American Association of Grant Professionals - Chaptering, State Rep Role

Qualifications

Be an active member in good standing of the American Association of Grant Professionals for a minimum of one year.
Willing and able to uphold and promote the AAGP Code of Ethics and appropriate codes of behavior.
Have more than three years of working experience in the grants field.
Able to do some light travel within the state, as needed, to support the formation of new chapter(s).
Have the ability to organize, facilitate, and lead in the formation of chapters, groups, and committees. Must be able to take an active role in the state chaptering process.
Have the ability to bring together and work with people of diverse backgrounds and experiences to form chapters.
Capable of managing meetings and groups.
Have excellent presentation and communication skills.
Have basic marketing and public relation skills.
Knowledge of and active participation in the fundraising community within the designated geographic area is desirable.
Previous experience in professional associations or other nonprofits, especially leadership positions, is desirable.

Roles and Responsibilities

The primary role of the state representative is to assist local leaders in establishing and building chapters. Within that role, the state representative has the following responsibilities (where applicable, examples are provided in italics):

Serve as the facilitator between all chapters within the designated geographic area and the national AAGP offices and Board of Directors.

EXAMPLE: the state representative must contact all AAGP members in his/her designated geographic area to inquire about interest in forming chapters.

Serve as a resource to existing chapters in member growth and development.
Read the State Representatives Manual, understand the Chapter Policies and Procedures, and communicate the Policies and Procedures to the chapter leadership in the designated geographic area, including all updates.
Organize and convene a chapter charter application meeting, during which at least ten AAGP members agree to form a chapter, elect the chapter officers, and perform other tasks required to form a chapter as defined in the State Representatives Manual and Chapter Policy and Procedures.

The state representative ensures that all forms for the creation of a chapter are properly and fully completed, and are sent to the AAGP national office. These forms include (you must be a current logged in member of AAGP to view these documents): the Chapter Charter Application (Word), Chapter Officer Contact Information Form (Word), Membership Forms (Word) (with matching checks, credit card information or Purchase Order Commitment forms), and Chapter Bylaws (PDF).

The state representative can chair the entire meeting or just the portion of the meeting until the President of the Board is elected.
Work with the chapter officers to have the first official meeting of the chapter within 60 days of approval of the Chapter Charter Application by AAGP.
Ensure the submission of quarterly reports on the activities and status of each chapter within the designated geographic area to AAGP's national office, as well as annual reports on information related to the chapter’s members and officers, activities and finances. (See State Representatives Manual and Chapter Policy and Procedures for the content of these reports.)
Be available to advise chapters and chapter officers as needed while, at the same time, not exercising authority reserved for the chapter and/or chapter officers. State representatives should stay in regular contact with the chapters.
Be willing to serve on the chapter board in a non-voting ex officio capacity and/or participate in chapter board meetings, at the discretion of the chapter president.
Participate in the State Representatives Network.
Represent AAGP in a professional manner with state and community leaders.

EXAMPLE: at times, state representatives are asked to be a presenter at official state or community functions.

Application Process and Term

Candidates for state representative positions must complete a State Representative Application Form (available in MS Word format and PDF: you MUST be a logged in current AAGP member to access these forms).

The completed application is submitted to the AAGP Executive Director, who reviews it for completeness and forwards it to the Chaptering Committee. The Chaptering Committee reviews the application, votes on it, and appoints the state representative. The Committee also informs the AAGP Board of Directors of the appointment.

The initial term for the state representative is one year. The state representative can apply to the Chaptering Committee to be reappointed for additional one-year terms, for a maximum length of service of three consecutive years.

The AAGP Chaptering Committee oversees the chaptering process, and makes recommendations on policies and procedures for establishing and maintaining the chapters to the AAGP Board of Directors. Members of the Committee include state representatives, chapter officers, chapter members and other AAGP members. The Committee is led by a chair and vice-chair, who are appointed by the AAGP Board of Directors. A Board member also serves as the liaison to the Committee.

The State Representative Network is an informal coalition of all appointed state representatives, who share information and support one another. The Network may, on occasion, make recommendations to the Chaptering Committee for changes in the Chapter Policy and Procedures.

After serving for three consecutive years, a state representative may be appointed for additional one-year terms after a break in service.