--- title: "Wednesday Buzz: Chapter Relationship Warning Signs" id: "38089" type: "post" slug: "wednesday-buzz-chapter-relationship-warning-signs" published_at: "2017-05-10T23:45:33+00:00" modified_at: "2017-05-10T23:45:33+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/05/10/wednesday-buzz-chapter-relationship-warning-signs/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/05/10/wednesday-buzz-chapter-relationship-warning-signs.md" excerpt: "Is the relationship between your national office and your local chapters in trouble? Also: how to approach social media as a communication channel between you and your members." taxonomy_category: - "Membership" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "chapter relations" - "Data Organization" - "Membership" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "Executive Team" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Wednesday Buzz: Chapter Relationship Warning Signs For your association to be at its best, your national office and your local chapters need to have strong ties and an aligned strategy. When was the last time you evaluated your chapter-network relationship to make sure it was at its most productive? If you haven’t, you should: You may find weaknesses that need addressing. To help evaluate the strength of your network, the Billhighway blog shares [10 signs that your chapter network may be in trouble (opens in a new tab)](http://blog.billhighway.com/2017/04/27/10-warning-signs-chapter-network-in-trouble/) . Start with taking a good look at your leadership relationship. National leaders can easily fall out of touch with the day-to-day needs of local chapters. If you find national leaders are removed, assess why that may be, because it could speak to a larger issue. “One of the reasons national leaders lose touch is because your leadership culture may not sufficiently value the importance of chapters to the association’s mission,” the company’s Kyle Bazzy explains. Also, consider if chapters have adequate representation in national governance. The problems that local chapters have can’t be heard without it. And it’s possible that networks lack chapter representation because the chapters don’t “value their national partner.” “Address this problem by establishing a chapter leader advisory group that provides input on repairing the relationship and restructuring the network,” he writes. ### Connecting via Social Media [https://twitter.com/AHredchair/status/862326113598676992 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/AHredchair/status/862326113598676992) **With conflicting best practices** and new product features popping up daily, figuring out the most effective ways to communicate with members on social media can be tricky. Your best approach may be to just keep doing what works. Don’t let the flashiest new social platform distract you from reaching your members on the communication channels they prefer, [says t (opens in a new tab)](http://info.ahredchair.com/blog/3-lessons-in-social-media-communications-for-your-membership) [he Association Headquarters (AH) blog (opens in a new tab)](http://info.ahredchair.com/blog/3-lessons-in-social-media-communications-for-your-membership) . And be sure you understand how your members relate to your social media presence. Is it just a passive source of information for them, or are they happy to interact by liking or sharing? “By figuring out how your members engage with social media it can help you become more adept at using it based upon your audience,” AH says. ### Other Links of Note **Speaking of social media,** *CMSWire* reveals [why listening and planning are vital (opens in a new tab)](http://www.cmswire.com/digital-marketing/the-rules-of-social-media-marketing-success-listen-and-plan/) to social media marketing success. **An editorial calendar alone isn’t sufficient.** The Content Marketing Institute provides [insights on developing a high-level strategy (opens in a new tab)](http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2017/05/editorial-content-marketing-strategy/) for your content marketing. **No need to email everyone.** According to Eventbrite, targeting your email list to a segmented audience [provides key benefits (opens in a new tab)](https://www.eventbrite.com/blog/targeted-event-emails-ds00/) . (iStock/Thinkstock) [Raegan Johnson](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Raegan Johnson is a contributor to Associations Now. 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