Enigma Business Networking Constitution

Transcription

1 1. Introduction and General Operation is a networking group providing a forum for members and visitors to meet, exchange views, become acquainted and ultimately gain trust between one other. Trust is seen as the main ingredient required before business referrals take place. is fundamentally managed by its Head Office (HO) which is responsible for Policy and general direction. Individual Groups, typically in geographically separate locations, form the underlying membership. Each group is responsible for its own finances but operates under this common constitution. Fees are paid by groups to HO in respect of monthly group fees and annual membership fees are paid by members directly to the HO. Where meeting fees are required this is the responsibility of the groups to invoice and collect. Groups meet on a weekly basis for a scripted meeting (Generic script attached) generally lasting from 0645 to Participants are invited to present a Uin40 pitch to promote themselves and also to offer business referrals when able to do so. There is a revenue call where members say thank you for the business and the level of business is recorded and presented to the group in a monthly summary. There is also a 4 minute and 8 min presentation by a selected member to the assembled group. All groups must appoint a Chairman, Membership Manager and Finance Manager to form a minimal committee. Group committees are accountable to the HO in respect of the size and detail of its membership. The HO agrees to keep this information private and not for discussion either publicly or between other groups. The HO will account to the groups on an annual basis and will present an agreed form of accounts and other meeting reports. Enigma Networking is dependent on promoting itself to prospects to both maintain its membership and to grow. All prospects are asked to visit the group at least once before considering an application to join. Prospects must submit a membership application for a single business category. Each group will be ultimately responsible for choosing its membership and categories. Upon successful admission to the group the member will lockout all other applications and representations under their assigned category. New members are offered a guarantee that if, after the first after six months membership, they have not invoiced business to the value of their HO membership fee then Enigma Networking will refund twice this sum as compensation. The HO together with the groups committee will judge if a given member has been active or not. The agreed refund is paid for equally by HO and the members group. 2. Enigma Active Membership The group is only as strong as its constituent members and so its success is reliant on active membership participation and support. Members must play an active part in the group by attending meetings, sending subs whenever this is not possible, and otherwise integrating with their group. The following points outline what is expected of an active member within any Enigma group. Page 1 of 9

2 Attendance We ask that you let the chair or membership coordinator know of your absence prior to any meeting and send a sub to maintain your business presence in the room. We would expect an Active member to have a meeting attendance of at least 75% (inclusive of Subs). This may be reviewed from time to time by the management team of the group. Attendance of less than 75% in any 3-month period will prompt a discussion with the member and the management team. If attendance continues to be of concern or falls below 50% in the following 6-month period, then membership of the group will be reviewed, and the member may be asked to leave if it is determined that continued membership will not be of benefit to the individual or the group. In this scenario membership fee refunds will be solely at the discretion of Enigma HO. Uin40 Presentations These presentations are a moment in our meetings where members are offered around 40 seconds to tell their group what they do and what they are looking for from the group. It is very important and beneficial that members are specific in their requests and have some consistency in these presentations. Poor quality or lack of participation in Uin40 presentations will contribute to an inactive membership. As a small incentive there is a weekly best of Uin40 trophy awarded each week. The winner of the previous week judges this award. Mentoring New members undertake a mentoring process to be informed how the group functions and the basic principles of Business Networking. All members should continually mentor each other, however new members are allocated a specific mentor/training expert who is generally appointed by the Mentoring Manager (appointed by the group committee). This will usually be an experienced member of the group with networking and training expertise. One or more specific mentoring 1 to 1 meetings will be held to complete the new members introduction to the group. Mentoring notes are provided for this purpose. Behaviour attributable to not attending a suitable mentoring session will be deemed part of an inactive membership. Name Badge Members will be given an Enigma membership badge which will easily identify them to new or unfamiliar members. These badges are part of initial membership, but replacements will be charged at cost. A small part of an active membership will include wearing this badge during meetings. Members are also provided with a business card wallet, pen, and a lapel badge. Web Entry Member details are published in their respective group area of the EnigmaNetworking.com website. After registration it is the responsibility of an active member to inform the Group Membership Manager of any changes. Membership and Meeting fees Members pay an annual membership fee to HO and a monthly meeting fee to their respective group. Active members will ensure that these payments are made promptly and that no Page 2 of 9

