As we move into the second quarter of the fiscal year, I would like to formally introduce the Atlanta Chapter's Balanced Scorecard to our members.  The writing of this plan has been a task designed to give the leadership of the chapter purpose, direction and guidance over the coming years.  The Balanced Scorecard is the strategic planning and management system that was discussed at the 2009 World Workplace House of Delegates in detail and encouraged to be used by Chapters.  Our goal was to align chapter activities to the vision and strategy of the organization, improve internal and external communications, and monitor our Chapter performance against strategic goals.  In addition to creating a scorecard, the Board of Directors has done several things in this first quarter to help meet our objectives.
 
The board has developed a system to hold itself accountable for their time and positions; we have created committee report forms that make the monthly reporting process faster and easier while allowing us to track volunteer hours for each committee and the Chapter.  It has also made it possible to streamline our Board meetings to create more strategic planning time, which in turn, will benefit the entire Chapter.
 
We have presented superior educational opportunities for you - Atlanta Work Place, the new LEED EB/OM Study program, Georgia Tech Book Signing Event, and monthly program offerings.  More opportunities will be presented throughout the year. We have proposed some new initiatives for membership as it relates to growth and retention, targeting new groups and refining our follow up with new as well as prospective members.  We will be presenting new venues and programs for New Member Orientation, such as our first New and Prospective Member Breakfast at Maggiano's on October 22nd.
 
In an effort to bring more value to the Sustaining Patrons program, we have had three focus groups with past presidents and sustaining patrons to find out how we can bring more value to Sustaining Patrons and their investment in the Chapter.  We have also planned an event in partnership with the Associates Committee designed to bring associates together with professionals and share with them ways to bring more value to their membership dollars.
 
Lastly, we have looked for strategic ways to provide networking while fundraising.  We have moved the annual Golf Classic to the Spring in anticipation of better attendance and sponsorship later in the fiscal year and have created a new (and hopefully annual) event with a Bowling Night, also designed to generate fundraising dollars to support our Chapter's scholarships, sponsorships and Foundation obligations.
 
We have accomplished a lot in our first quarter and will continue to work hard to bring you added value to your membership dollars all throughout the coming year.  On the Chapter surveys this past year, a desire was expressed to know more about the Board's mission and objectives.  We hope that these quarterly updates will be informative to you.  If you have any issues or concerns regarding the direction of the Chapter I hope you will feel free to contact me directly at bzv6@cdc.gov.