The chapter partnered with various member and non-member based organizations across all industries as well as the City of Rochester Hills and the Rochester College faculty. Using key documents to guide actions and keep the planning on track--project charter, SWOT analysis, Gantt chart, informal risk plan, marketing plan, informal team skills matrix, project budget spreadsheet – the post event survey stated 90% of attendees felt they could apply what they learned to their professional work and/or personal lives, the program was relevant to their jobs, the facilitators enhanced their engagement in the presentation, and the facilitators ensured learning objectives were met. The chapter received over $7000 in profit, five new memberships and one corporate membership because of the Disney event.

  • Detroit - SOS Submission Form

  • Detroit - Event Action Calendar Tracking Document

  • Detroit - Expense Analysis Template

  • Detroit - Disney Event Checklist

  • Detroit - Project Plan Template

  • Detroit - Project Charter

YEAR: 2018

GREATER LAS VEGAS CHAPTER: Preventing a Program Flop

SUMMARY: After the chapter experienced a few program flops, chapter leaders created a process to vet potential speakers with the goal of creating more value for the membership. The board put out a call to chapter members assessing the talent within the chapter and outlining the chapter’s desired topics. The board also developed some programs that did not require a speaker and allowed chapter members to interact and learn from each other, such as “Bring Your Own Energizers” and “Bring Us Your Training and Development Problems.” The chapter instituted a policy of meeting with the upcoming speakers beforehand via WebEx to ensure the program is on target and meets member expectations. Because of this effort, overall attendance, communication, membership, and engagement increased.

  • Greater Las Vegas - SOS Submission Form

  • Greater Las Vegas - Speaker Proposal Form

  • Greater Las Vegas - Meeting Preparation Checklist

  • Greater Las Vegas - Meeting Evaluation

YEAR: 2018

CHATTANOOGA CHAPTER: Partnering with a Local Community College’s Culinary Department

SUMMARY: The Chattanooga Area Chapter built a partnership with a dean of the local community college who is also a chapter board member. The dean served as the liaison between the community college and the chapter for students to cater chapter events. Costs to the chapter were minimal as the community college already had costs included in its program budgets. The base cost per person per meal was reduced by 50 percent. In addition to the tangible outcome of cost reductions, the chapter received very positive feedback from its members and provided a way for the culinary students to gain required experience.

  • Chattanooga - SOS Submissions Form

YEAR: 2017

CONNECTICUT CHAPTER: Partnership with Red Thread

SUMMARY: The chapter made a connection with a local company, Red Thread, which designs and equips training facilities for optimized learning opportunities. The chapter made a deal to hold its meetings in the showroom, and Red Thread provides beer, wine, and snacks at no cost. A company representative has an opportunity at the beginning of each meeting to introduce the company as the host. The chapter president works with the company liaisons to select the evening meeting dates and coordinate the facility logistics. The location has proven to be convenient and well-liked by the membership.

  • Connecticut - SOS Submissions Form

YEAR: 2017

ROCHESTER CHAPTER: TED Talk Format of Programs to Increase Attendance

SUMMARY: After polling members, the chapter completely restructured its programming to offer one event with smaller, bite-sized presentations with more variety and networking opportunities for attendees. The board recruited volunteers in the chapter as guides and speakers for the event, and hosted the program at a local art gallery. As a result of this effort, the chapter increased event attendance in addition to chapter membership, and created more buzz in the community surrounding the chapter. After the events, the board received great feedback from attendees and gained four new community partners.

  • Rochester - Example of Programs

YEAR: 2017

FLORIDA SUNCOAST CHAPTER: Speak Easy - Taking the Pain out of the Speaker Selection Process

SUMMARY: The right speaker with the right content delivered the right way to an audience can measurably increase sales, performance, and customer satisfaction while simultaneously improving profits and expanding engagement. For this reason, the chapter created an online speaker proposal form that allowed the chapter to obtain all of the necessary information on a session to properly review, vet, and approve quality speakers. The form resulted in the first speaker who went through the process receiving exemplary marks on the post-meeting survey with a relevant and engaging topic that fell within The ATD Competency Model.

  • Florida Suncoast - SOS Submission Form

YEAR: 2016

DETROIT CHAPTER: Chapter Meeting Host

SUMMARY: In the past, the chapter president played the role of host at each chapter meeting. The chapter meeting host is charged with reviewing chapter business, introducing the speaker, selecting winners of gift drawings, and providing closing remarks. In order to showcase specific different board member roles to attendees, the chapter chose to rotate this responsibility among each of the board members. By rotating this responsibility, chapter members are exposed to the individual members of the chapter's leadership team, and board members are excited for the opportunity to host a meeting.

  • Detroit - SOS Submission Form

  • Detroit - Host Process

YEAR: 2015

CHARLOTTE CHAPTER: Documenting Meeting Presenters

SUMMARY: To better align learning objectives with members' needs, the Charlotte Chapter devised a proposal form for presenters requesting references, presentation topic, title, and goals. Through the form, the board ensures that selected speakers are on track with the chapter's developmental needs, the chapter is meeting competencies the members value, and board members are promoting and marketing the information appropriately.

  • Charlotte - SOS Submission Form

  • Charlotte - Presentation Proposal

YEAR: 2014

CHICAGOLAND CHAPTER: Coffee & Connections: A Monthly Virtual Networking Event

SUMMARY: The Chicagoland Chapter hosts a virtual networking event on the second Monday morning of the month entitled “Coffee & Connections.” Each session is focused on a theme and includes small and large group discussions, clear takeaways, and action items to complete before the next session. At the beginning of each conversation, key takeaways from the previous meeting are revisited to create a sense of connectivity and encourage repeat attendance. This program has grown into the chapter’s most popular event, strengthened the sense of community within the chapter, increased membership numbers, and led to new sponsorship opportunities.

YEAR: 2023

ANN ARBOR CHAPTER: Professional Name Badge Printing for Low Cost and High Efficiency

SUMMARY: The Ann Arbor Chapter identified a way to print professional name badges in an efficient and cost-effective manner. The chapter purchased the Brother QL-710W printer, which has the capacity to print badges, labels, and small banners. The chapter can now print name badges on-site at events, thereby creating a professional and efficient check-in experience for attendees, and it has the ability to include a question or icebreaker on the badges, which facilitates conversation and networking.

  • Ann Arbor - SOS Submission Form

  • Ann Arbor - How to Set Up Brother Printer

  • Ann Arbor - Brother QL-710W Brochure

  • Ann Arbor - Printing Name Badges Job Aid

YEAR: 2019

NEW YORK CITY CHAPTER: Monthly ATD Facilitator Webinar Series

SUMMARY: The chapter board created a virtual opportunity, the ATD Webinar Series, for those unable to attend the monthly chapter events in person. The offering provided more professional development opportunities that did not require travel and promoted Power Membership by highlighting a caliber of ATD presenters and thought leaders. These presenters volunteered their time, and most allowed the chapter to record the session. The chapter has approximately 50 participants per webinar without negatively impacting the success of its in-person events.

  • New York City - SOS Submission Form

YEAR: 2018

BUFFALO NIAGARA CHAPTER: Monthly Member Webinars

SUMMARY: The chapter found that many members were unable to attend monthly events due to job constraints and the chapter’s redundant use of speakers, and it decided to shift to monthly, recorded webinars for standing meetings. Using webinar technology, the chapter provided a variety of speakers addressing different areas of the ATD Competency Model. Moreover, because the presentations are recorded, the chapter developed a webcast archive for members, increasing the value of membership. Through the change, the chapter gained new members and now provides a wider variety of topics and programming.

  • Buffalo Niagara - SOS Submission Form

YEAR: 2018

PIEDMONT CHAPTER: Road Shows

SUMMARY: The chapter hosts an interactive program, know as a Road Show, where a local company opens its doors and hosts one of the chapter's monthly meeting events. The company shares best practices, stories about overcoming challenges, and processes used use to train its team.

  • Piedmont - SOS Submission Form

YEAR: 2015

HAWKEYE CHAPTER: Facilitating Program Meetings Across Different Geographic Locations

SUMMARY: Because the chapter supports four different regional locations in Iowa spanning a distance of up to 70 miles between cities but not large enough to support a Geographic Interest Group (GIG), the chapter developed “sites” to hold simultaneous programming. Each location has a "site coordinator" appointed by the board of directors and responsible for working with the VP Programs in facilitating our monthly programs. The chapter meets the same time each month allowing the site coordinator to work with the board to find a location within their city to host the program meeting. Members from that city or surrounding area attend the meeting in their site's host location and participate virtually in the chapter event. Facilitating these events in various locations allows the chapter to deliver the in-person networking opportunities its members desire.

  • Hawkeye - SOS Submission Form

  • Hawkeye - Site Coordinators' Meeting Checklist

  • Hawkeye - Agenda Template for Monthly Meeting

YEAR: 2015

HAWAII CHAPTER: AOE Event Stamp Card

SUMMARY: To support the development of the knowledge and skills that are defined in the Areas of Expertise specified in the ATD Competency Model, the chapter encouraged its members to sharpen their sword in each of these 10 areas by attending at least one event in each area.

  • Hawaii - SOS Submission Form

  • Hawaii - 2014 Stamp Card

  • Hawaii - 2015 Stamp Card

YEAR: 2014

ROCKY MOUNTAIN CHAPTER: Past & Future Leaders' Quorum

SUMMARY: With the goal of creating a stronger community among the board, chapter members, and the greater Denver learning community, the Rocky Mountain Chapter developed the Past & Future Leaders' Quorum. Through a collaboration of past and aspiring chapter leaders and the use of brainstorming techniques, including mind-mapping and World Café, the chapter collected ideas for future efforts to build the chapter.

  • Rocky Mountain - SOS Submission Form

  • Rocky Mountain - World Café Pamphlet

YEAR: 2014

ROCKY MOUNTAIN CHAPTER: Drink & Draw

SUMMARY: The chapter hosts a unique program that highlights visual note taking or graphical illustration that satisfies learners who are both inclined to learning visually, kinesthetically, as well as auditory with verbal step-by-step directions given during the program. A happy hour is provided to foster a relaxed environment allowing participants, who may be more introverted or self-conscious of their artistic ability, to relax, and lower inhibitions and have fun with learning.

  • Rocky Mountain - SOS Submission Form

  • Rocky Mountain - Transportation Cheat Sheet

  • Rocky Mountain - Drawing Cheat Sheet

  • Rocky Mountain - Kris Whittmann Bio

YEAR: 2014

ALASKA CHAPTER: GCI eLearning Case Study

SUMMARY: To demonstrate the value of eLearning, the chapter partnered with a local organization, GCI, to present an example of how eLearning can be implemented within a company using tools that are available on the market. The program doubled the chapter's normal attendance rates and resulted in an invite to present at the Alaska SHRM State Conference.

  • Alaska - SOS Submission Form

  • Alaska - GCI Program Press Release on Meet Up

  • Alaska - GCI PowerPoint with Notes

    Alaska - GCI PowerPoint

YEAR: 2014

GREATER CHATTANOOGA CHAPTER: Wild Apricot Certificate of Attendance

SUMMARY: The chapter received requests for proof of attendance at monthly meetings for attendees to demonstrate personal/professional growth to their employers. The chapter modified a Wild Apricot template to look like a certificate, which is emailed to all meeting attendees automatically after each event.

  • Greater Chattanooga - Wild Apricot Certificate of Attendance Submission

YEAR: 2013

SACRAMENTO CHAPTER: Trainer Throw-down

SUMMARY: To re-energize programming, the chapter devised an annual holiday event known as the "Trainer Throw-down." Six trainers were given 12 minutes to present their best material, and one winner was ultimately awarded the title of "Trainer Throw-down Champ."

