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Rules of the Road [.pdf; 222 Kb]
===========MEMORANDUM===========
January 6, 2009 (2-11-2003; revised 8-28-03, 2-4-04, 6-7-04, and 11-7-06)
To: All DFW SIM Members
From: DFW SIM Chapter Board of Directors
Subject: Chapter Rules and Conventions ("Rules of the Road")
The Board recognizes that there are many new members that have joined our chapter over the past several months. We feel this communication will help remind both our new members as well as our existing members of the Chapter’s normal operating conventions. These policies, procedures, and guidelines have been adopted over time by the Board and the membership to more effectively manage chapter events. This memo contains a summary of the basic Rules of the Road that have been adopted. Further information can be found in the Chapter By-Laws.
Meetings and Guest Policies
One of the most important aspects of SIM membership is the opportunity to network with one’s peers. The SIM DFW Chapter has between 10 and12 regular meetings and special events each year. The meeting format and the guest attendance criteria vary according to the event type. The table on page 2 summarizes the criteria listed below, which was adopted by the Board to maximize the value of each meeting or event.
Note: All references to 'members' or 'active members' include only those member whose dues are current.
CIO Round tables
CIO Round tables are typically scheduled for January or August and are for members only. Occasionally, a chapter member may want to invite a Prospective Member (see definition below), who has indicated a desire to join one of these round tables. Since CIO Round tables are normally sponsored by a local vendor, there is no charge for this event.
Regular Monthly Meetings
Regular monthly meetings are held in February, March, April, June, September, October and November. The rules governing guests at regular meetings are:
- Chapter members may invite appropriate guests (see definition below) to all "regular meetings.
” NOTE: Members (or their guests) will be held responsible for the guest meal fee , whether they or their guest(s) attend or not. Normal cancellation policy will apply – RSVP’s not cancelled by the deadline RSVP date will be assessed the meal fee since the chapter gets invoiced by the hotel for that meal regardless if the person attends the meeting or not.
- FIRST time prospective members, who are invited by an active Chapter member may be eligible for a complimentary meal. To receive this complimentary meal, the prospective guest must first be approved by either the Chapter President or Membership Chairperson at the time the RSVP is received (not during registration at the event). Please alert our meeting arrangements secretary of this type of guest when making their reservation. It is expected that the member will attend and introduce their prospective member to the Membership Chairperson and other Board members. Subsequent attendance at other chapter events by prospective members will be assessed the current meal fee.
- Speakers and/or presenters are not charged for their meals (Exception: DFW SIM Chapter members will be charged for their meals even when presenting).
Table 1: SIM Chapter Meeting Guest & Member Protocols (check website for latest info.)
| Month |
Event type |
Payment type |
Who may attend
|
| Jan |
CIO Round table |
Sponsored |
SIM Members, Prospective Members, and Meeting Sponsors Only
|
| Feb |
Regular Meeting |
Current Meal Rate |
SIM Members, Prospective Members, and Appropriate guests
|
| Mar |
Spring Kick-Off |
Current Meal Rate |
SIM Members, Prospective Members, Appropriate Guests, and Golf Sponsors Only. Plus IT Executive(s) of the Year and their Guests
|
| April |
Regular Meeting |
Current Meal Rate |
SIM Members, Prospective Members, and Appropriate Guests |
| May |
Golf Tournament |
Sponsored |
SIM Members, Golf Sponsors, and Sponsor Guests (Prospective Members) Only
|
| June |
Regular Meeting |
Current Meal Rate |
SIM Members, Prospective Members, and Appropriate Guests |
| July |
VACATION MONTH |
| Aug |
CIO Round table
|
Sponsored |
SIM Members, approved Prospective Members, and Meeting Sponsors Only
|
| Sep |
Fall Kick-Off |
Current Meal Rate |
SIM Members, Prospective Members, Appopriate Guests, and Golf Sponsors Only |
| Oct |
Regular Meeting |
Current Meal Rate |
SIM Members, Prospective Members, and Appropriate Guests Only |
| Nov |
Regular Meeting |
Current Meal Rate |
SIM Members, Prospective Members, and Appropriate Guests Only |
| Dec |
Holiday Banquet |
Chapter Sponsored |
SIM Members/Spouses ONLY
|
Spring and Fall Kick-Off Meetings
The Spring and Fall Kick-Off meetings are normally held in March and September. The same rules apply as above -- first-time guests who are Prospective Members approved by either the Chapter President or the Membership Chairperson are free. Everyone else pays the current meal fee.
