The Internet Society is YOU.  It is a community of entrepreneurs and innovators; thinkers and doers; artists and activists; darers and dreamers; and everyday individuals.

Have a voice. Play your part.

Join the Chapter community actively.

A Chapter’s membership is, without question, its most valuable asset. Some Chapters thrive by recruiting large numbers of members; others work better with a smaller, more focused group.

For a Chapter to be successful in its mission, it is important to have members who are active and engaged in the Chapter’s activities. In addition to attending meetings, activities can include:

• developing content (such as topical brochures or special websites)
• creating special interest groups,
• building sponsorship programmes
• contributing to mailing lists, and
• many other forms of support.

As a Chapter leader, you and your board should think carefully about how the Chapter’s charter will determine what type of members you will need to recruit and how to go about recruiting them. It is important that your Chapter always be attracting new members.

Remember, though, that while having a few hundred members may seem ideal, managing that many members will require additional resources. Similarly, too few members might make it too easy for your Chapter to lose momentum.

While growing membership is one important sign of a Chapter’s health and vitality, merely having a long list of people who have expressed interest after attending one or more meetings will not necessarily help you achieve your goals. In fact, as many Chapter leaders have reported, you should expect to lose some members along the way as you get new ones.