Organizing Chapter Programs – Augusta, GA Style

By Billy Mitchell, Past AMBUCS National President

A common question that’s often heard at many local AMBUCS chapter meetings is “what will be next week’s program?”

Many times the response is something like, “we don’t have one yet ... but it will be a great one.” Sometimes it is a great one, but oftentimes it is less than great. Therefore, here are some steps that can be taken to resolves this problem.

We all understand that the most important committee in AMBUCS is the nominating committee. If they do a less than an adequate job in their selections the entire chapter will suffer from low achievement. The second most important committee is the program committee whose responsibility is to provide interesting, topical and seasonal programs. This can be a chore if certain directions and procedures as not followed and executed to perfection. You can’t just ask anyone to speak at an AMBUCS chapter meeting just so you can say you had a program.

The first suggestion is to select a committee, or a capable person, that is truly interested in presenting programs that’ll be satisfying to most AMBUCS members. The planning and implementation must be worked to perfection. In planning a program, the committee should outline the entire year by indicating on a calendar the dates when programs are a must (such as Christmas, Visibility Month, Branding Time, etc.) and when a special program is needed. Don’t forget to set aside time for the business portion of your meeting to explain chapter activities and share what the local board is doing to complete their assigned duties. Once this has been completed it’s time to move to that day’s programs.

A good resource to use is the website www.epromos.com/calendar/promotional-calendar.html and look up the various National Awareness days, weeks and months. There, you can get a printout for the year to determine the time needed for the different programs your chapter would be interested in learning more about. For example, under July there is a listing for National Candy Month. You can then look in your local yellow pages under “candy” and give a call to a local confectionary. Ask them to present a program on chocolate in regarding its history, how it’s grown, roasted, molded and then sold. Chances are they will even bring samples to your meeting!

Another suggestion would be to ask other area civic clubs what has been the best programs they have had in past year. Ask them the names of the best speakers they have heard. You can also consider asking someone from a different ethic or religious group to come in and discuss their activities. Local government such as water works, transportation, and health care all have subgroups that are unlimited in their area of expertise. Furthermore, local sport teams, both professional and amateur, are limitless in the information and fun stories they can provide.

There are also local individuals and groups that many Ambucs talk about, but very few invite to speak at a chapter meeting. A tattoo artist can give an exciting presentation that will surely generate many questions from your members. A masseuse will provoke discussions for weeks about their training and ability to provide services to her customers. A belly dancer can tell you about the history of the artform and where one should keep his eyes during the performance.

To show your chapter’s appreciation for getting the information, don’t forget to give to the person providing the program a remembrance token such as a pen, picture or coffee cup emblazoned with the AMBUCS logo.

When a program is cancelled at the last minute and another program can not be found to take its place, there should always be someone in the chapter who can step in and deliver a program at that meeting. Cancellations rare, but they do happen.

The job assignments of the program committee should be taken seriously. Call or write the person who is giving the program two or three times. One time several weeks ahead of the program to make sure they confirm a date. A second call should be placed one or two weeks prior to the program to get background
information about the presenter and also have enough time to announce the upcoming program at your chapter meeting. The third call should be made the day before the program is scheduled to see if any last minute needs exist. Make sure you inform the local media about the program so that they have an opportunity to send someone out to cover the event. Good programs are only limited by the imagination of the committee.

You can have a great program no matter the size, place or time of your meeting. Good luck!