  • Sacramento - SOS Submission Form

  • Sacramento - 2013 Pecha Kucha Event

  • Sacramento - 2012 Throw-Down Ballots

  • Sacramento - 2012 Throw-Down Flyer

  • Sacramento - Draft Email Blast

  • Sacramento - 2013 Contestant Bios

  • Sacramento - 2012 Event Agenda

YEAR: 2013

NEBRASKA CHAPTER: Providing HRCI Credits at Monthly Programs

SUMMARY: To provide certification credit for members and nonmembers and to attract attendance, the chapter began offering HR Certification Institute (HRCI) credit at monthly meetings.

  • Nebraska - SOS Submission Form

YEAR: 2013

GREATER DETROIT CHAPTER: Joint Event with ISPI

SUMMARY: The chapter partnered with the local chapter of ISPI to put on a training event that would benefit both participating groups. The chapters pooled together their resources to host the event, which led to an increase in membership for both chapters and created the beginnings of a strong partnership.

  • Greater Detroit - SOS Submission Form

YEAR: 2013

HAWKEYE CHAPTER: Non-Profit Training (NPT) Day

SUMMARY: The chapter developed a day where non-profit professionals could come attend chapter events for free that were specifically tailored to individuals who work or volunteer for a non-profit organization.

  • Hawkeye - Non-profit Training Day Submission

  • Hawkeye - NPT Day Press Release

  • Hawkeye - NPT Day Budget

  • Hawkeye - NPT Day Schedule

  • Hawkeye - NPT Day Flyer

  • Hawkeye - NPT Day Evaluation

  • Hawkeye - NPT Day Thank You Letter

  • Hawkeye - NPT Day Presenter Evaluation Questions

YEAR: 2012

CENTRAL IOWA CHAPTER: Professional Development Marketing Ad

SUMMARY: The chapter developed a marketing campaign to advertise the importance of attending programs.

  • Central Iowa - Professional Development Marketing Ad Submission

YEAR: 2012

CASCADIA CHAPTER: Learning Event Punch Card

SUMMARY: The Cascadia Chapter developed a rewards program for chapter member who attend their monthly events. After your fifth punch, you get the next event free.

  • Cascadia - Learning Event Punch Card Submission

    Cascadia - Learning Event Punch Card Process

YEAR: 2012

SOUTHEASTERN VIRGINIA CHAPTER: Career Club

SUMMARY: The Career Club meets on the second Saturday of each month to address topics such as finding federal service jobs, building a resume, helping the interviewer discover your qualifications, and the art of networking. The sessions cover a wide variety of topics to ensure the chapter is meeting the needs of new workplace learning professionals as well as individuals looking for the next opportunity.

YEAR: 2012

GREATER CHATTANOOGA CHAPTER: "If I Were President of ASTD, I would..."

SUMMARY: During a monthly meeting, all participants were asked to take out their business card, turn it over, and write, "If I were President of ASTD, I would...” They were asked to consider and enhancement, improvement, program, etc. they wanted the chapter to consider. At the end of the meeting, the business cards were collected and responses posted to the chapter website.

YEAR: 2010

UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA CHAPTER: Expanded Meeting Options

SUMMARY: This SOS describes what to do when your speaker cancels, addressing managing attendee expectations, assisting the speaker, providing g sufficient content, and paving the path to the next local ASTD event.

YEAR: 2010

ALASKA CHAPTER: When a Speaker Cancels

SUMMARY: This SOS describes what to do when your speaker cancels, addressing managing attendee expectations, assisting the speaker, providing g sufficient content, and paving the path to the next local ASTD event.

  • Alaska - SOS Submission Form

YEAR: 2008

EMERALD COAST CHAPTER: Attracting Speakers

SUMMARY: To attract high quality speakers on a limited budget, the Emerald Coast Chapter asked local resorts to contribute a night's stay to the speaker.

  • Emerald Coast - SOS Submission Form

YEAR: 2007

HAWKEYE CHAPTER: Chapter Meeting Evaluation

SUMMARY: The Iowa Hawkeye chapter created an evaluation that is used at the conclusion of every quarterly chapter meeting to receive feedback from the chapter’s members about the presenter, topic, and overall meeting itself. The feedback helps determine future meeting topics.

  • Hawkeye - SOS Submission Form

  • Hawkeye - Evaluation Form

  • Hawkeye - Evaluation Results

YEAR: 2004

Greater Atlanta Chapter: Creating a Chapter Internship Opportunity for Collegiate Students

SUMMARY: The chapter sought out ways to partner with local colleges and universities to increase student and young professional engagement. The chapter decided to create a talent development internship opportunity to support smaller projects so that volunteers could focus on more strategic work. The chapter allocated $3,600 to provide a summer internship opportunity to a student. The board partnered with career services at Georgia State University to develop a paid internship job description and sent it out to graduate school students. Work done by the intern included streamlining event messaging and email development for all 10 VP roles, creating marketing graphics and messaging in Canva, scheduling social media marketing campaigns, and more.

YEAR: 2021

Kansas City Chapter: 2020 Scholarship Program

SUMMARY: Due to a surplus in the chapter budget, the board approved a scholarship program during the 2020 strategic planning session. A committee of volunteers not on the board developed the program and created the scholarship eligibility criteria and application forms. The committee also reviewed the applications and selected the recipients. Scholarships included five Power Membership packages for Kansas City members, 10 Student Power Membership packages for Kansas City student members, five Kansas City Fall Conference registrations for Kansas City members, five Kansas City Fall Conference registrations for Kansas City student members, and one CPTD or APTD package for a Kansas City member. The chapter received eight applications and gave three Power Membership awards, three Kansas City fall conference registrations, and one APTD package scholarship. The scholarship program is a way for the chapter to help members who may not otherwise have access to these opportunities. The chapter plans to continue the program through partnerships and budgeting.

YEAR: 2020

Nebraska Chapter: Scholarship Fund

SUMMARY: The chapter turned the death of a valued board member into a positive, encouraging movement by forming the Julie Durmanskin Professional Education Scholarship. Designed to encourage members to continue to grow and develop their skills while removing financial barriers, the scholarship also provides the chapter's members, speakers, and supporters with a way to donate to the advancement of its members.

  • Nebraska - SOS Submission Form

YEAR: 2014

GREATER ATLANTA CHAPTER: Developing a New Normal for Talent Development Conferences—Going Hybrid With Whova

SUMMARY: The Greater Atlanta Chapter showcased a new way to share expertise and resources by combining in-person and virtual experiences via a low-cost hybrid event platform. Providing a virtual option allowed many people to attend, including individuals living outside Metro Atlanta, and permitted speakers to participate without travel. Conference participants also received a virtual swag bag that included curated YouTube playlists, virtual backgrounds, and a resource guide. Since the conference, the chapter has increased its membership, received positive feedback and publicity from current and potential sponsors and attendees, and gained a new strategic partner. The conference also brought in more than $4,000 in sponsorships, and both participants and partners have already expressed interest in returning for future events.

YEAR: 2022


GREATER ATLANTA CHAPTER: Tips to Quickly Increase Your Conference Registrations

SUMMARY: In August 2022, the Greater Atlanta Chapter hosted its first hybrid conference since the beginning of the pandemic. Three weeks prior to the event, there were only 55 registrants. In the remaining time, the chapter focused on direct marketing efforts via social media and email messaging. Due to their successful marketing campaign, the chapter more than doubled its registration numbers, impressed sponsors with its efforts, and improved financial outcomes.

YEAR: 2022


MADISON AREA: Defeat Zoom Fatigue—Refining Virtual Conferences

The Madison Area Chapter hosted a virtual conference to address its members’ Zoom fatigue by surveying members to see what topics they were interested in learning. Based on member feedback, the chapter developed the conference theme, “Humanizing the Virtual Experience.” The chapter hired a high-energy host to facilitate 30 minutes of games and networking to set the tone at the start of the conference. To make the event unique, the board scheduled three well-known speakers, provided lunch through Grubhub e-gift cards, and ensured all members received a copy of the speaker’s book. The conference had more than 90 registrants for the event, with peak attendance at 75 participants.

  • Madison Area - SOS Submission

YEAR: 2021

GREATER LAS VEGAS: Hosted an Unconference

The Greater Las Vegas Chapter knew its membership wanted additional opportunities to share best practices and network. The board decided to host an “unconference,” an event where the agenda is set but those who attend. The event had three breakout rooms based on the domains of the capability model: Impacting Organizational Impact, Building Personal Capability, and Developing Professional Capability. A board member stayed in each room with questions to help kick things off, but attendees were responsible for leading the conversation. The attendance for the 2020 Unconference doubled from the 2019 Unconference. Along with positive feedback from attendees, the chapter also gained new members from guests attending the event.

  • Greater Las Vegas - SOS Submission

  • Greater Las Vegas - Unconference Slide Deck

YEAR: 2021

HAWKEYE CHAPTER: Virtual Nonprofit Training Day

SUMMARY: The chapter hosted a virtual nonprofit training day so non-for-profit employees and volunteers can attend an accessible and quality training experience. The board and additional chapter volunteers ran the event via Zoom. The day consisted of breakout sessions and a networking opportunity. The president-elect led a committee of volunteers to plan the event, and the vice president of technology provided technical support during the day. The chapter decreased the registration fee per person from $35 in 2019 to $25 in 2020 and hosted 38 attendees.

  • Hawkeye - SOS Submission Form

  • Hawkeye - 2020 Non-Profit Training Day Webpage Post

YEAR: 2021

CAPITAL REGION CHAPTER: Going Virtual – Conferencing in Response to Crises

SUMMARY: The Capital Region Chapter faced an ultimatum earlier in 2020: adapt to a virtual environment or cancel its annual talent development conference. The chapter chose to adapt and hold its annual conference virtually. The team planning the conference was already deep into the planning process and had to adjust its plans to shift to a virtual platform. The two-day conference was done via one Zoom link and had 12 sessions. Having one link for the conference allowed attendees to be flexible with work and home schedules to attend sessions when they were available. The conference content and technology experience had an 87 percent overall satisfaction rate, with an average of 30 attendees per session. The chapter had a 100 percent interest from participants to attend the conference again next year.

YEAR: 2020

GREATER ATLANTA CHAPTER: Strengthen Your Annual Conference to Build Your Chapter

SUMMARY: The Greater Atlanta Chapter created a streamlined effort to put on its annual conference, Atlanta Conference and Expo (ACE). The chapter created a director position to oversee a whole team dedicated to planning and executing the conference. To ensure the conference continues to grow, the board created a leader and apprentice model. The director-elect shadows and assists the director for one year to step into the director role the following year. Having an entire team dedicated to the conference allowed the chapter to expand the conference schedule to attract the broader talent development community. Due to the streamlined effort and volunteer structure, ACE registration increased from 191 in 2018 to 259 in 2019.

YEAR: 2020

GREATER RICHMOND CHAPTER: Inaugural Regional Conference

SUMMARY: After conducting a needs assessment, the Greater Richmond Chapter decided to organize a regional conference to support local talent development practitioners. The one-day conference featured two keynotes and 12 breakout sessions that were aligned with four distinct tracks: e-learning, integrated talent development, leadership, and coaching. The chapter partnered with local chapters of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and the International Coach Federation (ICF) to welcome 65 attendees and 10 vendors. Following the conference, chapter membership increased by almost 57 percent, joint membership grew to 52 percent, and social media interactions went up by 150 percent.

