New Awakenings: The Value of an Open Meeting to Your Local Section

A common challenge for ACS local sections is participation at meetings, programs, and events. In the last several years, a number of local sections have worked with the Local Section Activities Committee (LSAC) and ACS staff to host a new kind of ACS local section program, the open meeting. This forum is designed to bring together your core group of ACS volunteers with new or less active members from your local section. The result can be transforming both in participation and programming for the local section.

The open meeting is not dinner and a speaker. Rather, it is a brainstorming session for your members to share with you their needs and interests for your local section In essence, you are giving your members an opportunity to address the question, “What can our ACS section do better for you?” ACS staff members help with the invitations and the mailings, your local section is responsible for local arrangements, and an ACS team will facilitate the meeting for you.

At a typical open meeting, there will of course be the core members who always attend your meetings, but invariably there will be new people too, individuals who are not part of your usual network. Some members who have a disagreement or a complaint and may have not been active recently may attend. The ACS team will facilitate a discussion in which all of these perspectives are recorded, reflected upon, and listed for possible future action. Everyone wants to feel a part of something, and this event will help your members feel engaged and welcome.

The goal of the meeting is to get people together to discuss their needs, share their interests, concerns and ideas. . Too often, local sections are caught in the mindset that a meeting must be dinner and a speaker. That is not the case. At the open meeting, you may hear about new activities that your members may want to see. These may include technical programs such as poster sessions for students, thematic meetings in miniature, or more public-oriented Science Cafés. Alternatively, they may be interested in family-oriented activities or social events at a science museum, outdoor activities, or a night at a baseball game. More important than the list of ideas, you will hear from members who are motivated to participate and perhaps guide these events.

Another value to the open meeting is assisting the executive committee in finding new officers. But, this does not happen overnight. One of the worst situations that can develop is when a new face arrives and they are greeted with “Would you like to be chair?” The open meeting does bring new faces and new potential leaders to your section. You can cultivate their activities by giving them the opportunity to head up an event that they already have interest in or help someone else out with an existing event. By letting members participate in a small way, you are helping develop the next generation of leadership for your section.

The outcome of the open meeting is threefold. First, you will have a list of members who have interest in ACS and your local section. When you reach out with information about programming, you will have a larger group to work with. Further, this is a great pool to cultivate for future leadership roles in the section. Second, you will have a list of programming ideas. More important, these ideas will be based on member interests, which should increase the success and participation of the event. Finally, you will have connected with ACS staff who bring national best practices, ideas, and experience to work for your local section.

If you are interested in ACS helping you host an open meeting, please contact Wayne Jones, Chair, Subcommittee on Local Section Assistance and Development or Cheryl Brown, ACS Staff at 800-227-5558.

Wayne E. Jones, Chair
Local Section Assistance & Development Subcommittee
ACS Committee on Local Section Activities

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