What is an active section?
IEEE sections exist to provide services and support for IEEE members living or working in that section. These may include putting on local meetings on professional or technology topics (often put on my local section chapters). The section may also have events to help its members become senior members and support local IEEE student branches. Some sections have social events or support STEM or humanitarian activities.
The number of things an IEEE section can do is affected by the size of the section and the number of volunteer available, the interests of the local members, the technical activities in the region where the section is located and local cultural practices. Some sections are centered on a local university, some around a company or industry and some have a broader member base. Larger sections may have more volunteers, interested in more things, and thus doing more things. Participation in section events are the main way that many members and non-members interact with the IEEE. Stronger active sections can increase interest in being a member of the IEEE.
Whatever size the section is, it is volunteers that make it work and volunteers who organize events and activities. IEEE helps its section volunteers by providing tools to help with various activities and also by allowing sections to carry on good technical or organization activities that meet the needs of its members. vTools provides many on-line tools for publicizing and getting registration for events as well as reserving webex meetings. There are tools available for posting locally created content, such as recorded section chapter technical meetings) to an IEEE.tv channel for volunteer created content. IEEE also provides financial services for its sections and chapters.
IEEE also provides various training tools for its section and chapter officers, such as the Center for Leadership Excellence, https://ieee-elearning.org/CLE/, where members can find volunteer job descriptions for various IEEE roles, including those at the section and chapter level. It also includes information about the VoLT program for additional training about the broader IEEE for already established IEEE leaders. Many regions and sections have their own training programs that they carry out to let new volunteers learn how to do things in their local IEEE section.
Despite these aids to sections, many sections struggle to find volunteers to fill key roles and to provide candidates to run for various offices. Some sections are also losing members, reducing the number of people who could be officers in IEEE groups. Some chapters go dormant or are eliminated if they do not meet for a long enough period of time. What can we do to help revitalize sections that need help? What can we do to increase industry interest and participation in local IEEE events? How can we help sections meet their particular needs and interests better? I want to start a dialog on this and also invite IEEE members to register for a town hall meeting on July 13 to discuss topics about how to create vibrant and active IEEE sections. You can find out more and register for this and other town halls at Tom's Town Halls