  • Greater Richmond - SOS Submission Form

  • Greater Richmond - 2018 Regional Conference Marketing Plan

  • Greater Richmond - 2018 TDPC Facilitator Kit

  • Greater Richmond - 2018 TDPC Partnership Guidelines

  • Greater Richmond - 2018 TDPC RFP

  • Greater Richmond - 2018 TDPC Vendor and Sponsor Packet

  • Greater Richmond - ATD Conference Volunteer Information

  • Greater Richmond - TDPC Boiler Plate Letters

YEAR: 2019

CENTRAL OHIO CHAPTER: Annual Conference SOP and Checklist

SUMMARY: The chapter established standard operating procedures (SOP) to improve the experiences of those planning and attending the conference. In addition to the detailed SOP, the planning committee carefully vetted presenters, provided presentation materials to attendees to further support their learning, and utilized an event app to improve the attendee experience. The chapter also developed a logistics checklist to keep volunteers engaged and on track with various tasks. As a result of these efforts, the chapter’s conference generated over $12,000 in revenue, attendance increased by 7 percent, and 95 percent of those who completed the evaluation rated the conference as “good” or “excellent.”

  • Central Ohio - SOS Submission Form

  • Central Ohio - Logistics Checklist

  • Central Ohio - Script and Agenda

  • Central Ohio - Evaluation Summary

  • Central Ohio - PowerPoint Template

YEAR: 2019

KANSAS CITY CHAPTER: Gamification of Fall Conference

SUMMARY: The chapter identified a theme for its fall conference that would help engage attendees with sponsors and encourage them to remain present until the end of the day. The conference was centered around the game of “Clue,” and at the beginning of the day attendees were provided with instructions on how to participate. Attendees were given a case folder with each speaker’s information. In keeping with the theme, each speaker had a clue card, which was given to participants for attending the session. Additionally, each sponsor table had a weapon card for participants to collect. During the sessions, if someone asked insightful questions or shared their thoughts with the group, volunteers would then give them room cards. To win prizes at the end of the day, attendees were given a mystery to solve. If they were holding the correct cards, they won a door prize. The chapter received great feedback on conference evaluat
ions, increased sponsor interaction and satisfaction, and had fun while doing it.

  • Kansas City - SOS submission Form

  • Kansas City - Speaker Playing Card Sally

  • Kansas City - Speaker Playing Card Will

  • Kansas City - Session Speaker Description

YEAR: 2018

GREATER PHILADELPHIA CHAPTER: Reimagined Chapter Conference

SUMMARY: At the beginning of 2017, the chapter created a "Total Member Value" initiative to connect everything the chapter does back to the value provided to members. This initiative drove all aspects of the chapter including the conference, where the goal was to build an experience for each group the chapter serves: internal practitioners, 1099 individual practitioners, and sponsors. The chapter identified Drexel University to be a cosponsor, who would provide the space for free and would co-market the event. The chapter offered continuing education credits, which allowed them to cross market with SHRM, adding even more value. The conference experience extended past the one-day event. Sponsors were given the opportunity to sponsor a lunch-and-learn event in later months, and conference attendees could attend those future events. Overall, the conference sold out available sponsorships and received very high marks from participants and members.

  • Greater Philadelphia - SOS Submission Form

YEAR: 2017

CENTRAL OKLAHOMA CHAPTER: State Conference

SUMMARY: The Central Oklahoma and Tulsa chapters have created a partnership to hold a yearly state conference and alternate which chapter hosts the event. The Central Oklahoma Vice President and Past President gathered the conference knowledge, information, and tasks after hosting the conference to document and share with future conference planning teams. The idea is that the knowledge management for the conference will continue to improve this annual offering for the professionals in the area and will save an average of 120 hours in conference planning. The document extensively outlines all planning process steps. This will allow the team to continue to add value to the conference and grow the event’s reach in the community.

  • Central Oklahoma - SOS Submission Form

  • Central Oklahoma - Conference Summary Report

YEAR: 2017

SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA CHAPTER: Annual Chapter Conference: Transforming Talent Development

SUMMARY: The chapter created an annual conference to provide talent development professionals with an opportunity to experience a smaller version of ATD’s International Conference & Exposition. Talent development professionals from the local area had the opportunity to learn, transform, engage, and experience training transformation. Additionally, the chapter secured two sponsorships, lowered the cost per attendee to $5.25, and increased revenue from $750 in 2015 to $1,090 in 2016.

  • Southeast Virginia

     - SOS Submission Form

YEAR: 2017

UTAH CHAPTER: Getting Great Presenters for your Regional Conference

SUMMARY: The chapter found a way to recruit recognizable speakers for free using two options. First, an electronic billboard advertising the conference with the two keynote speakers prominently featured. Second, the chapter’s annual "ATD Utah Thought Leader" award. Stephen MR Covey and Alan Fine, the two keynote speakers drew record breaking attendance to the one-day, state wide conference. Because of the record attendance (with over 40% non-member attendance), 28 new members joined the chapter at the membership table located in the exposition area.

  • Utah - SOS Submission Form

YEAR: 2015

SOUTH CAROLINA MIDLANDS CHAPTER: ATD South Carolina Midlands Partnership with the Disney Institute

SUMMARY: The chapter partnered with Disney Institute to bring the program “Disney’s Approach to Selection, Training & Engagement” to the training and development professionals in the area. The Disney Institute provided participants with tips and insights, which could be used to build and sustain the participants’ organizational cultures regarding training and organizational development. This successful event drew 145 attendees and the chapter earned several thousand dollars in profits.

  • South Carolina Midlands - SOS Submission Form

YEAR: 2015

NEW ENGLAND AREA CHAPTERS: Successful Multi-Chapter Conferences

SUMMARY: For the past three years, eight local New England chapters have joined together to plan and implement a major New England area conference. The event supports the ATD brand across the region, increases local chapter membership, encourages networking, includes best-practice presenters, and enables and, in fact, drives cross-chapter collaboration and volunteerism. Best of all, it is exceptionally profitable, bringing thousands of dollars of revenue to each chapter -- allowing them to fund things like ALC attendance.

  • New England Area Chapters - SOS Submission Form

  • New England Area Chapters - 10 Secrets for Creating a Successful Chapter Conference

YEAR: 2014

GREATER RICHMOND CHAPTER: Creation of a DEI SIG

SUMMARY: In response to chapter interests, the Greater Richmond Chapter founded a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Special Interest Group (SIG). The new SIG reflected the chapter’s commitment to building diverse and inclusive teams while providing a space for chapter members to share their perspectives and gain practical skills to address DEI challenges and opportunities in talent development. The DEI SIG functioned as a forum for members to address transforming organizational culture to foster more inclusive communities that are attuned to diverse personal and professional backgrounds, experiences, and insights. It quickly became one of the chapter’s most popular programs with high levels of registration and attendance.

YEAR: 2022

MARYLAND CHAPTER: Developing a Community of Practice

SUMMARY: In 2021, the Maryland Chapter wanted to improve its succession planning strategy while also providing its chapter members with additional membership benefits. To meet these goals, the board decided to develop Communities of Practice within the chapter to allow for additional leadership opportunities as a step toward becoming a board member. In addition, specialized forums were created for members to discuss industry challenges, APTD® and CPTD® certification, and more. As a result, the chapter increased its engagement, recruited new chapter leaders, and improved its joint membership numbers.

YEAR: 2022

NEW YORK CITY: Chapter Performance Support Community of Practice

SUMMARY: The New York City Chapter’s Performance Support Special Interest Group created a Community of Practice. The CoP is a project-based group fo3cused on creating performance support materials that benefit the participating individuals and our chapter. The group worked together to create a sidekick (an onscreen quick reference guide focused on helping chapter leaders be more consistent while creating an event in Wild Apricot). The team also created a template that helps chapter leaders capture the event information needed prior to adding it to Wild Apricot. Those who participated have a finished product they can use to show their work, and the project benefited the chapter’s marketing of events.

YEAR: 2021

Buffalo Niagara: Open Mic Night for Learning Professionals SIG

SUMMARY: The Buffalo Niagara Chapter created a special interest group (SIG) for facilitators. The SIG hosts an open mic night where facilitators can try different classroom techniques, activities, ice breakers, lectures, and more, then receive immediate feedback from the group. At the event, presenters are given a 15-minute block of time. Once the presentation has concluded, attendees fill out a feedback form and share their thoughts directly with the presenter. Whether presenting or attending the most recent open mic, all participants shared they were uplifted by either receiving valuable feedback from peers or learning something in the process of work shopping an activity, lecture, and so forth, respectively.

YEAR: 2020

MID NEW JERSEY CHAPTER: Increase Engagement With SIG Synergy

SUMMARY: The chapter was struggling to meet the diverse programming needs of its membership. Several groups wanted to attend programs on specific topics that would not appeal to the membership as a whole. In order to meet these needs, the chapter established two new special interest groups (SIGs) on facilitation and technology and focused the chapter’s general events on networking and building generally applicable skills. As a result of this shift in strategy, the chapter produced more relevant and higher quality programming for its entire audience. It also created more targeted and meaningful volunteer opportunities for its membership.

YEAR: 2019

MAINE CHAPTER: Professional Development and Networking for Consultants

SUMMARY: Chapter leaders identified a need for networking and professional development opportunities among its members who work as consultants. The chapter created a consultants’ special interest group (SIG) to meet these needs and designated a board liaison to ensure that the SIG remained aligned with the chapter’s overall strategy. The SIG has improved consultants’ satisfaction with the chapter, increased chapter membership, and heightened consultants’ awareness of the resources available through both ATD and the chapter.

YEAR: 2019

GREATER CINCINNATI CHAPTER: Framework for Mini Hands-On Events

SUMMARY: The Greater Cincinnati Chapter developed a consistent meeting format that took a hands-on approach to learning. During its three annual meetings, the chapter’s Dayton Geographic Interest Group (GIG) will invite a subject matter expert (SME) to share information about how they implemented a learning solution within their organization. The SME guides groups of participants through a structured activity where they are asked to develop a solution to a problem. The workshops enable participants to focus on building tools and plans that are readily applicable to their organizations, and, as a result, event attendance has continued to increase.

YEAR: 2019

ORANGE COUNTY CHAPTER: Project-Based Learning and Development

SUMMARY: The Orange County Chapter’s training and technology special interest group (SIG) enables members to develop their e-learning development skills in a safe, project-based learning environment while supporting a local nonprofit. Over the course of a year, the SIG held meetings to discuss the course development process, create storyboards, and collect feedback from the nonprofit OneOC. The end result was an online tutorial that enabled OneOC’s clients to quickly recruit and onboard volunteers. OneOC awarded the chapter with a Spirit of Volunteerism Award and has also connected with the chapter to identify facilitators for upcoming programs. One SIG participant even landed a new job because of her involvement with the project.

YEAR: 2019

NEW YORK CITY CHAPTER: People Science SIG

SUMMARY: The chapter held a human capital analytics event that was so well-received that the board decided to set up a special interest group (SIG) to cater to those interested in the subject. The SIG is co-led by a college professor who runs his own analytics and a corporate analytics manager, and addresses such topics as turnover, learning analytics, organizational effectiveness, and engagement. To allow for meaningful conversation, the SIG meetings are capped at 35 participants, which has led to sold-out meetings since the group’s inception. The chapter has also benefited from suggestions on data cleanup and data capture as the SIG uses the aggregated chapter data as a training tool.

