SUCCESS OF THE SMALL USER GROUP

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SUCCESS OF THE SMALL USER GROUP

• By Marie Vesta

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BOARD MEMBERS

• CREDENTIALS
• Desire
• Knowledge
• Compatibility

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BOARD MEMBERS (cont)

• DESIRE
• In order to give of yourself as a board member,
  it is important to want to be holding that
  position in your club.
• A successful board requires working together and
  putting aside any differences that are not
  cohesive to your club.

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BOARD MEMBERS (cont)

• KNOWLEDGE
• In order to stand in front of your club and speak
  about computers, cameras, word processors,
  genealogy, or any other subject, it is important
  to know your material.
• Not only for instructors, but making important
  board decisions require knowing the different
  angles of each motion.

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BOARD MEMBERS (cont)

• Compatibility
• It is very important that ALL board members like
  and respect each other.
• If there is a problem, see if you can find the
  problem and correct it, if that isnt possible,
  perhaps it is time for that member to step down
  and offer the position to someone else.
• If you are the President of your clublisten to
  your board and HEAR what they are saying.

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VOLUNTEERS

• Everyone of your UG members have a special
  computer knowledge or interest. It may be
  digital photos or spreadsheets or working with
  money, but it is important to learn what their
  strengths are and have them participate in
  exchanging that knowledge with other members.
• The need for vendors decrease with each person
  willing to share their knowledge.

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VOLUNTEERS (cont)

• Respect your volunteers
• Do not burn them out
• Give praise often
• Encourage participation
• Once a year have a volunteer appreciation night
  and give out certificates for their time spent
  helping your club become successful.

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VOLUNTEER (cont)

• POSITIONS
• Greeter
• Social Director
• Instructor
• Club Photographer

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GREETER

• It is very important to greet each member or
  guest as they arrive to the club meeting.
• A greeter makes everyone feel welcome and
  special.
• Choose a volunteer who has a great smile and an
  outgoing personality for this job.
• Get them a club shirt so everyone knows who the
  greeter is when they arrive.

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INSTRUCTORS

• Instructors are one of the most important
  volunteers that the User Group has.
• Not everyone can stand before a group of people
  and successfully inspire and exchange knowledge
  with each other.
• Give your SIG leaders the opportunity to make
  choices concerning material that they are
  presenting.
• Try to have a different instructor each week to
  keep from burn-out.

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SOCIAL DIRECTOR

• The BODs do not have a great deal of extra time
  to plan parties, picnics, etc
• Choose a volunteer who enjoys organizing this
  type of event and does not require much
  supervision. It is amazing how great the outcome
  when someone does this.

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CLUB PHOTOGRAPHER

• Having someone responsible to take photos at
  different functions truly helps when it comes to
  material for your newsletter and website.
• Choose someone who enjoys using their digital
  camera and has a natural flair when taking photos.

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Conclusion

• The bottom line is this if you have a Board
  that gets along and works for the good of the
  User Group, volunteers from your membership that
  are praised, members encouraged to exchange their
  knowledge, your club should thrive and increase
  membership without any special measures.
• Use the KISS theory and keep it simple silly, it
  works!

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THE END.

• Thank you for your patience and your time. Now
  lets have a group discussion about the success
  of the small user groups.