---
title: "Membership Hack: Chapter Leadership Coaching"
id: "41170"
type: "post"
slug: "membership-hack-chapter-leadership-coaching"
published_at: "2018-01-19T22:22:09+00:00"
modified_at: "2018-01-19T22:22:09+00:00"
url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/01/19/membership-hack-chapter-leadership-coaching/"
markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/01/19/membership-hack-chapter-leadership-coaching.md"
excerpt: "The National Speakers Association uses a leadership coaching program to support and grow new leaders in its chapters and build a leadership pipeline for the national organization."
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taxonomy_post_tag:
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  - "Employee Training"
  - "Leadership"
  - "Membership"
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  - "Article"
taxonomy_role:
  - "Association CEO / Executive Director"
  - "Director"
  - "Executive Team"
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taxonomy_persona:
  - "Association Professionals"
---

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 » Membership Hack: Chapter Leadership Coaching

**How to hack it?**Each fall, the National Speakers Association invites its 34 chapter presidents-elect to its headquarters in Phoenix for a three-day boot camp led by coaches who previously served as chapter presidents. Most of the travel expenses are covered by NSA. “It’s a win-win because we invest in them to attend,” says coach Patrick Donadio. “And they give us valuable time to be groomed as leaders.”

**Why does it work?**The three-day training is intensive and covers five core competencies: management, membership, meetings, marketing, and money. After the event, each trainee is paired with a coach and required to check in monthly by phone to keep the training going through the year.

**What’s the bonus?**The chapter boot camp has produced a leadership pipeline for NSA, including two currently serving board members. “We’re bringing in local leaders, but it also helps national to identify future leaders,” Donadio says. “It’s a nice way to build a succession plan.”

(MangoStar_Studio/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

[Tim Ebner](https://associationsnow.com/author/tim-ebner/)

Tim Ebner is communications director and press secretary at the American Forest & Paper Association in Washington, DC. He is a member of ASAE’s Communication Professionals Advisory Council and a former Associations Now senior editor.

[More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/tim-ebner/)

Tags: [#Employee Training](https://associationsnow.com/tag/employee-training/)
 [#Leadership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/leadership/)
 [#Membership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/membership/)

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