YEAR: 2018

LONG ISLAND CHAPTER: SIG for the Industrial Organizational Psychology Student Association of Hofstra University

SUMMARY: To engage master’s students from Hofstra University with the Long Island chapter, the board worked with an adjunct professor to reach out to the Industrial-Organizational Psychology Student Association on campus. Because the student organization already existed, they only had to get it approved at the organizational and program level. The students in the organization had to say they wanted to be a part of the Student Interest Group (SIG) and the program director (director and chair of the department) had to agree. The chapter helps secure speakers for their events, and can work with the group for space as needed for full chapter meetings and events. The SIG has been around for about seven months and the chapter is working to establish future SIGs.

YEAR: 2018

METRO DC CHAPTER: Career Services Portfolio

SUMMARY: The chapter created and improved its Career Services portfolio in order to provide value for its members, increase member engagement, and help "match up" members interested in new opportunities and independent consultants with local employers/hiring managers/businesses.

YEAR: 2014

NEW YORK METRO CHAPTER: On-site Practitioner Series

SUMMARY: The New York University Student Special Interest Group (NYU SIG) leadership team desired to create opportunities for more junior "aspiring" members of the profession to network with and learn from seasoned L&D practitioners. Through this series, the members meet at the featured employer’s site, receive a briefing by the senior L&D manager in charge, hear remarks from mid-level and front-line unit personnel, and tour their training space.

YEAR: 2013

MISSISSIPPI CHAPTER: Incorporating GIGs Into Chapter Activities and Administration

SUMMARY: The Mississippi chapter holds a joint meeting with our GIGs each June. The joint meeting rotates among the chapter/GIG locations. The chapter also added to the By-Laws to incorporate GIG administration. Approval of the by-laws concerning financial matters eased chapter relations with the GIGs.

YEAR: 2011

AUSTIN CHAPTER: Special Interest Group Webinar

SUMMARY: The Austin chapter's healthcare SIG is made up of a specialized group of professionals. In an effort to take advantage of expertise in other parts of the country the chapter held a webinar as their SIG meeting. They found a presenter who created a terrific human anatomy DVD to demonstrate a product and speak about its development via webinar.

YEAR: 2010

GREATER ATLANTA CHAPTER: SIG/GIGs – Heartbeat of the Chapter

SUMMARY: The Greater Atlanta chapter has seven (7) active Special Interest Groups (SIGS). Each of these SIGs tailors their six events annually to the interests of learning professionals within their specific learning environment. Greater Atlanta also currently has 3 active Geographic Interest Groups (GIGs). Each SIG/GIG has 3+ volunteers that coordinate the speakers, locations and topics for that group. This approach allows for a shared workload and built-in networking opportunity.

YEAR: 2009

GREATER ATLANTA CHAPTER: Yahoo SIG/GIG Leaders Group

SUMMARY: The Greater Atlanta chapter created a Yahoo Leaders Group as a way to bring together all of the 30+ volunteers that make up the 10 Atlanta SIG/GIGs. The leadership team for each SIG/GIG can log into Yahoo and access the ASTD Atlanta SIG/GIG Leadership Group. Members of this group can post comments, ideas, pictures and past event presentations.

YEAR: 2009

MID-NEW JERSEY CHAPTER: Sales Training PDN 2009 Business Plan

SUMMARY: The Mid-New Jersey chapter developed a set of goals and a structured plan of action for the Mid-NJ Sales Training Professional Development Network (a.k.a. SIG).

YEAR: 2008

MIDLANDS CHAPTER: Formal Approach to a Geographic Interest Group (GIG) partnership

SUMMARY: The Midlands chapter formed a GIG partnership with Low Country (Charleston, South Carolina area) to reach out to members who previously did not derive benefit from their local and/or national membership due to distance. The chapter’s vision is to provide local chapter benefits to their GIG until such time as they have sufficient membership to form their own ASTD chapter.

YEAR: 2007

LOS ANGELES CHAPTER: Special Interest Groups and Special Divisions

SUMMARY: Los Angeles Special Interest Groups [SIGs] and Special Divisions (SDs) were created by the chapter to address a growing demand by their membership to better address their diverse needs.

YEAR: 2006

GREATER ATLANTA: Talent Development Capability Model-Based Mentoring Program

The Greater Atlanta Chapter updated its mentoring program structure to accommodate more participants and focus on the Talent Development Capability Model. The program runs for six months with a different focus area of the Capability Model every two months. For two months, mentees and mentors focus on one area of the Capability Model to help them in their job and career path. At the end of the six months, the mentees give capstone presentations. The chapter filled all 10 mentees and mentor spots and received positive feedback.

YEAR: 2021

NORTH DAKOTA: Virtual Peer Mentoring Groups

SUMMARY: The North Dakota Chapter has members across the state, but the board noticed that the chapter’s geographic reach made it challenging for members to connect in person. To address this challenge, the board created a sub-committee to create and implement virtual peer mentoring groups. The committee used the chapter’s annual member survey to select the top seven talent development topics of interest and assigned a topic to each group. Chapter members who signed up for the program were assigned to a group based on their topic interest. Through Zoom, the peer mentoring groups met regularly for six months, and one-third of the chapter participated in the pilot of the program. According to the post-program survey, participants were satisfied with the experience as the program allowed them to learn, share, and connect with fellow chapter members. The chapter also received feedback that those who regularly facilitated the groups’ conversations expressed interest in continuing their volunteer journey through chapter board service. This program has been a major value-add for the chapter and its members. As a result, the virtual mentoring groups now run on a consistent, six-month interval, starting in January and June.

YEAR: 2020


METRO DC: Mentoring Program

SUMMARY: The Metro DC Chapter revamped its mentoring program to create a more action-oriented and engaging environment for its participants. The nine-month program alternates between meetings as a cohort and one-on-one meetings with the mentoring program partner. Mentoring partners underwent a matching process in which participants were asked about their career goals and aspirations in addition to their values, outside interests, and role models to ensure the best fit of mentoring partner and participant. Following completion of the curriculum developed by the program committee, the program culminates in a capstone presentation through which participants share their progress on specific career goals or general growth over the course of their participation in the program. As a result of the changes, the first session of the new mentoring program resulted in two participants joining the board and four participants signing on as community of practice leaders.

YEAR: 2019

CHICAGOLAND CHAPTER: Student Ambassador Program - Bringing New Energy into the Talent Development Profession

SUMMARY: In 2016, the director of university relations focused on creating and developing relationships with colleges and universities that offer degree programs in talent development. Chicagoland began a student ambassador program to embody the goals of bringing new energy into the chapter and develop the next generation of talent development professionals. The program is strategically designed to provide meaningful learning experiences to students, the institutions they attend, and the chapter.

YEAR: 2017

SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN CHAPTER: Successful Partnership with United Way

SUMMARY: For the past five years, the Southeastern Wisconsin chapter has successfully partnered with the United Way of Milwaukee to provide volunteer opportunities as well as facilitation, training, and coaching development opportunities to dozens of ATD members. In 2016, 13 chapter members gave their time and talents to the program providing communications and presentation skills development to hundreds of area professionals. This is the chapters longest running and most successful annual partnership program.

YEAR: 2017

SOUTH FLORIDA CHAPTER: STRATEGIC COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP

SUMMARY: The chapter established and cultivated a relationship with Barry University, a local, private university that has strong Masters and PhD. programs in Organizational Learning and Leadership. Year after year, the chapter helps connect students with many opportunities and expose them to the field, a network of experts and mentors, and practical knowledge. The partnership with the university has grown over the years, and the university now hosts chapter events, acts as a monetary sponsor, supports community outreach panels, manages a mentorship program, and funnels its students to the chapter as volunteers and potential members of the chapter’s board of directors.

YEAR: 2016

ROCHESTER CHAPTER: DEI Initiative

SUMMARY: Beginning in 2020, the Rochester Chapter committed to making diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) central to chapter operations and incorporating it into the ATD Talent Development Capability Model. Over the next two years, the chapter brought on a VP of DEI as a standalone board position, founded a DEI community of practice to discuss the intersection of DEI and leadership and development, and explored diversifying chapter membership and bringing a DEI lens into existing programming. As part of their commitment to facilitating productive conversation around DEI, the board also developed a set of dialogue guidelines to be shared with the chapter. Additionally, the chapter hosted both a mini conference on DEI and a series of inclusion labs where participants discussed issues like inclusive language, policies, and instructional design, as well as developed practical tools to bring equitable practices into the field. Over time, these DEI-centered activities have helped increase member engagement, recruit new members, and generate positive feedback from attendees.

YEAR: 2022

SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN CHAPTER: Integrating DEI Practices Into Monthly Events

SUMMARY: To strengthen their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), the Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter developed a strategy to find speakers from underrepresented groups and encourage presenters to connect their topics to DEI. By proactively recruiting speakers from diverse backgrounds, they ensured a greater variety of voices were featured in chapter programming. Furthermore, by reaching out to speakers in advance and asking them to explicitly discuss the DEI implications of their topics during their presentations, they integrated a DEI lens into regular chapter programming throughout the year. As a result, the chapter held 14 events that specifically touched on DEI throughout 2021. Their member survey indicated that 91 percent of chapter members feel welcome at chapter events.

YEAR: 2022

GREATER ATLANTA CHAPTER: Creating a Quick and Easy Chapter Podcast

SUMMARY: The Greater Atlanta Chapter created a podcast to build a network of experts to collaborate with and make talent development concepts accessible to the chapter. The chapter created a recording setup and found guests by having the board submit names and topics. They use a hosting site to upload and host the podcast then market it on social media and at chapter events. Within the first month of publishing, the podcast had 100 downloads. They have also had more than 15 people reach out and agree to be speakers and have included an appearance on the podcast as a benefit of chapter sponsorship.

YEAR: 2021

METRO DC CHAPTER: Beltway Broadcast Podcast

SUMMARY: The Metro DC Chapter was looking for more ways to engage its members and the talent development community. A team started The Beltway Podcast. The team (also known as the “Podsquad”) represents chapter volunteers who also serve in board positions: the 2021 vice president of learning, vice president of finance, director of technology and operations, and director of virtual program. They created a formal process to ensure the podcast’s continuity and professionalism to promote it and future-proof it, which ensures it will remain relevant for future boards as well as connected to chapter initiatives. The podcast gives members and nonmembers alike, consistent access to talent development-related tips, recommendations, practical advice, and knowledge-sharing in a fun and creative way. The podcast has 30 episodes out with 1,009 downloads from 31 states and 26 countries.

YEAR: 2021

SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN CHAPTER: Incorporating Diversity Through Partnerships

SUMMARY: The Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter was looking to create a community that feels welcoming to all members of the talent development community. The chapter fostered a relationship with the local chapter of the National Association for African Americans in Human Resources (NAAAHR). Through conversations and active listening, both chapters uncovered opportunities for shared purposes. The chapter invited members of the NAAAHR to select events as guests, co-hosted events, co-promoted events, and featured their speakers at chapter events. The chapter had more event engagement and was able to have several senior leaders who were NAAAHR members be speakers or panelists at events and were able to offer members access to relevant NAAAHR events as guest members.

YEAR: 2021

WEST MICHIGAN CHAPTER: Trivia for All

SUMMARY: The West Michigan Chapter was feeling the loss of engagement and community from not having in-person networking time after events when they moved to virtual programming. To continue to develop relationships, the chapter conducted a Trivia Night focused on debunking myths within the talent development community. This was a short professional event where they could learn while having fun as a community. They created ten questions around common myths that they personally have been guilty of or have heard recently. They then debunked the myths and highlighted the benefits of each point to the audience. The chapter event attracted two new chapter members and one new board member.

