Chapter Super Ideas
These ideas, compiled by leaders of FBA chapters, represent a sample of the programs that have proven to be valuable for FBA members.
Second Circuit
Eastern District of New York Chapter
Our Chapter hosted a program honoring women military veterans in our community, as well as four organizations who provide services to veterans. The event opened with a formal program featuring presentations to the honorees, as well as remarks from several EDNY Judges and a keynote speaker. Following the formal program, the veterans were invited to a reception and to visit informational tables set up by 25 organizations that provide services to veterans in our community.
Southern District of New York Chapter
Reach out to your law school and judges who attended your law school to recruit new FBA members and make sure your law school knows about your FBA leadership position and publicizes it. Encourage your Board members to do the same!
Fourth Circuit
Eastern District of North Carolina Chapter
During our membership drive, our executive team sat down with a list of all major law firms and legal organizations in our district. We had an executive board member volunteer to contact someone at each organization on the list, inviting the organization to an upcoming CLE and encouraging FBA membership. It was a huge success. Not only did it get executive board members to actively participate in the membership drive, but it also made our membership drive that much more successful because people were hearing about the FBA from someone they actually knew.
Fifth Circuit
Baton Rouge Chapter
Judiciary involvement has been critical to our Chapter’s success. Each year we host an annual membership luncheon to which the District Judges and their staff are invited at no cost. Recently we began asking the Middle District Chief Judge to deliver a State of the District Address during the luncheon. Adding the State of the District Address increased attendance dramatically. For Chapters who struggle with judiciary attendance, consider focusing on a single annual event.
New Orleans
Our chapter expanded its efforts to recruit and retain members through a membership drive. This spring, we created a promotion that gave new members three free hours of chapter CLE. We targeted new admittees to the bar as well as assigned our directors with the task of bringing in three new members. In July, national offered a 20% off membership incentive. Our chapter advised non-renewing members of the drive and added our local incentive of three free hours of CLE.
Ninth Circuit
Inland Empire Chapter
For the past several years we have held programs in which the local U.S. Attorney joins our two local District Attorneys for a panel discussion of trends in criminal law. The panel discussion is moderated by the federal public defender.
Eleventh Circuit
Orlando Chapter
Our membership recruitment efforts this year included launching a “Non-Member Guarantee Policy.” The policy provides that any non-member who joins the Federal Bar Association within one week of the event attended receives a refund of the price differential between the member and non-member admission price to the event attended. This new policy resulted in at least 10 new members within the first 4 months that the Chapter initiated the policy.
Tampa Bay Chapter
We launched a sustained dialogue series, “Staying in the Game: Women, Leadership, and the Law.” The series kicked off with a half-day seminar focusing on the challenges women face in advancing in the profession, followed by quarterly meetings of small groups who further the discussion and identify solutions, which will be presented at a year-end seminar. The participation rate and level of engagement are very high, and we obtained many new members.