The primary difference in the Kick-Off meetings is that we feature a speaker of national renown for these programs. We also target these programs to a wider audience than our regular meetings. We especially encourage inviting appropriate guests, but attendance outside this group is reserved for our Golf Sponsors only. The Golf Tournament Sponsors are not charged for these meetings; however they will be responsible for the current meal fee for anyone they invite.
We typically recognize our DFW IT Executive(s) of the Year at the Spring Kick-Off Meeting.
Annual Golf Fund raising Event
The annual DFW SIM Chapter Golf Tournament is normally held each May. This fund raising event is for members and prospective members only, plus sponsors. Sponsorships start at $2,500 each and each sponsor company may invite up to two individuals from their organization and up to two Prospective SIM Members.
Members are generally not allowed to invite guests. However, Prospective Member names may be provided to the Golf Tournament Committee to pass on to sponsors who have openings in their foursome. On occasion, a Membership Chair or Chapter President approved guest may attend for a fee established each year - usually $150-$200 per person.
In addition to the 18-hole scramble format tournament, lunch, dinner and prizes are included. Reservations for the tournament are on a first come-first serve basis.
December Holiday Banquet
The Holiday Banquet is held each December and is strictly for Members Only and their significant others. There are no meal charges to member for this event.
Marketing and Selling
One of the major values of SIM membership is the opportunity to network with peers. This value is lost if members feel that they are being solicited at chapter events. Accordingly, the chapter strictly prohibits marketing or selling goods or services within the membership. Reports of such are taken seriously by the Board and investigated with the membership. Individual member-to-individual member relationships are encouraged, as this is a valuable benefit from peer networking. However, any one-to-many marketing or selling activities are not allowed and should be reported. If any member observes what they believe is inappropriate behavior, they should contact a Board member at or after the meeting.
Definitions of Members and Guests
Prospective Members
In general, we follow the SIM International Guidelines for Membership. However, our Chapter By-Laws are intentional more restrictive in certain areas (SIM membership benefits and criteria). For instance, our current minimum requirement is that 70% of our Member MUST be Practitioners and we place caps on other membership categories. Also, we ask for evidenced that a majority of a Technology Vendors' time is billable.
For details, please visit our "Membership" page on this website (click here) for complete information and application forms; or contact our Membership Chairperson(s).
NOTE: It is the individual and their role that is most relevant in consideration for membership. So that the CIO or Senior IT executive for any firm, including hardware, software, or service vendors may apply for membership, although the larger the size of the firm the favorable the candidate may be considered.
CAVEAT: Individuals whose primary role is sales or business development are NOT eligible for membership and tehrefore anre never appropriate guest.
As a courtesy to other member, if you intend to invite a Prospective Member, we ask that you always obatain approval from either the Membership Chairperson or Chapter President prior to extending such invitations, so they can alert the meeting coordinator.
Appropriate Guest
Examples of appropriate guests would most often be Prospective Members (above), but also might include other members of your senior management team or direct reports that have a special interest in a specific topic.
Other Meeting Attendees
The Board has determined that it is in the best interests of the SIM membership to invite a few additional meeting attendees for specific purposes.
The Executive Career Council, a carefully selected handful of executive search and personal coach professionals, are committed to working with SIM members who are looking for new opportunities or are in transition. Accordingly, they are invited to SIM functions.
Golf sponsors (click here for information on becoming a sponsor), whose support is essential to provide the margin of excellence in chapter programs, are invited to attend Spring and Fall Kick-off meetings.
As part of the academic alliance program, the chapter provides scholarships for IS studies at several local universities (Click here for list). Scholarship recipients and their faculty advisors are invited to one meeting.
Participants in the current DFW Class of the SIM Regional Learning Forum participants are invited to one regular meeting, which is not classified as 'Members Only'.
The IT Executive of the Year honorees (Click here for list of past honorees) may invite their spouse and their CXO or other senior officer and their spouse at the chapter's expense (limit 4 free). Often the IT Executive of the Year also invites selected peers/colleagues and their guests to the event. When they invite extra guests, we respectfully request that they pay the cost of those meals at the current meal price.
Membership Roster
The membership roster of our chapter is to be used only by the chapter member and is not to be shared with any other individual, group, or organization. It is not to be used in any way or manner other than chapter business (as approved by the Board) or as a reference for one member to directly contact another member. It is strictly prohibited for the chapter roster to be used in any marketing or selling activity even if that use is by a member company/organization.
Contact information for all SIM members is located in the Member Directory section of the national SIM website. A valid user id and password (available to any SIM member) must be used to access this directory information.
Additional Questions?
If you should have any questions regarding the information presented in this document, please do not hesitate to contact any one of the Board members. We will quickly return an answer to you. Contact information for the Board members is on the letterhead of each meeting announcement and also listed under 'Board of Directors' page on this website.
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