YEAR: 2021

NEW MEXICO CHAPTER: On-Demand Learning Using YouTube

SUMMARY: The New Mexico Chapter wanted to meet its chapter members’ needs for virtual programming. Knowing that Zoom fatigue was settling in, the chapter decided to experiment with on-demand learning. Chapter leaders filmed an interview with Pamela Fuller of FranklinCovey and author of The Leader’s Guide to Unconscious Bias. By filming the interview and posting it on the chapter’s YouTube channel, they reached a wider audience and added value to its membership. In just one month, the video has 65 views, and the chapter has received positive reaction from members.

YEAR: 2021


ROCKY MOUNTAIN CHAPTER: Book Exchange

SUMMARY: The Rocky Mountain Chapter created a member-only benefit on its website for a talent development book swap. Books about the industry can sometimes be expensive, and the chapter had a few members retiring who were looking to give away their books. To simplify the process, the chapter created a member-only webpage and forum through which they can request books or post the books they would like to give away. The members work with each other directly to determine pick up/drop off of books. When the chapter returns to in-person meetings, the goal is to establish a library for the chapter. This strategy created an added bonus for members and provided and opportunity increase learning at little to no cost.

YEAR: 2021

FORT WORTH/MID-CITIES CHAPTER: Hybrid Virtual/In-Person Chapter

SUMMARY: The chapter had been engaging members through virtual programming as per their local and state restrictions for the majority of 2020. Once restrictions began to lift, the chapter started looking at what options it had to host programs.* As eager as the chapter was to get back to in-person meetings, the board knew a virtual meeting option would need to be incorporated. To host a hybrid event allowing for in-person and virtual attendance, the chapter used two tripods and set up an iPad and iPhone for the video stream live on Zoom. The chapter also purchased a wireless microphone, which was imperative for maintaining the audio quality. In a strictly virtual format, event attendance began to dwindle; however, the hybrid offering totaled 25 attendees, with 15 attending in person.

*Please note, the chapter went through an extensive risk-management assessment and followed all state, local, and Centers for Disease Control guidelines to host an in-person event. Please see the chapter’s Risk Assessment SOS for more details.

YEAR: 2021

CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA CHAPTER: Capability Conversations

SUMMARY: The chapter’s most-attended event each year is its annual talent development panel. To better accommodate a virtual environment, the chapter hosted a TED-like event focused on the Talent Development Capability Model. Two to four presenters would each have 12–15 minutes to share their knowledge and experience. The chapter kept the event affordable by generating $900 in event sponsorship, which exceeded the original goal of $600. Due to the sponsorships, the event was free to chapter members and the cost was significantly reduced for nonmembers, from $40 to $5. The chapter had 37 event attendees, of which included 13 were nonmembers, who rated the event a five out of five in satisfaction.

YEAR: 2021

METRO DC CHAPTER: Virtual Networking Happy Hour Series

SUMMARY: To empower members to learn about specific capabilities from ATD’s Talent Development Capability Model, the Metro DC Chapter created a structured networking event happy hour series that encouraged learning in a fun and social atmosphere. Each event starts with an introduction along with a set of slides to foster a connected, virtual experience. The event continues with the opportunity for participants to connect and share their top-of-mind items. The moderator then transitions into an interactive game based on a specific talent development capability. The chapter has additional support staff who helps with technical items and an assigned “chief fun officer” (virtual programs volunteer) to help when the session’s energy needs a little bit of bump. The happy hour series has kept the chapter connected in a virtual setting and encouraged members to volunteer.

YEAR: 2021

NEW YORK CITY, EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA, GREATER PHILADELPHIA, NORTHERN NEW JERSEY, MID NEW JERSEY, AND LONG ISLAND CHAPTERS: Partnering With Regional Sister Chapters to Expand Programming

SUMMARY: Six regional chapters including Eastern Pennsylvania, Greater Philadelphia, Northern New Jersey, Mid New Jersey, Long Island, and New York City joined their resources to expand and offer a wide range of programming topics. All chapter members, regardless of the chapter, can join an event for free or for the price of the host chapter member pricing. The chapters created a detailed action plan with guides on the implementation of event setup and pricing structure. Each chapter hosted two events, as a chapter must host the event for it to count toward the CARE element of hosting six professional development activities throughout the year. The partnership has expanded the value of chapter membership and allowed chapter members to network with other talent development professionals across the region.

Year: 2020

GREATER CHATTANOOGA CHAPTER: Partnerships Without Boundaries

SUMMARY: The Greater Chattanooga Chapter partnered with the Mobile SHRM chapter in Alabama to offer various virtual programming that caters to the talent development community and the human resource–focused professionals within the chapter. Both organizations were looking to expand membership value by offering HR Certification Institute (HRCI), Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), Associate Professional in Talent Development (APTD), and Certified Professional Talent Development (CPTD) recertification credits. By partnering on events, both organizations offer various recertification credits for one event. The partnership has given the chapter the ability to reach beyond state borders to provide a quality membership experience to its own members.

YEAR: 2020

NASHVILLE CHAPTER: Supporting Professionals in Transition During a Pandemic

The Nashville Chapter created a three-pronged approach to supporting the Nashville talent development community during the pandemic. First, the board created a free three-month membership for all membership types. Second, the chapter created a virtual forum series to give members space to discuss the pandemic’s challenges. Lastly, the chapter created a virtual coffee chat series offered twice a month to connect members for resume reviews, virtual interview tips, and self-care tips, and more. The chapter has seen an increase in participation from 30 attendees a month pre-COVID-19 to between 75–90 attendees a month by August 2020.

YEAR: 2020

SOUTH FLORIDA CHAPTER: Virtual TD Talks: Going Online Overnight

The South Florida Chapter quickly adjusted its Virtual TD Talk series to center around the growing need of chapter members to learn how to convert learning content to an online delivery. Additionally, the chapter provided weekly learning and professional development opportunities and increased speaking opportunities for the talent development community. The additional effort toward the Virtual TD Talks kept chapter members engaged and connected to their community while giving them a space to learn new skills.

YEAR: 2020

HAWAI'I CHAPTER: ATD Hawai’i Responds to Systemic Racism

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) are vital within talent development and the workplace. The Hawai’i Chapter knew it needed to address DE&I within its community and foster awareness of implicit bias and systemic racism. The chapter partnered with other nonprofits to hold a panel-led webinar, The Leadership We Need Now: How to Take Action Against Systemic Racism. The webcast had 271 people attend the live session and 163 view the recording.

YEAR: 2020

GREATER BOSTON CHAPTER: Build a Process to Deliver Thriving Virtual Events

The Boston Chapter created a standard operating procedure to streamline virtual events utilizing Google Drive. Using the collaboration platform to manage and organize event information, the process offers specific instructions to the chapter leaders responsible for creating and marketing events to ensure a smooth rollout. The chapter found success using the virtual events standard operating procedure with its Measurement Special Interest Group (SIG). The SIG’s in-person event planned for April quickly shifted to a four-part web series via Zoom using the virtual events standard operating procedure. The standard operating procedure is considered a catalyst in the SIG’s growth, from 20 members participating in person in 2019 to more than 80 members now participating virtually.

YEAR: 2020

ST. LOUIS CHAPTER: Free Virtual Programming During Covid-19

The St. Louis Chapter led a partnership with the Detroit, Ann Arbor, Central Indiana, Central Ohio, Chicagoland, Detroit, and West Michigan chapters to offer free virtual programming for its members during the month of April. Labeled “Free April,” the series consisted of 15 one-hour programs focusing on how to manage the evolving training function during a difficult and challenging time and features topics such as “Engaging Virtual Learning,” “When Online Is the Only Way,” “Leadership in Times of Uncertainty,” “Using Visual Body Language to Engage Others in Virtual Environments,” and more. The chapter’s Level 1 evaluation scores averaged 4.5 out of five, and the chapters are considering continuing the collaboration throughout the remainder of the year.

YEAR: 2020


NEW YORK CITY CHAPTER: Connecting Our Community via LinkedIn

The New York City Chapter begins every chapter event helping their attendees connect with one another through LinkedIn. As attendees arrive, they are reminded to download and open the LinkedIn app and turn on their phone’s Bluetooth. A chapter member facilitates the activity by explaining the “Find Nearby” function on the app, while other chapter members walk around the room to assist attendees. This practice allows participants to easily and immediately connect on LinkedIn during the short activity. By enabling attendees to connect, the chapter forms a stronger community during and after each chapter event.

YEAR: 2020

MADISON AREA CHAPTER: Adjusting to Online Event Needs

Due to COVID-19 and the new social distancing guidelines, the Madison Area Chapter recognized the immediate need to shift its monthly chapter event to a virtual platform. Rather than overwhelm the scheduled presenter to shift from a classroom format to an online environment, the chapter leveraged the talents of its board to quickly develop a program, Virtual Meeting Tools and Best Practices. The program provided an overview of virtual training, best practices, opportunities for virtual engagement, and an open forum for questions and discussion. The chapter held the event for free through the chapter’s Zoom account and invited other local groups. Four days after announcing the event, registration quickly hit the limit of 100 participants. To accommodate all interested attendees, the chapter held two sessions that attracted 140 participants and more than 90 recording views just days following the live program.

YEAR: 2020

SOUTH CAROLINA MIDLANDS CHAPTER: Midland Education and Business Alliance

SUMMARY: In 2017, members of the South Carolina Midlands Chapter Board voted to establish a nonprofit partnership with the Midlands Education and Business Alliance (MEBA). MEBA's mission is to “connect students of all ages, parents, and educators to career opportunities through business partnerships, training and resources.” The South Carolina Midlands Chapter identified alignment in MEBA’s mission, and the chapter offered to provide volunteers to speak at schools through the MEBA partnership. In 2018, the chapter launched the Soft Skills Summit, a mini conference experience for high school sophomores in three under-served districts in MEBA's network. In 2019, the chapter held the second annual Soft Skills Summit, expanding the offering to include a second keynote and an additional 20 students. The experience allowed chapter members to serve the community while perfecting their talent development skills.

YEAR: 2020

MADISON AREA CHAPTER: Coffee and Credentialing— A Certification Conversation

SUMMARY: The Madison Area Chapter dedicated the month of October 2019 to conversations around ATD certification and credentialing. The chapter set up a coffee shop Q&A with credential holders from the chapter board. Those who shared their experience, promoted the Associate Professional in talent Development (APTD) and Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD) to members framing ATD certifications as powerful career development opportunities for talent development professionals. The event had more than 20 attendees and fostered an open conversation around the certification process. The chapter kept event costs low by holding the gathering at a local business and paying for attendees’ coffee by requesting supporting marketing materials from ATD chapter services.

YEAR: 2020

DETROIT CHAPTER: Networking in a Box

SUMMARY: The Detroit Chapter desired to encourage networking at events in a structured way to respect the time of both speakers and attendees. To achieve this goal, the chapter compiled a networking activities toolbox of nine activities to be used during any event or chapter meeting. Activities in the toolkit include a networking scavenger hunt, bingo, tabletop questions, perfect pair questions, and a casting call activity. Because of these activities, the chapter encouraged interaction amongst professionals, allowing for relationship-building and engagement. Consequently, ratings on event evaluations have improved by 15 percent and attendee arrival prior to presentation time has improved.

YEAR: 2020

NORTHWEST ARKANSAS CHAPTER: Virtual Roundtable

SUMMARY: The chapter held a free virtual roundtable through which members and guests shared a bit about themselves and the projects they are working on to seek help on their respective work. Through the event, the chapter endeavored to foster a sense of community among local professionals and create more intimate connections. As a direct result of the roundtable, several members connected offline to learn more from one other another and continue their conversations. The event received positive feedback from attendees and led to insights on possible topics and speakers for the coming year.

