As technology evolves and professionals are increasingly able to work and connect remotely, association members are also eager to engage with their organizations and each other in a virtual manner.

"With telecommuting continuing to grow in popularity, that's a sign that people are finding more efficient ways to meet, grow, and work virtually," says Louise Burnette, chapter service manager at the Association of Government Accountants (AGA). "We want to tap into that to broaden our reach and provide the benefit of chapter leadership and programming in every way possible."

Association chapters are grouped in a variety of ways, most notably by physical or geographical location. Having a virtual chapter option increases inclusivity and allows members in more remote geographic areas to engage with their professional association and peers. This, in turn, has the potential to grow the organization's membership. Keep these three things in mind as you consider introducing virtual chapter components.

Define Your Level of Service

Before establishing a virtual chapter, you must identify your available resources in order to determine the level of service that you will provide. For example, are you simply providing information and resources for virtual chapter members? Or will you also provide virtual events, professional support, and a collaborative home base?

Having a virtual chapter option increases inclusivity and allows members in more remote geographic areas to engage with their professional association and peers.

Rose Noxon, who serves on the board of the International Society for Performance Improvement, defines three levels of service options for virtual chapters to deliver.

• Level 1: A central area for posting information, such as volunteer opportunities for chapter members and members' requests for volunteers or information.
• Level 2: A place to assist members in taking advantage of identified volunteer opportunities by providing specific training tools. Staff must have an accurate assessment of chapter members' needs when operating at this level.
• Level 3: A virtual collaboration platform between chapter leaders, chapter members, and association chapter management staff. At this level, chapters would benefit from a technology option that easily allows for discussion and information-sharing among members.

Establish Guidelines, Structure, and Expectations

If you are making the jump to virtual chapters, the collaboration site should be a platform for members to share information and resources, discuss issues, and ask questions when needed. But you must ensure that all stakeholders involved are comfortable using the necessary technology. Hosting an online orientation for chapter leaders and members is an effective way to demonstrate how a virtual chapter will function, how members can communicate with each other, and how responsive the group should be.

When determining the chapter structure, gather best practices for running virtual groups. Then, test a subgroup from an already-existing chapter to see if your structure works or needs refining. In addition, policies concerning staff response times or the types of information that can and cannot be posted must be thoroughly defined and clearly communicated.

Keep Your "Why" in Mind

Why are you creating a virtual chapter or virtual option for your chapters? How will it benefit the association, the chapter, and your members? What is your end goal?

The National Association of Professional Organizers is a 4,200-member organization dedicated to helping individuals and businesses bring order and efficiency to their lives. In 2011, NAPO created a virtual chapter to fulfill the needs of members who wanted to belong to a chapter but could not participate due to proximity. NAPO's virtual platform provides any member worldwide the opportunity to be part of a chapter.

Burnette notes that the AGA is in the process of fulfilling a similar need—"wanting to extend our membership benefits to those who may not be centrally located," like rural areas or difficult-to-travel metropolitan areas. She explains that AGA's virtual options would be added to the existing structure and could become completely virtual, in-person, or a hybrid mix. "This will just be another tool in our chapter arsenal," she says.

While creating a virtual chapter network benefits members who cannot participate in geographic-based chapters, it can also benefit the association in widening its membership reach. Through virtual chapters, associations can engage potential members who were previously out-of-reach because of location, giving them insight into the benefits of the overall organization, discovering what additional benefits they would need, addressing those needs, and then enticing them to join.