3 complications arise due to lack of funds etc. Where necessary cash payments should be volunteered to avoid serious arrears. Distribution List All members of Enigma Networking Groups have access to the groups distribution list. The members registered address will be included in this list to allow group wide messages to be sent. Active members will ensure their correct address features in this list. The registered address must be the default SMTP address for the members mailbox members should approach their groups membership manager for more help with this. Problems or changes to members primary SMTP address will affect efficient delivery of Enigma Group mailings. Members have access to their own groups distribution list. There is no access to other groups distribution lists. HO has access to all groups mailing lists. Visitors Group members are responsible for inviting guests to their meetings with a view to expanding the Group s membership so increasing its popularity and ability to refer business. Active members should continually identify and invite visitors in accordance with available categories. Where business categories overlap some guidance from the membership manager should be sought. Visitors pay a meeting fee to the Membership manager or official delegate on the day of the meeting, a receipt is given upon request. Events Enigma believe that You will give business to those you know and feel confident with. To this end active Enigma members will want to socialise with other members to gain confidence and trust toward, perhaps, the position of being able to refer. Training and social events help to provide a forum for members to further get to know each other and are encouraged to support the groups events. Referrals Whilst Enigma does not monitor referrals it is the most important part of our meetings, we are after all a business referral networking group. Active members will refer other members at every appropriate opportunity and will follow up when referrals are made to them. They will keep the referrer informed too. Business cards A box containing members business cards is circulated around the group meeting each week. It is the active members responsibility to maintain their supply of business cards in this box. Revenue Call This is an important part of the Enigma meeting. Communicating the value of an average seat in the room and ensuring that each member is benefiting financially from the group is a key part of what Enigma is all about. Each week members are asked to submit the number and value of invoices from referrals, both directly and indirectly from members. VAT should not be part of these submissions. It is the active members responsibility to ensure that all relevant revenue is submitted so that their seat is valued correctly. Page 3 of 9

4 Meetings Enigma will normally meet each week and it is the responsibility of active members to attend as many of these as is practical or send a sub when they cannot attend in person. However, when there is a bank holiday in the week, we often decide to miss that week s meeting. Members are notified in advance when Bank Holiday meeting cancelations will occur. Enigma also has a break over Christmas, again these dates are notified in advance. Timekeeping Weekly meetings start at 0645 and finish by Active members are expected to arrive on time and be present for the whole meeting and network with other members and visitors as required after the meeting finishes. It is appreciated that this is not always possible due to diary commitments however active members should be giving the meeting a priority in their diary. 4 min Presentation These presentations are intended for new members to introduce themselves personally to the group and should detail the members background, hobbies, interests, family, etc. These presentations slots are also used for short messages from a special guest such as a charity. 8 min Presentation These presentations are intended for members to present a specific part of their business to the group. They are intended to help educate the group and provide some further insight into the members business and professional capabilities. This is a good time also to describe what is a good referral for the member. Although not mandatory these presentations can be somewhat key in an active members development within the group. Help is provided through mentoring to prepare for these presentations. Network tips The week following a member s 8 min presentation they are asked to provide a Network Tip on a selected theme. This is a short message to the group of no longer than 5 minutes. Active members are expected to give these presentations some thought prior to the meetings and deliver a quality Tip. M2M Meetings Member to Member (M2M) meetings are key to good members relations and building that all important trust toward being able to offer a referral. These meetings are sometimes referred to as 1-to-1 or 121 meetings. Active members should maintain regular M2M meetings especially with newer members. These are possibly the most important times spent with other members. 3. Disputes and issues When referrals have resulted in business and that business has not been delivered in a satisfactory manner, members should attempt to resolve the issue directly with the member concerned. When this approach fails the matter should be referred to the Group Chairperson who may involve the group management committee to help. If issues with the conduct of another member during a meeting or issues concerning the attendance of a visitor to the group (including blocking them from joining due to clash or previous poor experience) then members must communicate with the Membership manager of the group. Page 4 of 9

