February 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

The Board recognizes that there are many new members that have joined our chapter over the past several months. We feel that communication will help remind both our new members as well as our senior members of the Chapter’s normal operating conventions. These policies, procedures, and guidelines have been adopted by the Board and the membership to more effectively manage chapter events. This short 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 10-12 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.

CIO Roundtables

CIO Roundtables are scheduled for January or August and are for members only. A chapter member may occasionally invite a prospective SIM member - one who meets our chapter membership criteria and has indicated a desire to join. Since CIO Roundtables 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:

1. Chapter members may invite whomever they deem appropriate to all “regular meetings.” Members (or their guests) will be held responsible for the guest meal fee of $30/person, 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 (the chapter gets invoiced by the hotel for that meal regardless if the person attends the meeting or not).
2. 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 normal $30/person meal fee.
3. Speakers and/or presenters are not charged for their meals (Exception: DFW SIM Chapter members will be charged for their meals even when presenting [jdbecker]).

Table 1: SIM Chapter Meeting Guest & Member Protocols

Month	Event type	Payment type	Who may attend
Jan	CIO Roundtable	Sponsored	SIM Members and Membership Chair or President Approved Guests Only
Feb	Regular Meeting	$30	SIM Members, Prospects, and Guests
Mar	Spring Kick-Off	$30	Anyone
April	Regular Meeting	$30	SIM Members, Prospects, and Guests
May	Golf Tournament	Sponsored	SIM Members, Sponsors, and Sponsor Guests Only
June	Regular Meeting	$30	SIM Members, Prospects, and Guests
July	VACATION MONTH
Aug	CIO Roundtable	Sponsored	SIM Members and Membership Chair or President approved Guests Only
Sept	Fall Kick-Off	$30	Anyone
Oct	Regular Meeting	$30	SIM Members, Prospects, and Guests
Nov	Regular Meeting	$30	SIM Members, Prospects, and Guests
Dec	Holiday Banquet	Chapter Sponsored	SIM Members/Spouses ONLY and IT EOY’s Guests

Spring and Fall Kick-Off Meetings

The Spring and Fall Kick-Off meetings are normally held in March and September, respectfully. Therefore, there will be no regular meeting in September and the Fall Kick-Off will be held in October. The same rules apply as above -- first-time guests who are approved by either the Chapter president or the Membership Chairperson are free. Everyone else pays the $30/person 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. Anyone you wish to invite may attend -- peers, subordinates, bosses, friends, vendors, etc. The Golf Tournament Sponsors are not charged for these meetings; however they will be responsible for the $30/person meal fee for anyone they invite.

Annual Golf Fundraising Event

The annual DFW SIM Chapter Golf Tournament is normally held each May. This fundraising event is for current-year paid 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 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.

Holiday Banquet and Awards Ceremony

The Holiday Banquet and Awards Ceremony is held each December and is strictly for active members only and their significant other. There are no charges to the member for this event. The IT Executive of the Year may invite his/her CEO or other senior officer and spouse at the chapter’s expense. Often the IT Executive of the Year also invites selected peers/colleagues and their guest to the event. If this is the case, we respectfully request that they pay for the cost of each meal at a price established each year - usally $100 to $120 per person (depending on location).

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.

Other Meeting Attendees

The Board has determined that it is in the best interest of the SIM membership to invite a few additional meeting attendees for specific purposes. The Executive Career Council, a carefully vetted 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, whose support is essential to provide the margin of excellence in chapter programs, are invited to attend an additional regular meeting. As part of the academic alliance program, the chapter provides scholarships for IS studies at several local universities. Scholarship recipients and their faculty advisors are invited to one meeting. Finally, the SIM Regional Learning Forum participants are invited to one regular meeting.

Membership Roster

The membership roster of our chapter is only to be used 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, www.simnet.org. A valid userid and password (available to any SIM member) must be used to access this directory information.

If you should have any questions regarding any of 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 listed under 'Chapter Leadership'.