AWMI is structured into three divisions: International, which administers the entire organization, plans international meetings, manages the website, etc; Regional, which manages the day-to-day operations of the local chapter boards; and Chapters, which manage local activities.
The advantage of AWMI is our commitment to the growth and education of our members. We do this through leadership opportunities, regularly held events, newsletters, and mentoring programs providing our members with the educational vehicles by which to network and grow.
After attending a meeting, write up a report summarizing what you learned at the meeting and how others in your company could benefit from that information. Look at the membership list and see if there are any of your customers or potential customers as members. Set goals to get to know these members.
The first step would be to attend more meetings and to volunteer at our functions. This provides members with a way to easily meet other members, become familiar with their peers and become a familiar face all at the same time.
We began offering corporate membership at various levels with great success in 2005. Please see Corporate Memberships for more details and information. If you have further questions, please contact the International Membership Chair.
The subject has been broached, but AWMI feels that the name reflects who we are and what we have chartered ourselves to accomplish. Our focus remains on female members and there is still a need to keep this focus. We do, however, have a substantial number of male members who regularly take advantage of the many member benefits of AWMI.
The dues cover the operational costs of running AWMI, including printing, postage, service awards, insurance, and taxes. Educational Tours at Annual Conference are often free, or greatly reduced. These costs are absorbed by AWMI's operating budget.
The goal of the chapter events is to pay for themselves. Many times the chapter will subsidize these meetings due to low attendance or price increases from the site.
Golf outings, raffles, auctions, and other fundraising events are a Chapter’s only way to generate income. These monies pay for scholarships, the newsletter and subsidize chapter events as well as cover the expenses of doing Chapter business such as printing, postage, service awards, insurance and taxes.
All members in good standing for at least one year are eligible to apply for scholarship funds. A set amount of funds is designated each year. Funds can support members in their educational endeavors outside of AWMI monthly and annual meetings. They have been used in the past to assist members in attending the AWMI International Conferences (AIC), training seminars, school fees, etc. For more information, please visit our Scholarship page or contact your local AWMI Chapter President or AWMI’s International Secretary.
Each August, nominations are accepted for candidates to the Board of Directors. Nominees are contacted to review their commitment and interests. All qualified nominees are placed on the ballot. Only regular members with a minimum of two years’ membership are eligible for nomination. Any member can nominate a regular member, or you can be self-nominated.
The demographics of AWMI are available here: Demographics
Speakers are discussed and selected throughout the year. Sometimes we will see a speaker at another venue and ask them to speak, and others approach us. Most importantly, we look for speakers that will benefit our members and their companies.
AWMI is proud to offer a formal, board-based mentoring program that allows us to match AWMI members with a mentor on a short-term/ad-hoc (<3 months) or long-term (3 months or greater) basis. The program is open to all AWMI members in good standing (defined as dues paid in the current year). AWMI members interested in being matched with a mentor click here to complete a brief questionnaire, and we'll connect you with a mentor.
AWMI members interested in being a mentor (you can be a mentor and still use the program yourself if you choose), click here. You can choose the duration, and you will always be consulted before being assigned a mentee.
Since AWMI is a 501c6 organization, dues, meeting expenses, and donations are not deductible as a charitable contribution but may be deductible as a normal business expense. If you have any questions, please contact your accountant or tax advisor.