--- title: "How to Prove Chapters Are Worth the Effort" id: "9431" type: "post" slug: "how-to-prove-chapters-are-worth-the-effort" published_at: "2018-12-03T00:00:00+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-15T02:51:17+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/12/03/how-to-prove-chapters-are-worth-the-effort/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/12/03/how-to-prove-chapters-are-worth-the-effort.md" excerpt: "Working long hours, stressed, ready to throw in the towel. Sound familiar? We’ve all been there. Seeking relief, your first stop is the boss’s office to express frustration and ask for help—which usually means asking that more people be hired...." taxonomy_category: - "Governance" taxonomy_post_tag: - "ASAEcenter" - "AssociationsNow" - "Business Process Analysis" - "Change Management" - "Chapter/Component Relations" - "Detroit" - "Member Engagement" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "Director" - "Executive Team" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » How to Prove Chapters Are Worth the Effort Working long hours, stressed, ready to throw in the towel. Sound familiar? We’ve all been there. Seeking relief, your first stop is the boss’s office to express frustration and ask for help—which usually means asking that more people be hired. Most of the time, the answer is no … or not now … or my favorite, “Let’s reevaluate in six months.” When I faced this dilemma at the Global Business Travel Association, I succeeded in getting extra help by proving the return on investment for an additional resource. My secret was using indisputable data. Mariner Management CEO Peter Houstle launched a Chapter ROI project in 2017, inviting association executives to contribute to Mariner’s [Chapter ROI Valuation Matrix (opens in a new tab)](http://www.marinermanagement.com/clientfiles/ChapterROI-ProjectPlan.pdf) [PDF]. The tool allows associations to assign dollar values to chapter services by calculating the revenue they bring in and the cost the parent organization would have incurred had staff or vendors done the work performed by chapter volunteers. “The valuation matrix is a brainstorming exercise to collect a list of activities that could be monetized directly— as a service based on volunteer hours—or indirectly,” says Houstle. “Everyone knows how much their chapter system costs, but they don’t know how much it’s worth.” (Only 5 percent of associations calculate the ROI of their chapter programs, according to Mariner’s *2016 Chapter Benchmarking Study.*) > A scant 5 percent of associations calculate the ROI of their chapter programs, according to Mariner Management’s 2016 Chapter Benchmarking Study. The Chapter ROI Valuation Matrix outlines a number of channels or ways in which chapters can produce value for an association. They include: - Serving as **distribution channels** for selling and delivering products to members - Delivering **marketing and communication** messages - Providing a **listening tool** for the association to learn about developing issues, trends, and more. - Helping the association with new-member **recruitment** and relationship building - Channeling association **advocacy** messages to lawmakers - Purchasing and participating in **continuing education** - Training and mentoring **next-gen professionals** and preparing them, if applicable, for certification - Being a **local resource** the association can turn to for additional expertise - Assisting in **product development** by testing and giving feedback on new programs - Demonstrating **member engagement** by volunteering for short-term projects - Offering **leadership development**to members that allows them to improve their readiness to participate on the national stage ### Measuring Merit According to Mariner, there are four ways in which a dollar value can be assigned to a chapter’s services: **Direct value.** The chapter activity produces direct income to the association (a rebate on the sale of a T-shirt, for example). **Price the service based on open market rates.** Most of the above services could be purchased by a private sector vendor. What money is being saved by using chapter members to provide this work instead? **Price the volunteer contribution.**Estimate or track the hours put in by chapter volunteers to deliver these functions and assign an hourly rate that reflects what other professionals in the industry earn. **Indirect value.** Assess the influence of chapter activity on the mission or the organization’s metrics for factors like certifications, memberships, and registrations. Not all categories will apply to every association, and not every association will have all the data at their fingertips. My recommendation is to start small with the data you know you have. As you continue to track and measure progress with your components (which you may call chapters, affiliates, or sections), start measuring more activities and adding this data to the matrix. As a member-driven association, these contributions have a direct effect on the organization’s mission on a national level. At GBTA, we always knew our component contributions were valuable, but until this exercise, we couldn’t put a dollar figure against it or show how great the need was to increase the support we provide to our volunteer network. We’re always evaluating ways to increase our investment in our components in a way that is sustainable for both staff and our members. Being armed with this data puts us in a great position to do this in a smart way for the association’s growth moving forward. [Patrick Algyer](https://associationsnow.com/author/patrick-algyer/) Patrick Algyer is director of volunteer relations at the Global Business Travel Association in Alexandra, Virginia. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/patrick-algyer/) Tags: [#Business Process Analysis](https://associationsnow.com/tag/business-process-analysis/) [#Change Management](https://associationsnow.com/tag/change-management/) [#Chapter/Component Relations](https://associationsnow.com/tag/chapter-component-relations/) [#Detroit](https://associationsnow.com/tag/detroit/) [#Member Engagement](https://associationsnow.com/tag/member-engagement/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond the Tech Stack: How AI Is Changing the Association PlaybookOctober 29, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/10/29/associations-now-presents-beyond-the-tech-stack-how-ai-is-changing-the-association-playbook/) - [VideoSmarter Board Management for Associations: An OnBoard ShowcaseJuly 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/07/24/smarter-board-management-for-associations-an-onboard-showcase/) - [ArticleA Guide to Seamless Officer Handovers for AssociationsSeptember 8, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/08/a-guide-to-seamless-officer-handovers-for-associations/) - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents: Leading Together-Strengthening the Board-CSO PartnershipDecember 18, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/12/18/associations-now-presents-leading-together-strengthening-the-board-cso-partnership/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2018%2F12%2F03%2Fhow-to-prove-chapters-are-worth-the-effort%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !