To support Chapter Officers in coordinating local activity, we have developed this page of resources, guidelines and infrastructure protocol. Chapter Officers are strongly encouraged to read through the information below and harness these resources to their fullest.
Training
Orientation & Training
All Chapter officers are required to participate in a training session each year. This session will provide the necessary information and resources needed to run a successful Chapter.
Check-Ins
Chapter officers will have a formal check-in each quarter to discuss programming, general questions, feedback, HQ updates, etc.
Slack Channel
A Slack channel will be available for Chapter officers throughout the year to ask questions, share ideas, and receive notices from IDSA.
The Community Leadership Institute (CLI) is a program developed to provide IDSA’s volunteer leaders (volunteers include Chapter and Section leaders) with practical, professional development training that is relevant to their role as IDSA community leaders, but also in their own personal career growth. Content will include diversity equity and inclusion practices, event planning and project management, member engagement, and getting and attracting sponsors.
The CLI will host four professional development experiences (one per quarter) over the course of the 2023 community program year
Chapter Funding
We give your Chapter money each year! At the beginning of each year, IDSA headquarters makes available seed money ($1,400) for each Professional Chapter to support events and activities for their members and to operate with confidence. IDSA encourages Chapters to use these funds to invest in their communities. It is the responsibility of the Chapter Officer team (with support of the IDSA’s Community Manager) to monitor the Chapter balance to ensure that you are not overspending without bringing in revenue. The Chapters are funded by a portion of each IDSA professional member’s dues.
Chapters are prohibited from using seed money to expense the following items:
Games of chance (i.e. lotteries, raffles, sweepstakes, etc.). While lotteries, raffles and games of chance are popular ways for associations to raise money, they are highly regulated, have potential tax and privacy implications, and laws very from state to state on how they must be run and organized. Due to these complexities, it is IDSA’s policy to not allow these types of activities.
Gifts/Awards – Non- employees (i.e. volunteers, speakers, meeting participants, award winners, etc.)
Gift cards / cash of any amount and for any reason (i.e. specific food, Grub hub) are considered taxable to the recipient, regardless of amount. Therefore, IDSA’s policy is to not allow cash or gift cards to be used for prizes, acknowledgments, etc. Instead, non-cash gifts of low value ($150 or less) such as books, flowers, food items, gift baskets, etc. may be provided to a recipient.
Speaker compensation – if speakers are compensated a fee for their services, a contract must be in place, between IDSA and the speaker. Speaker compensation should be $500 or less, and no additional thank you gift should be provided.
Events
What is a SCARF?
SCARF stands for Section and Chapter Activity Request Form. This document helps IDSA track and montior all Chapter events. IDSA uses SCARFs to keep track of Chapter budgets and to help support Chapters hosting successful events.
When to submit a SCARF?
ALWAYS. Before conducting an event or other activity, all Chapters must complete the online form to submit a SCARF. The Chapter will receive a response indicating SCARF approval from Donte Shannon.
Events & Activities
All IDSA Chapters are required to provide their local members with professional, educational and social opportunities that advance their knowledge of industrial design. It is at the discretion of each Chapter to choose the best complement of events and activities for their community. Click here for examples of Chapter events and activities, and for information about running successful Chapter events.
IDSA Branding
While unique from community to community, IDSA chapters are a part of a broad, national effort to support, educate, and amplify the work of industrial designers and the ID profession. Therefore, maintaining the integrity of the IDSA brand is vital in ensuring a professional and consistent brand presentation which applies across multiple platforms in both digital and physical channels. IDSA has established logos and naming conventions for Chapter use and we must insist that these graphic marks be used in order to maintain a clean brand presence. Below are a few key factors to keep in mind. Questions? Contact Donte Shannon, Community Manager.
- Download IDSA Brand Guidelines document here (via Dropbox)
- WID Brand Guidelines here (Via Dropbox)
- Download IDSA logos here (via Dropbox)
- Download IDSA Professional Chapter logos here (via Dropbox)
- The IDSA logo should always be displayed in a vertical orientation, with the ‘i’ at the top. Reference the logo on the top of this page.
- Each of IDSA’s five Districts has a predefined color associated with that District. Chapters within each District assume their District’s color.
- Please do not create your own Chapter IDSA logo. We love the creativity, however this ultimately causes confusion for the IDSA brand.
- Use the same logo / branding across all of your Chapter accounts: LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc.
Support Team
Each District is led by a District Chapter Representative (DCR) who plays an active roll in supporting the IDSA Professional and Student Chapters within their district. They accomplish this by fostering the growth of Chapters, mentoring Chapter Officers, creating connections among Chapters and engaging members who live “in between” Chapters. DCRs make up the Districts Committee, chaired by the Chapter Director on IDSA’s Board of Directors. (Midwest District position is open)
South District
Central District
Northeast District
West District
Each District is led by a District Chapter Representative (DCR) who plays an active roll in supporting the IDSA Professional and Student Chapters within their district. They accomplish this by fostering the growth of Chapters, mentoring Chapter Officers, creating connections among Chapters and engaging members who live “in between” Chapters. DCRs make up the Districts Committee, chaired by the Chapter Director on IDSA’s Board of Directors. (Midwest District position is open)
South District
Central District
Northeast District
West District
Other Helpful Information
(Chapter Finances, Reporting and Elections)
I had to purchase something for my Chapter using my personal money.
No problem, we’ll get a check out to you as soon as possible. If expenses are not charged to the chapter credit card, they may be covered by personal funds from a Chapter Officer or designee and reimbursed in accordance with the society’s Reimbursement Policies & Procedures and upon submission of a Payment Request Form. Once the form is complete and accompanied by copies of receipts, IDSA will make every effort to issue your reimbursement in a timely manner (within the following week after submission).
What can be reimbursed?
Chapter expenses incurred for SCARF approved events can be reimbursed, provided that copies of all related receipts are submitted (don’t forget, you can email cellphone photos of receipts to accounting@idsa.org). The total of the reimbursement request must match the sum of the expenses on the accompanying receipts.
I lost a receipt!?
A Missing Receipt Form must be submitted as a substitute if the receipt is no longer available. Inquiries about reimbursements may be submitted to Donte Shannon.
IDSA provides each Chapter with an IDSA corporate credit card in order to help your team make purchases and operate efficiently. Only one member of your Chapter Officer team will be issued a credit card. This authorized card holder may use the card to make purchases.
What can be charged to this card?
You may use your chapter credit card to pay for expenses incurred for SCARF approved events. You may also make purchases for Chapter team planning and organizational activities. For your convenience, you may take cellphone photos of all receipts and email them to accounting@idsa.org. Copies of credit card receipts must be submitted to IDSA at the end of each month.What’s the spending limit?
For control purposes, the card has a default $250 spending limit. However, this limit may be raised by submitting a Credit Card Limit Increase Request Form to accounting@idsa.org.How do I get a Chapter credit card?
A card will be issued usually within 10 business days of IDSA headquarters receipt of the Credit Card Acknowledgement Notice & Form denoting the requester has read and agreed to abide by the Society’s Credit Card Usage & Disbursement Policy. Direct all questions in reference to card issuance or name changes to Korie Twiggs.I lost a receipt!?
A Missing Receipt Form must be submitted as a substitute if the receipt is no longer available. To ensure IDSA compliance with IRS and other auditing requirements, chapter credit cards will be suspended within 30 days of failure to submit receipts or substitutes. Inquiries about chapter credit cards may be submitted to Korie Twiggs.