5 4. Guarantee New members are offered a guarantee that if, after the first after six months membership, they have not invoiced business to the value of their HO membership fee then Enigma Networking will refund twice this sum as compensation. The HO together with the groups committee will judge if a given member has been active or not. This payment will not exclude the member from retaining their presence at the Enigma group. This will be a one-off payment made by HO. The request will be from the Chair to HO on behalf of the group and payment will be made within 4 weeks of the request from the group chair. By providing regular revenue call information as requested, the Chair can be aware of members who may wish to call upon this guarantee. With the help of the management team and other group members, Enigma will do all it can to prevent this situation arising by helping the member develop business from the group. 5. Renewals Four weeks prior to an Enigma membership anniversary a renewal will be requested. A list of Invoices should be offered to the Chair to hand out and discuss membership. 6. Other Enigma Groups Joint Membership We agree that in some circumstances membership with other Enigma groups may be considered. Joint Membership will not be offered to groups within the same geographic location or town. When appropriate, applications must be made to the out of area group and the chair of that group will grant or deny the application. It is our experience that membership of more than one group dilutes referrals, visitors, and the time spent with other members. Group Switch There are circumstances where a member may wish to remove themselves from one group to join another. Providing the chair of the new group agrees to accept your application to switch then the move can commence. 7. Duties of Groups and its Officers Group Management Team Each Group Management Team has a mandate from its members to manage the Group s affairs and finances in the best possible way and for the benefit of the group, ensuring that at no time will the Group s bank account become overdrawn. No Enigma Group Management has authority to encumber the Group by any sum greater than the credit balance in the Group s Bank account. No overdraft is authorised. It is resolved and agreed by the current members of the Group that the Management Team is authorised to run the Group and its finances, and this authority will continue for 12 months from March 2018 or until the Group determines that there should be a change in personnel. Group Chairperson This is a key role in all Enigma groups the job is to motivate and energise group members at Page 5 of 9

6 meetings and to update the members on any central and local initiatives. The Chairperson is responsible for ensuring that meetings run smoothly and in a timely manner. Local group decisions are made by the chairperson, including meeting cancellations, meeting script changes, specific visitor day events, and all member related matters. This role requires leadership, organisation, strength of character, and attention to detail attributes. The chairperson will manage and delegate all tasks leading to the efficient running of the Group and its meetings. To this end additional roles may be identified. These tasks will include completion and submission of the meeting register in respect of visitors and members, issuing of visitor meeting fee receipts, etc. The Group Chairpeople should maintain communications and meet regularly to ensure any inter group issues can be discussed and brought to HO attention when required. The chairperson will attempt to identify inactive members in a group. These members will be offered appropriate help as required, which could be personal or business help as it is important that all members achieve some success from attending the group. These members may, for instance, be offered another 8 min Presentation to help kick start interest in their services and products. The Chairperson manages hotel/venue numbers for breakfast etc. and will be the contact for the Hotel/venue staff in any concerns regarding quality of breakfast, outstanding invoices, etc. The Group Chairperson will lead the clear majority of group meetings however these may be delegated occasionally. Group Finance Manager This role deals with all money issues any visitor who is not a sub will need to pay a meeting fee for the privilege of attending the meeting (this may be discounted with a voucher). The Finance manager will deposit money into that groups Enigma bank account or hand all payments to group personnel for deposit. Enigma Groups collect and collate completed referral business which is summarised and presented by the Finance Manager at the start of each month. These figures help to produce a crude seat value for the group which helps promote the group to visitors. Group Membership Manager This role is responsible for all issues relating to group membership new applications are reviewed and responded to within 10 days. Any potential business crossovers/clashes will be discussed prior to the visit. The Membership Manager will present the joining procedure whenever visitors are in the room. They will help answer any questions with regards to membership, identify any conflicts of business activity and will discuss with each party how this may be resolved satisfactorily for all. Other Group Roles The Chairperson may appoint additional roles to efficiently spread the task of running the group. Some of these currently operational in some groups are as follows. Mentor Manager This role is to assist with the induction of new members into the group. They manage the introduction of new members to candidate mentors. The role should also monitor the Page 6 of 9