YEAR: 2020

BAY COLONIES CHAPTER: “Let’s Talk About . . . ” Chapter Event Format

SUMMARY: To streamline its event planning process, the Bay Colonies Chapter desired to create an event that it could repurpose each year leading to the creation of the “Let’s Talk About . . . ” event. The event starts with an overview of the main topic selected based on current needs and industry trends. The main topic is then broken down into five discussion areas set up around the room, and each attendee participates in three of those discussions. Brief introductions are made upon arriving at different tables, and each table leader facilitates the discussion so that all attendees have an opportunity to peer share. In 2019, the chapter “Let’s Talk About . . . ” event focused on diversity and inclusion. Forty-nine people attended the event (30 members and 19 non-members), representing 52 percent of the chapter’s membership. Through the “Let’s Talk About . . . ” format, the chapter increased networking opportunities, allowed attendees the ability to choose their adventure, and involved local community members as facilitators and table leaders.

YEAR: 2020

SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN CHAPTER: Excellence in Strategic Partnerships

SUMMARY: In an effort to help shape talent development efforts regionally, the chapter proactively pursued a relationship with the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC), a key private-sector partner for economic development with 1,800 member businesses with more than 300,000 employees. The chapter worked with the MMAC to co-promote the chapter’s event, “Leaders of Learning Forum: Digital Disruption and How It Impacts Workforce Development.” The publicity of the event garnered 16 nonmember attendees, and two new members. In addition, the chapter's members are eligible to participate in all MMAC member benefits. In 2020, the partnership will continue with the chapter participating in the MMAC-hosted Talent Matters series.

YEAR: 2020

BUFFALO NIAGARA CHAPTER: Learning Social Series

SUMMARY: The chapter desired to host social activities that subtly included learning moments. These events typically feature four components: food and drink, learning, networking, and a leader’s learning journey. The events fostered community in settings that differed from the chapter’s traditional programming and allowed members to see that learning and development can occur in unexpected places.

YEAR: 2020

CENTRAL OHIO CHAPTER: Emerging Professionals Showcase and Look and Learn

SUMMARY: The chapter developed a program with two distinct goals: provide emerging professionals with an opportunity to demonstrate their skills and get feedback from coaches in the industry and support the growth of talent development professionals through experiencing and asking questions of tenured professionals who created unique programs. The first half of the evening was dedicated to emerging professionals who delivered 15-minute presentations and received targeted feedback from a panel of coaches. The second half of the evening featured a “Look and Learn” where attendees took a gallery walk and viewed examples of eLearning designed local to the Central Ohio area. The program had 31 attendees, 17 virtual participants, and increased awareness of the chapter in the local community.

YEAR: 2019

SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN CHAPTER: Partnering With Organizational Members for Certification Revenue Sharing

SUMMARY: The chapter planned to host a gamification certification with an external vendor which offered a revenue sharing agreement allowing the chapter to make a profit off the event. Following outreach to the chapter’s organizational members, the chapter identified one member organization interested in sending more than ten members to the program. The chapter arranged for the vendor to host two events, one specifically for the organization member’s audience and a public event for anyone in the area. By introducing the organization to the vendor and booking back-to-back events, the vendor saved on travel expenses allowing the chapter to increase its revenue share. Ultimately, net revenue for the program grew from $3,000 to $4,500 and attendance increased from 20 participants to 35.

YEAR: 2019

DETROIT CHAPTER: Chapters Unite to Market and Feed the Need for Lifelong Learning

SUMMARY: The Ann Arbor, Detroit, and Greater Toledo Chapters collaborated to organize an outing to a Detroit Tigers game. The outing was linked to the Detroit chapter’s back-to-school supplies drive, which enabled the chapters to secure complimentary tickets from the Tigers’ Foundation and give back to the community. Members had the opportunity to bring their families and connect with one another. Additionally, the chapters were recognized during the game on the scoreboard, through swag that was distributed at the event, and through promotion on social media.

YEAR: 2019

NEW MEXICO CHAPTER: Partnering for Programs With Sister Organizations

SUMMARY: Many of the New Mexico Chapter’s members are government employees with limited professional development budgets that prevent them from attending larger industry conferences. To showcase takeaways from the eLearning Guild’s 2018 DevLearn Conference, the chapter collaborated with local organizations to host a joint event facilitated by a conference attendee. In collaboration with the International Society for Performance Improvement, International Coaching Federation, and University of New Mexico, the New Mexico Chapter showcased industry best practices in an affordable and convenient location. The chapter received glowing feedback about the event and gained several new members.

YEAR: 2019

SAN DIEGO CHAPTER: Applying Human-Centered Design at Work and ATD

SUMMARY: Board members wanted to collect feedback to redesign the chapter’s programs but feared they would not receive substantial responses through the annual membership survey. To collect better data, the chapter hosted an event on human-centered design that focused on the chapter’s “end user,” its members. The event allowed members to learn more about the methodology while providing invaluable feedback that led the chapter to redesign its website, establish a membership committee, and identify potential program topics.

YEAR: 2019

LOS ANGELES CHAPTER: Brain Exchange and New Year Networking Mixer

SUMMARY: The chapter organized a new year networking mixer that provided local professionals with an opportunity to exchange ideas, showcase their talents, and connect with one another. Facilitators asked attendees to come prepared to share a tip, tool, or piece of advice that they had implemented at their workplaces with a 90-second time limit. As an added bonus, attendees explained how their tips tied into an area of expertise from the ATD Competency Model. Overall, the event enabled the chapter to reengage its membership while balancing the capabilities of a small leadership team. As a result of the mixer, the chapter gained 19 new members and sold out its February program.

YEAR: 2019

MADISON AREA CHAPTER: All Things Series

SUMMARY: The chapter launched the “All Things” event series in an effort to spend a month diving deep into all things related to a specific topic in the talent development field. In November 2018, the chapter focused on coaching and organized a related series of blog posts and a live Facebook event, which involved posting short videos and statements along with a five-minute livestream. The live event reached over 500 people, views of the chapter’s Facebook page increased by 360 percent, and post engagements are up by 5,000 percent. The “All Things” series has greatly increased member engagement and also provides professional development opportunities for nonmembers.

YEAR: 2019

NEW YORK CITY CHAPTER: Coaching Center of Excellence

SUMMARY: ATD New York City’s Coaching Center of Excellence (CCoE) is dedicated to promoting leading-edge thinking, developing the highest professional standards, and advancing excellence in the art and science of coaching as it relates to talent development. The CCoE, along with the Coaching Special Interest Group (SIG), serve as a community of practice for the chapter’s members who are interested in coaching, providing high-quality professional development, knowledge sharing, and learning and networking opportunities. The CCoE’s director is also a coach who hosts webinars, events, and workshops. The CCoE also offers one-on-one coaching, peer-to-peer coaching, and group coaching supervision with the goal of delivering strategic value to stakeholders and developing internal leaders while making its chapter members the best that they can be.

YEAR: 2018

CENTRAL OHIO CHAPTER: Employee Learning Week Proclamation and Initiative

SUMMARY: The Central Ohio Chapter partnered with other Ohio-based ATD chapters to promote Employee Learning Week (ELW) through a three-tiered plan. The chapter received a proclamation from the governor of Ohio to recognize the first week in December as Employee Learning Week for the state. To further support the week, the chapter started a conversation on Twitter about ELW and reached out to national members in the area to promote Power Membership within central Ohio. The chapter saw a 50 percent increase in attendance and a 100 percent attendance rate of those who registered at its first meeting in January.

YEAR: 2018

MADISON AREA CHAPTER: State of the Chapter Annual Survey Meeting

SUMMARY: To empower professionals to develop themselves and their company, the Madison Area Chapter holds a “State of the Chapter” annual survey meeting. During the meeting, the chapter gathers feedback from members and potential members outside of the annual survey and provides a venue to share operational information on the chapter addressed in Chapter Affiliation Requirements (CARE). The chapter garnered quality feedback on how to engage with its membership, topic ideas for monthly programs, and two new board members from the meeting.

YEAR: 2018

MID-NEW JERSEY CHAPTER: Technology Showcase

SUMMARY: To expose members to new and emerging technology in the field, the chapter created a technology showcase program, where approximately 10 vendors displayed their products and services throughout the day. The chapter also developed four speaker presentations and recruited a host sponsor to offset costs; this year’s sponsor was DeVry University. The chapter has hosted this event for eight years and attributes the program’s success to a 30 percent nonmember to member conversion rate and a profit margin of 75 percent, allowing the chapter to fund the majority of the year’s activities.

YEAR: 2018

MARYLAND CHAPTER: Virtual Networking

SUMMARY: To increase member engagement and attract new members, the chapter hosted a virtual networking opportunity. The director of programs invited a career coach to present on “Designing Your Career.” The attendees also shared virtual business cards so they could continue their connections formed at the event. Because the event allowed for exposure to a broader audience, a majority of the attendees were not yet members of the chapter. As a result, the chapter is exploring partnering with the Maryland Career Development Association again in the future.

YEAR: 2018

NEW MEXICO CHAPTER: Annual Alliance Networking Event

SUMMARY: Each year, the chapter sponsors a networking event, the Professional Alliance Mixer, with alliance organization members and university partners. The event is intended to strengthen the New Mexico talent development community and form collaborations of like-minded professionals with the goal of a better-developed workforce that has a direct effect on the economic development of central New Mexico. A local restaurant donates the venue, and one or two members from each alliance organization works with the chapter to assist with coordination, marketing, and planning of the event. The mixer has increased chapter membership (with up to five members joining after each event) as well as publicity for the chapter. Any profit generated from the event is split between the professional organizations.

YEAR: 2018

NEW MEXICO CHAPTER: Bringing ATD International Conference & Exposition Highlights to Local Chapter Members

SUMMARY: Since not everyone can attend the ATD International Conference & Exposition, the chapter has created a yearly event to bring the conference content back to the local community. This year, following an icebreaker, the two board members who attended the conference presented on the content they learned. As an added benefit, the chapter made conference content available to Power Members. The chapter leaders brought back giveaways from the EXPO for attendees and to promote ATD 2019. To keep the event fun and engaging, the chapter changes the theme yearly.

YEAR: 2018

CUYAHOGA VALLEY CHAPTER: Bring Your Own Laptop Workshops

SUMMARY: On the chapter’s membership survey, Elearning and instructional design were the top two areas members wanted more programming in. The chapter created three workshops and to be cost efficient, asked members to bring their own laptops. This allowed the chapter to offer a hands-on workshop promoting the free trial of the software so those that did not have it could still participate. The chapter greatly reduced their venue cost and it opened up different options for venues. The board found the hands-on meetings to be the most profitable yet.

YEAR: 2018

CUYAHOGA VALLEY CHAPTER: Driving Individual Development using the ATD Competency Model

SUMMARY: In an effort to highlight the value of Power Membership and the resources available through the ATD website, the chapter developed a workshop while leveraging the tools available on TD.org to create personal development plans based on the ATD Competency model. The event helped promote upcoming chapter programs and workshops by tying each program to a skill area on the competency model. Participants felt it helped them learn more about ATD and the resources available.

YEAR: 2018

FLORIDA SUNCOAST CHAPTER: Partnering With the Economic Development Corporation (Forum)

SUMMARY: To promote the chapter’s membership to local businesses, the chapter partnered with the local Economic Development Corporation after it received an invitation to attend the organization’s luncheon. The partnership proved to be successful in getting the chapter name out to the larger community and raised awareness of the chapter, resulting in 10 new members and one new sponsor. Several additional groups have contacted the chapter about potential partnerships.

