What Is an Affinity Group?
An affinity group is a group from within or outside of your current chapter membership that is drawn together by common interests or experiences.
Possible types of Affinity Groups
- Retail Bankers
- Operational/IT Professionals
- Young Professionals
- Commercial Real Estate Lenders
- Chief Credit Officers
- Loan Review
- Attorneys
- CPAs
- Many other types of groups are possible. Let your imagination run wild!
Why Form an Affinity Group?
- Chapter Benefits
- Increase/strengthen chapter membership at both the professional and associate level.
- Enables board members to get to know their chapter better (who are members and why they are joining).
- Not a lot of work – ask an Associate member/board member to get together a few colleagues for lunch and discuss topics of interest to that group. Ask the person to report on what was discussed.
- Good recruiting tool for the board – provide opportunities for others not on the board to get involved.
- Improve attendance at regular chapter functions.
- Greater awareness of RMA within your member institutions.
- Attendee Benefits
- Addresses areas of concern not typically brought up at general chapter meetings.
- Provides value to members by enabling them to develop a network of peers.
- Gives members the benefit of widening their knowledge base – finding out different ways to accomplish the same goals.
- Provides a tangible benefit of RMA membership especially for them.
- Assists in career development.
- Leadership opportunities.
How Do I Identify an Affinity Group?
- Survey your board of directors and have a board member spearhead the effort to start an affinity group.
- Review the Membership Toolbox.
- Survey your members. What are their interests?
- Review job titles of members from membership lists.
How to Get Started?
- Start with the goal/mission of getting each affinity group involved in RMA.
- Use your contacts from this conference and your RMA Regional Manager for resources.
- Select a chapter board member to spearhead the committee.
- Use your Senior Associates, Ambassadors, or other bank contacts to promote your affinity group at their institutions.
- Get others involved and hold an organizational meeting.
- Offer a chapter-sponsored kick-off event.
- Plan carefully for your first kick-off event.
- Go for some free local publicity. Send out a notice or pitch letter to your local media, both print and broadcast (radio and TV), giving them the details on your next meeting.
- Plan subsequent events with relevant topics.
- Keep board members involved/have the leader of the group report directly to the board.
- Keep the group informed and involved in all RMA chapter activities.
- Groom the leadership of the affinity group(s) for chapter leadership roles. Affinity group committee members should see that their efforts could lead to positions of leadership and greater responsibility at the chapter level.
- Recognize your affinity group and its leaders and celebrate their successes.
- Survey each affinity group for the types of events the group would like.
- Build a database of each affinity group and include their contact information in the chapter’s database.
- Think of programs that will enhance career development and avoid ones already being held by the chapter. Always try to avoid conflicts with chapter offerings.
For more information and for additional resources, please contact the Regional Manager for your area.