7 progress of mentoring and announce when they are complete. Mentoring notes should be available and maintained by the Mentor Manager. Time Keeper This role is responsible for notifying Uin40, 4 minute, and 8-minute presenters that their time is up. This is generally achieved by holding up a card shortly before the relevant time expires. For Uin40 presentations, any members still speaking when their time expires are required to donate 1 to the groups elected charity (IE 1 in the pot). This role also presents the 8 min Bio summary for the speaker. Rota Manager - This role organises a list of activities such as who might be offering an 8 or 4 min presentation Points Manager - This role maintains a spreadsheet of allocated points for bringing unique visitors to the group for which the member will gain 20 points. When a visitor joins the group a further 60 points are awarded. When a member s points reach 100 a prize (typically wine, etc) is awarded and the members accumulator is reduced by 100 points. However a continual total of points is kept and an annual prize is awarded for the member with the most points. Social & Training Manager - This role will ensure that each local group sets up regular social activities and localised training support. They should ask their members what would be of interest. These are arranged for members of the group. It is very important for Enigma groups to encourage and take part in these social activities as the interaction is a great means to build M2M relationships and ultimately generate more business. Special Day awards - Enigma is all about having fun whilst you network and generate business. To this end we like to celebrate a member s birthday, so we have a Special Day monitor to manage this. They will have a list of members birthdays and generally notify the individual the week prior to the meeting to remind them to bring some cakes or even a box of sweets or some fruit etc for the group if they wish. The Special day birthday monitor will arrange a suitable birthday card which will be signed by all the members prior to handing it to the chair of the day to announce! Room Preparation -A member may be asked to look after this activity however all members should really help with this responsibility. Usually the first to arrive will put out pens, pads etc. and at the close of our meeting collect everything back in. Role Resignation When members feel unable to continue an assigned role in Enigma but wish to remain in the group they should notify the Chairperson and arrange a suitable replacement. If a member of the management team wishes to resign a 30-day notice is preferable. The Chairperson will notify HO of all changes in personnel for the Group Management Team. If the Chairperson decides to step down the notice period should be given immediately to the Enigma HO Chairperson to establish and discuss a successor. Membership Resignation Members wishing to leave the group should advise the Group Chairperson ideally 10 days in advance of their last attendance. In this scenario there are no automatic membership or meeting fee refunds. Page 7 of 9

8 8. Head Office Management Team The HO management team role is to oversee and maintain the ethos, infrastructure, and general operational integrity of Enigma Networking as a whole. It will feature a Chairperson, Finance Manager, Membership Manager, Marketing Manager, and Administrator who will meet as required (generally every 60 days) to progress actions and oversee the development of Enigma Networking within existing regions and ultimately in new regions. The HO management team will establish clear reporting lines to the groups that it represents. Enigma Networking will develop by maintaining itself as a non-profit-making concern where all generated funds will be used for the benefit of all groups. It is recognised that some responsibilities within groups and at HO will require some reward. It is planned to build this need into a business plan which will be published and annually revised. 9. New groups Enigma HO will promote the creation of new groups in other geographical areas, the aim is not to cause conflict or overlap with current groups but to grow. When an opportunity to establish a new group is presented (to HO) this will be investigated, assessed, and encouraged. The key requirements are a suitable Chairperson, venue, and plan. The HO Chairperson will lead initial discussions toward new group creations. 10. Current Fees Enigma membership fees are 99 paid annually by members to HO. Enigma meeting fees are 57 paid monthly to the members group Enigma groups pay HO a monthly fee of 143 to HO for groups with up to 25 members. Enigma groups pay HO a monthly fee of 165 to HO for groups with over 25 members. Page 8 of 9

9 I agree to uphold the principles and content set out in the above constitution. Member name Member Signature Signature date Page 9 of 9