Congratulations! You're leading your local chapter of ARMA International. For the purposes of this site, we're assuming you are the president, incoming president, past president, vice-president, someone with similar natural tendencies. In any case, your leadership in your local chapter will determine how your membership perceives the entire ARMA association. No pressure!

First things first - you should know that you have the resources of ARMA International and the other successful ARMA chapters around the world on your side. Draw on their resources. Use their resources. after all, a successful program in one city is likely to be successful in another.

Next, recruit your team. That's important. So important, in fact, that we've provided more wisdom on the subject in your Tips & Templates area. Stellar membership and great programming are not accidents - they're the result of carefully selected chapter leaders. What's more, you need to understand why someone volunteers for leadership. How can you create a win-win scenario to accomplish the goals of the chapter and your goals as a leader? And please don't forget to have a good time. Board members (and regular humans) like to have a good time. Make your meetings and events an enjoyable, professional experience and you'll be creating a great environment for chapter success.

Communicate with your board often. Don't do it behind the scenes - do it out in the open. Collect and distribute contact information for your board and committees. It's difficult to move a chapter forward when communication is a challenge.

You have a vision for your chapter. You want it to be the best it can possibly be in your region. To do that, you need to develop your chapter plan beyond your term in office. Succession planning, strategic planning, and benchmarking are all important components to making your chapter a success