General information for Programming Directors at Large

Building your team

• You are a leader of leaders – that is the most important part of your role. You cannot lead, however, without individuals on your team. You determine the strategy, your committee executes on that strategy. As a DAL, you are expected to:
  • form and maintain committees of volunteers
  • actively invite members to participate on committees. 
    • Committees vary in size, structure and levels of sophistication. The standard committees under the programming DAL are:
      • Content committee: finds and secures speakers/panelists and curates event content to ensure it aligns with expectations
      • Event logistics committee: oversees overall event planning/program management, coordinating cross-functional team for event planning and execution
      • Sponsor/venue liaison committee: finds venues for networking and non-sponsored events. Liaises with secured event sponsors for internal planning, alignment and satisfaction. 
  • There is one committee lead on each of these committees, and they should have other committee members underneath them. These are the individuals who will execute the tactical elements and implementation of your strategy.
  • You define how often you meet with your committees and the delegation of work activities.

Finding your leaders

• You can never have too many and should always be prepared to have backups in place. Tapping on the shoulder is key.
• Begin with existing committees – who is still there? Who will continue? Who will step away?
• Advertise opportunities on your committee on the HBA Community.
• Ask for suggestions from your board.
• Tap into your network – do you have colleagues or acquaintances that would be perfect for a role? Ask!
• Reach out to large groups on social media – use LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, etc.
• Attend HBA events – your own events are one of the best places to find and recruit new talent. Attend as many as you can with your eye open for individuals looking to get involved.

Supporting your team

• Develop one of your committee members as your successor. Think about succession planning early.
• Share your knowledge/wisdom/experience.
• Help your volunteers identify an HBA career path and support it, even if it means moving off of your team.
• Recognition goes a very long way!

Supports in place for you

• Education and Events President – this individual is responsible for strategic overview of all programming volunteers across the region.
• Education and Events Vice President, Education Regional Director, and Events Regional Director – these individuals are the Education and Events President’s direct support team, and are responsible for training chapter volunteers and filtering important information from HBA Central to the chapters.
• HBA’s Senior Manager of Member Programs (Michelle Morse) – can assist with specific member concerns, and is available to assist when the aforementioned individuals are unavailable.