YEAR: 2018

FLORIDA SUNCOAST CHAPTER: Read Between the Wines

SUMMARY: At each of the monthly events, the chapter gives away a speaker-selected book that the winner can grow from through reading and a basket with two bottles of wine. The giveaway helps promote the profession while making it fun. The chapter collects attendees' business cards, and the speaker randomly selects a card to identify the “Read Between the Wines” winner. The speaker gets to keep the business cards for networking and/or for possible prospecting. Anecdotal feedback from both speakers and attendees shows that all parties enjoy the initiative.

YEAR: 2017

CHARLOTTE CHAPTER: Membership Guest Passes

SUMMARY: Chapter members received five guest passes to chapter events at the beginning of the year. The chapter configured its website so that a member can register a guest or the guest can register themselves. Guests simply list the name of the person who invited them during registration, and the chapter handles tracking on the backend. During the event, guests have an opportunity to stand up, introduce themselves, and share who or what brought them to the event. To incentivize members bringing guests, the chapter has a quarterly drawing for a free registration to its Day of Learning conference or a one-year chapter membership. As a result, the number of guests attending meetings more than doubled from 2016 (51 guests in 2016, to 120 in 2017), and the conversion rate of guests to members increased by 3 percent (12 percent in 2016, to 15 percent in 2017). The chapter reached a record number this year with 26 guests at one event!

YEAR: 2017

MEMPHIS CHAPTER: Get Better: 15 Proven Practices to Build Effective Relationships at Work Virtual Presentation

SUMMARY: The Memphis Chapter hosted a virtual presentation about building effective relationships by Todd Davis of Franklin Covey at Bethel University. Thirty-two people attended the event in person and the presentation was live streamed. It was an interactive session and participants had the ability to ask questions during the presentation. Based on survey results, the program received positive feedback, and networking was successful with several different companies in attendance.

YEAR: 2017

SACRAMENTO CHAPTER: Sip of ATD

SUMMARY: “Sip of ATD” is a networking event put on by the chapter as a monthly program. The event is held at a local winery with tables and wine barrels set up as stations where attendees could stop by, get information, ask questions, and network. The stations included Power Membership information, ATD 2017 attendees offering their takeaways from the conference, and information from an educational sponsor. The attendees had the chance to participate in a wine tasting, and the chapter provided appetizers as attendees networked. The evening ended with giveaways, including a donation of two carafes on behalf of the winery that the winners could fill up with their favorite wine. The chapter received very favorable feedback about the event, the educational sponsor received publicity, and the chapter met its Power Membership requirement shortly after the event.

YEAR: 2017

CHICAGOLAND CHAPTER: Multilocation Member Networking Event

SUMMARY: Due to Chicago being a large metropolitan area, the chapter struggles with recruiting members to attend networking events. The chapter desired to identify a way to have an event attended by many people while maintaining coordination and cohesiveness and adhering to budget constraints. The chapter held events in multiple locations at the same time so members could network in their local area rather than traveling across the city. The chapter had a great turnout and found members enjoyed getting to know a smaller group in their local area.

YEAR: 2017

SAN ANTONIO CHAPTER: Emerging Leaders Leadership Series

SUMMARY: The San Antonio Chapter partnered with the San Antonio Chapter of Prospanica, an affiliate of the national organization that directly supports the growth and development of Hispanic professionals. The partnership included support from Barbara Greene and Associates and came together based on various needs assessments from both ATD San Antonio and Prospanica San Antonio. The assessments inspired the design and development of a program to assist growing professionals’ ability to create their own program to help growing professionals identify and shadow leadership role models, and provided information on the important distinction between leadership and management. Most important, the series provided tools, techniques, and best practices to program participants on how they can best achieve goals without sacrificing their positive perspective or personal brand.

YEAR: 2017

CENTRAL IOWA CHAPTER: ATD Central Iowa and Grand View University Leadership Lecture and Student Membership Event

SUMMARY: ATD Central Iowa partnered with Alec Zama, associate professor of business at Grand View University in Des Moines and director of the school's leadership credential, to provide a guest lecture and panel interview for his principles of management class. The lecture was titled "The Five Cs of Leadership," and focused on five hallmarks of healthy and effective leadership. For each of these leadership tenets, students were given examples of why they were important, example interview questions on the topic they could expect to face in the future, and guidance on how they could develop these leadership traits in themselves in both a collegiate and professional setting. Following the lecture, a panel interview was conducted with former and current board members of the Central Iowa Chapter so that students could ask questions directly of professionals in the talent development field.

YEAR: 2017

NEBRASKA CHAPTER: Creating a Sustainable Model for Trainer’s Institute

SUMMARY: Due to declining registrations for one of the chapter’s signature programs, Trainer’s Institute, the board decided to reexamine the program’s effectiveness and appeal. The Trainer’s Institute is a program designed to enhance the industry knowledge, skills, and tool sets of chapter members who are new or experienced talent development professionals. The chapter surveyed membership and found that it needed to change the focus from industry trends back to foundational competencies. With this feedback in mind, the board revamped the program, created a communication strategy, set clear expectations for speakers, streamlined the speaker proposal process, and focused on real world applications. As a result of this overhaul process, the chapter saw a significant increase in registration and revenue, and created a sustainable model for the Trainer’s Institute. Lessons learned included the need to include more case studies, set dates several months ahead of time, have a good marketing plan, set expectations for speakers, secure volunteers for the proposal review process, set competitive pricing, and use the participant feedback they chapter receives.

YEAR: 2017

NORTHEAST WISCONSIN CHAPTER: Changing Venues and Improving the Community

SUMMARY: The chapter moved its programming and board meeting venue from a local hotel to a local nonprofit organization, the Goodwill, in order to reduce its costs from approximately $4,000 to $1,000 per year. By reallocating these costs, the chapter is better positioned to achieve its 2016 focus of bringing its members more valuable learning programs with a strategic focus that involves both local and national talent. Additionally, the new location provides the community with an increased awareness of the Goodwill’s mission, and has resulted in members bringing items to donate to the chapter’s events.

YEAR: 2016

SMOKY MOUNTAIN CHAPTER: Back Office

SUMMARY: The chapter hosted a full-day, back office tour of the Dollywood Training and Development facility. During this event, members learned best practices for employee onboarding and training for success. The event aligned with the chapter’s mission and guided participants to develop better training initiatives to add to their facilitation tool box. There was no cost to the chapter, and the organization provided a lunch for participants. The event had the largest attendance in recent history with full participant engagement during the event.

YEAR: 2016

CENTRAL INDIANA CHAPTER: Idea Swaps in Coffee Shops

SUMMARY: The chapter plans a quarterly opportunity for a small group of members and prospective members to gather in the morning at a local coffee shop. The attendees discuss two main topics: “What are you currently working on?” and “What is your biggest challenge right now and how can the group help?” The chapter selects local coffee shops that met the geographic preferences of members and had ample seating. The event is capped at 10 participants due to space restrictions and the desire for an intimate discussion setting. A chapter board member is present to act as an ambassador for guests and to facilitate discussion. The event is promoted in the chapter’s monthly newsletter, at chapter events, through word of mouth, and social media. While time is required to plan promotional announcements, there is no cost to the chapter. These small meetings engage participants in the chapter and subsequently helped increase membership.

YEAR: 2016

GREATER ATLANTA CHAPTER: Adding Young Professionals to Your Membership

SUMMARY: To attract younger talent development professions, the chapter created a Young Professionals Community of Practice. The initial event for young professionals under 40 was held last year. Several board members attended and chatted with each attendee to ensure they knew about the chapter’s mission and goal of recruiting younger professionals to the chapter. Board members spoke about the benefits of volunteering as a key to their elevator pitch. Of the more than 40 attendees to the event, the chapter gained 25 new members and 10 young professional members to volunteer roles. Several new members have also taken on leadership positions and one has been appointed to the 2017 Executive Board.

YEAR: 2016

CENTRAL INDIANA CHAPTER: Let ATD-CIC Take You Out to the Ballgame!

SUMMARY: In the summer of 2015, the chapter provided a fun evening event for people to network and have fun in a non-traditional setting. The chapter hosted an event at the ballpark with the local minor league baseball team, the Indianapolis Indians. Following its philosophy of “Connect, Learn and Share,” the event’s purpose was to build awareness around the recent chapter’s rebranding while providing a fun and family friendly opportunity for members to connect and network with one another. Each attendee was provided a branded t-shirt that had the new logo on it, and the group’s attendance was announced on the jumbotron.

YEAR: 2016

MARYLAND CHAPTER: Coffee Conversations

SUMMARY: The chapter noticed a decline in membership and aimed to ramp up participation. The Director or Professional Development started Coffee & Conversations held once a month on Saturday mornings at Panera. The facilitator selects a topic that ties into the monthly meeting. The gathering is two hours, and registration is limited to 10 people. The chapter provides nametags for the event and advertises the gathering on its website. It also has a live Facebook feed run by a board member attending the event. The chapter has seen an increase in membership and member engagement.

YEAR: 2016

CENTRAL INDIANA CHAPTER: Employee Learning at the World’s Largest Children’s Museum

SUMMARY: The Children’s Museum is known for its outstanding, innovative approach to employee learning for museum staff. The museum’s Director of Training invited the chapter for a behind-the-scenes peek at learning in action. The purpose of the program was to provide a unique setting for the chapter’s monthly educational program, and give attendees a firsthand look at how the whole staff become proficient experts on various exhibits to provide a world-class experience for museum guests of all ages. The program had a sellout crowd with all seats filled.

YEAR: 2016

HAWKEYE CHAPTER: Executive Leadership Breakfast

SUMMARY: The chapter hosted a breakfast for the executives in talent development in its area. Thirteen executives attended the breakfast held at Mount Mercy University House, the residence of the University President. The chapter chose the location because of its intimate setting, and the inclusion of a tour of the house in the program’s agenda. After a facilitated discussion, attendees gleaned a comprehensive list of “Trends and Challenges in Talent Development.” The list was sent as a follow-up to the attendees for validation, and has been used as the basis for its monthly chapter programs, professional development events, and its annual fall conference to be held in September. In addition, this event enhanced the visibility of ATD given that 50 percent of the attendees were not familiar with ATD prior to the breakfast. As a result of the increased visibility of the chapter and its targeted programs, organizational support, financial support, and participation in all chapter meetings and professional development activities have increased in 2016.

YEAR: 2016

SACRAMENTO CHAPTER: Big Give CA Programming Idea

SUMMARY: The chapter designed The Big Give event to allow members to network and share tips, tools, and advice as a group. Members were prepared to contribute a 60 second tip or piece of advice to share orally with the group. The Program Directors enforced the 60-second limit, dressed as referees with whistles to add to the fun. As a result, the chapter gained 12 new members in the weeks following the event. Eighty-seven percent of attendees surveyed were “very satisfied” with the event. Additionally, the Golden Gate Chapter replicated the event, further promoting collaboration between the two Northern California chapters.

YEAR: 2016

SOUTH FLORIDA CHAPTER: Providing Sponsored Networking Events

SUMMARY: The chapter sponsorship and partnership offerings within the community to create opportunities for members to connect with one another frequently and within a close proximity. The chapter partnered with El Dorado, a local furniture store, and local restaurants to provide food and nice ambiance while networking. The chapter was able to provide these at no cost to the members, and provide them more frequently thanks to the financial support from the chapter’s partners and sponsors.

