This section details out all the requirements an Affinity Group must uphold in order to remain an officially recognized BCA Affinity Group and receive the benefits from BCA as well as all the benefits the group will receive.

REQUIREMENTS

General Requirements

• Must be aligned with BCA Culture and Core Principles
• Promote the spirit of genuine, selfless relationships
• Strive to strengthen the relationships between members
• Chair will serve as the primary liaison to BCA Management (Joleen) and will make themselves available if needed

Bylaw Requirements

Required to maintain written bylaws, which must include the following.

1. Statement of your groups Mission/Purpose

• Clearly state why you get together and the purpose of the group

2. Commitment

• State the commitments to join and participate in your group

3. Leadership Structure & Officers

• Clearly state the Chair of the group and the leadership structure

4. Membership (participation) Criteria

• Clearly state the criteria to participate in the group, the groups size restrictions if any, as well as any the process to invite new members and join the group.

5. Financial Obligations

• Clearly state any financial obligation of the group and governance over the finances

Written bylaws serve as a framework for the group and establish important tenets that help minimize the potential for future conflict about the group’s operations. Please see bylaw question guide in section 5 for assistance in establishing. A sample set of bylaws can be provided upon request.

Participation Requirements

• Non-BCA members (including former members) are precluded from participating in any Affinity Group
• Members cannot participate (or be invited to participate) in an Affinity Group until they are a member for at least one (1) year
• Participation is by an individual, not a company. The participating spot is nontransferable
• Participation is open to anyone at a member company (although we prefer it be limited to a members activation team only)
• There is no officially stated limit to the number of Affinity Groups one individual may participate in. We just ask that each group Chair be very upfront and clear about the commitment required of the group and ask invited members to thoughtfully consider the commitment before engaging in the group.

Financial Requirements

• If additional money is required to be paid in order to participate in an Affinity Group, the amount and purpose for those fees must be clearly stated upfront, prior to a member committing to join.
• Should required costs be constituted after the group has formed, that amount must be discussed and agreed on by the group.

Operational Requirements

• Should you choose to utilize the DIY Event Kit, you must notify events@bcaphiladelphia.com at least one week prior to your event or meeting date.
• If utilizing the name badges, printed and organized by BCA, the digital list of registrant names must be emailed to events@bcaphiladelphia.com in an excel format, at least 72 hours prior to pickup time.
• Should you chose to have any of your meetings, activities or events posted on the Unofficial calendar, you must email the following details to events@bcaphiladelphia.com
  • Official Name of Meeting or Event (this is exactly how it will be posted)
  • Date
  • Start and End Time
  • Name and address of Location / Venue
  • Name, email and phone number of who to contact if anyone has questions or needs more information.

Annual Requirements

At the beginning of each calendar year, active Affinity Groups are required to submit the following to BCA:

• Calendar of events, meetings and activities
• Current roster of participating members
• Current copy of groups bylaws
• The group’s leadership structure

BENEFITS

Being an official BCA recognized Affinity Group means you will receive the following support and resources from BCA.

• Official use of the BCA logo, marks and likeness
• A generic set of by-laws outlined for your use and adaption, along with a guide to help your group identify and establish its by-laws • Assistance from BCA in setting up your bylaws (if needed)
• Your groups meetings and activities will be posted on our Unofficial Public Calendar.
• Use of the DIY BCA Event Kit. Event kit includes use of our professional name badges, professional printing of name badges (digital list must be received at least 72 hours prior) and use of BCA retractable pop up banner.
• Opportunity for your group to be posted and recognized online, along with name of group Chair and contact information for interested parties to learn more.