YEAR: 2016

SOUTH FLORIDA CHAPTER: Virtual TD Talks

SUMMARY: The chapter organized an online platform for their members to connect with each other, and create additional opportunities to network and learn. Titled “TD Talks,” the webinar series is delivered by South Florida Chapter talent development professionals and practitioners. The topics are selected from the new and innovative practices the practitioners are implementing at their workplaces. The series represents a true practice sharing via an online platform between members and community. Through the series, the chapter aims to bridge connections, provide another value-added offering to its members, and create a professional development opportunity for members that does not require travel.

YEAR: 2016

UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA CHAPTER: Phenomenal Collaboration and Partnership Contributes to Community Workplace Development

SUMMARY: The University Center of Greenville (UCG), a chapter sponsor of the Upstate SC Chapter, provides chapter office space, equipment, plexi-glass signage, banner flags, and more as part of its partnership with the chapter.

YEAR: 2015

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA CHAPTER: How to Use Social Media to Keep Employees Engaged

SUMMARY: In celebration of Employee Learning Week, the chapter hosted a meeting titled “How to use Social Media to Keep Employees Engaged.” The event was offered to members, professional companies, and organizations in the community to demonstrate the chapter's commitment to workforce development by providing the opportunity to enhance social media skills and use the knowledge learned as part of the event.

YEAR: 2015

CENTRAL IOWA CHAPTER: The Disney Institute

SUMMARY: The chapter partnered with sponsors to host the Disney Institute, which detailed Disney's approach to business excellence. The chapter completely sold out the event yielding a record turnout in attendance with 250 participants and a profit of 5,000 dollars.

YEAR: 2014

HAWKEYE CHAPTER: Bud to Boss Workshop Partnership

SUMMARY: The chapter partnered with the Kevin Eikenberry Group (KEG) to bring the organization's Bud to Boss two-day workshop to its area. The chapter entered into a partnership, where the chapter was responsible for securing the location and marketing the event and The KEG managed registrations. In turn the chapter, received 30 percent of the gross profit for its work.

YEAR: 2014

WEST VIRGINIA CHAPTER: Train the Trainer - Fundamentals of Coaching

SUMMARY: The chapter hosted a series of three Saturday workshops aimed at developing the coaching skills of training and development professionals.
Topics included eight effective steps of coaching, attributes and principles of good coaching listening skills, emotional intelligence in coaching, and more. The workshop series lead to five new chapter members, four speakers for the chapter's state conference, and a financial gain of hundreds of dollars.

YEAR: 2014

TWIN CITIES CHAPTER: Partners in Learning - Mentorship Program Development

SUMMARY: The Twin Cities chapter developed a mentorship program focusing on career mentorship opportunities for its members. The program, developed to provide another member-added benefit to members, was an exclusive opportunity created by the chapter that no other workplace and learning associations in the area provided.

YEAR: 2014

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA CHAPTER: IGNITE - Training and Speaking Skills

SUMMARY: The chapter held a fall master class entitled "IGNITE - Training and Speaking Skills", where presenters had the opportunity to show off their speaking skills in a unique way through the Japanese style of PechaKuch. Each presenter was given 20 slides, each shown for 20 seconds, providing the presenter with a total speaking time of six minutes and 40 seconds on a subject related to training and speaking skills.

YEAR: 2014

HOUSTON CHAPTER: ATD Houston Showcase

SUMMARY: The Houston Chapter re-positioned its previous volunteer summit as a showcase of the chapter for the beginning of the year. The showcase focused on introducing new board members, networking with other ATD members, and identifying available volunteer opportunities.

YEAR: 2013

SOUTHEASTERN VIRGINIA CHAPTER: Instructional Design (ISD) Boot Camp

SUMMARY: The ISD Boot Camp was developed by the Southeastern Virginia Chapter board in an effort to provide members and non-members with a strong working knowledge of the ADDIE model through facilitated discussion, role playing, and practical use. The ISD Boot Camp met once per month over the course of five months. Each month, the facilitator focused on a section of the ADDIE model. During the ISD Boot Camp, participants worked on a group classroom project (Map and Compass) and also a personal project. By the end of the ISD Boot Camp, participants had completed two full training programs from Analysis to Evaluation.

YEAR: 2013

GREATER CHATTANOOGA CHAPTER - Book Safari

SUMMARY: Chapter members were encouraged to bring resources, such as books and magazines, from home or work to a networking event. The event was held at a restaurant and dubbed a “book safari” because each table was arranged with a safari/treasure hunt category name. Participants were then instructed to hunt down resources they could use for personal or professional development.

YEAR: 2013

GREATER ATLANTA CHAPTER - Adding Value to Programs

SUMMARY: To increase the value of chapter programs, the board developed an “out of the box” approach to chapter programming. Instead of booking typical speakers, the chapter identified unique learning opportunities for their members. For example, Scott Nutter, general manager of development for Delta Airlines, spoke about how a pilot’s work environment is more similar to the business workplace than many would think.

YEAR: 2013

CENTRAL FLORIDA CHAPTER - Member Retreat

SUMMARY: In October 2012, the Central Florida Chapter held its first member retreat. The purpose of the retreat was to enhance and extend opportunities for collaboration, building partnerships, and for personal and professional development. The weekend offered extensive networking, hands-on learning, and sharing best practices. Members completed an “Adventure Guide” during the weekend to capture key information about their peers.

YEAR: 2013

PUERTO RICO CHAPTER: SHRM Partnership & Conference

SUMMARY: The Puerto Rico Chapter partners with the local SHRM chapter annually to put on a large conference. For the last three years, the Puerto Rico Chapter's conference has taken place during the first day of SHRM’s Conference. The chapter holds its separate program, usually two morning sessions, lunch, and an afternoon session, and then attendees join SHRM’s conference for the closing plenary of the day and reception. The chapter receives benefits from economies of scale for publicity, hotel guest rooms, parking fees, audiovisual support, food and beverages, and room rentals. In turn, SHRM’s Chapter receives publicity, attendees, credit for hotel rooms from the room block, and other hotel expenses paid by our Chapter.

YEAR: 2013

SOUTHEASTERN VIRGINIA CHAPTER - Book Club

SUMMARY: The Southeastern Virginia Chapter hosts a quarterly book club. Participation is limited to the first 15 members to register, and each participant receives a free copy of the book.

YEAR: 2013

MT. DIABLO CHAPTER: Programming through Strategic Partnerships

SUMMARY: The chapter used community partnership to their advantage when putting together chapter meetings and events.

YEAR: 2012

CASCADIA CHAPTER: Partnering with HR Certification Institute (HRCI)

SUMMARY: The chapter partnered with HRCI to offer credits for their events, which has added value to those who hold the certification.

YEAR: 2012

CASCADIA CHAPTER: RFP Selection Process - Conference Speakers

SUMMARY: The Cascadia Conference Team developed and implemented an automated request for proposal to gather a pool of potential session speakers for their annual conference. Each speaker is required to include a video clip of a presentation similar to their proposed topic. Included in the RFP form are questions directed at how their presentation aligns with the ATD Competency Model, as well as the HRCI model. This allowed the chapter to collect information to submit for CE credits at a later date.

YEAR: 2012

GREATER CLEVELAND CHAPTER: "Paper Cuts" White Paper Reading Group

SUMMARY: The “Paper Cuts” White Papers Reading Group is a monthly meeting during which workplace learning and development professionals in the Greater Cleveland area discuss free white papers on various training-related topics and network.

YEAR: 2012

CASCADIA CHAPTER: Chat Cards

SUMMARY: The chapter developed a card set of 16 questions and instructions related to workplace learning to be used as a networking tool. The card questions provided a low-cost way to get new people engaged at the start of their programs.

YEAR: 2012

SACRAMENTO CHAPTER: DemoFest E-Learning Event

SUMMARY: The DemoFest 2011 event was developed to showcase the talents and efforts of its e-SIG group and provide an opportunity for e-learning vendors to show their software. Ten live, interactive demonstrations and mini-lectures on various e-learning topics were conducted over a six-hour period.

YEAR: 2012

GREATER BIRMINGHAM CHAPTER: Title Host for Chick-fil-A Leadercast

SUMMARY: The chapter hosted the 2010 Chick-fil-A Leadercast. The leadercast is a live simulcast that includes many national leaders sharing their thoughts on the art and science of leadership. Speakers included Tony Dungy, Jim Collins, Chip Heath, Dr. Ben Carson, John Maxwell, Connie Podesta, and more.

YEAR: 2010

BAY COLONIES CHAPTER: Employee Learning Week

SUMMARY: The Bay Colonies chapter provided members with tips, resources, and articles about the benefits of learning and ideas on how to celebrate Employee Learning Week.

YEAR: 2010

MID NEW JERSEY CHAPTER: Technology Showcase

SUMMARY: The chapter began the Technology Showcase to provide members information about how technology is being implemented in organizations to improve learning, development, implementation, and evaluation. This event is held annually and has helped publicize the chapter, increase participation at monthly meetings, and has drawn participation from significant corporations to showcase their use of technology in the region.

YEAR: 2010

NORTHERN ROCKIES CHAPTER: Co-Sponsored Networking Event

SUMMARY: The chapter partnered with the local Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) coaches alliance to host a large networking event which attracted more than 80 attendees. The two hour event included appetizers and drinks, a five to seven minute presentation from the president of each organization and concluded with three rounds of structured networking from members and guests of the three organizations.

YEAR: 2010

LINCOLN CHAPTER: Partnership Plus (Successful Collaboration between ATD-Lincoln and Southeast Community College)

SUMMARY: The chapter established a very successful community partnership with Southeast Community College (SCC) which includes shared advertising of educational event, free venue for monthly programs, and partnership for a large community event held every other year, and much more. This collaborative effort provides for exceptional learning and performance opportunities for professionals in the community through fostering professional growth, encourages educational institutions to provide programs for the preparation and growth of training, and allows the chapters to provide valuable training and development to their membership and the community.

YEAR: 2010

KANSAS CITY CHAPTER: Back-to-Basic Brown Bag Series

SUMMARY: In response to requests from members, Kansas City began hosting a Back-to-Basics (B2B) brown bag training series in February, 2009. Each class provides an hour and half of instruction on a basic training and development skill (e.g., making training more engaging, basics of instructional design, presentation skills, performance consulting, etc.) Classes are taught bi-monthly at various locations around the city, over the lunch hour (11:30am - 1:00pm).

YEAR: 2010

EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA CHAPTER: Event Pricing

SUMMARY: To increase attendance at the chapter's annual conference and other chapter sponsored events, Eastern Pennsylvania extended "member" pricing to members of any ATD local chapter and national members.

YEAR: 2010

UTAH CHAPTER: Conference Planning Guide

SUMMARY: Instead of a hap-hazard approach to conference planning, this guide allows your chapter to pass along knowledge from year to year in order to ensure a successful conference.

YEAR: 2009

RESEARCH TRIANGLE AREA CHAPTER: Giving Back

SUMMARY: The ATD-RTA chapter provided recognition to their members who contributed to the organization throughout the year. As they appreciated the efforts of their members, they also decided to give a little back to the community by conducting a food drive.

YEAR: 2009

ORANGE COUNTY CHAPTER: Nails, Knots, and Egg Grenades (Team-building in the Park)

SUMMARY: The Orange County chapter sought to add value to their members investment in the chapter by providing them with unique opportunities for professional development with each learning event. Augusts’ event on team-building was held outside, in a sports park, so that participants could experience the team building activities rather than just hear about them.

YEAR: 2009

LONG ISLAND CHAPTER: CLO Forum

SUMMARY: The Long Island chapter's Chief Learning Officer’s (CLO) Forum was designed to reach out to those senior Learning and Performance Professionals who do not normally attend our monthly meetings. This allows them exposure to ATD, advances our image, targets the topics to them specifically and gains us credibility.

YEAR: 2009



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