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Welcome to the PTG Chapter Resources Web Page!
This is your source for chapter management guidelines, program ideas, newsletter articles, and chapter development tips. Click on the items below to find ideas, download documents, update information, or send messages.
Chapter Tool Kit (Adobe, Word, Excel)
The Chapter Tool Kit is a collection of publications divided into 7 sections with a cover page, introduction, and table of contents. You will need a 2" binder to hold the entire Kit. Additional suggestions are given in the introduction for organizing chapter records. If you are unable to print the Chapter Tool Kit, please contact the Home Office.
Most of these documents are in Acrobat .pdf format. Files that end with .xls are spreadsheets. To read these, Mac users should click on the document, hold down the mouse button, and choose "Save this link as..." or "Download...". PC users should right click to download.
Chapter Tool Kit Updates
The new Chapter Tool Kit was distributed at the 2003 Dallas Convention & Institute and by mail to all chapter presidents. All chapter officers can benefit from the different sections of the Kit. If you are a chapter president and have not received your Kit, please contact the PTG Home Office. If you are a chapter leader and would like a copy of the Chapter Tool Kit, you can print your own copy or the sections that are related to your chapter position.
Ideas That Work!
Looking for a different type
of chapter program? Consider a business-building session that focuses on one particular type of customer. The Northern Michigan Chapter recently sponsored a four-person panel discussion (with lots of audience participation) that addressed the interdependence between piano technicians and piano teachers. More than a dozen people attended the meeting. Not bad for a chapter with a total of 13 members!
Do you have an "Alternate Plan B"? The Nashville Chapter does and used it when technical difficulties required that they reschedule their guest speaker. Instead, every RPT shared their own methods for raising pitch and tuning a piano. What an easy way to get lots of group participation and introduce some new ideas!
Associates in Boston have added another way to prepare for RPT exams. One member put together a study group to work through PACE lessons and Exam Source Books. Not only do they have the encouragement of other RPT candidates to keep them on track, but are also cutting costs by sharing supplies like paste, dowels, and screws.
When the Washington, D.C. Chapter was developing its website, it surveyed members to see what type of information they wanted on the site. Ideas included information for both the general public and chapter members. One good suggestion was to place a photo of each member next to their name in the chapter directory. This is an excellent idea for any size chapter. Those who don't get to meetings very often, or belong to a large chapter, are made to feel welcome as members and not as visitors!
Chapter treasurers have the big job of keeping chapter finances in order. The Detroit-Windsor Chapter has come up with a way to speed transactions, and eliminate reimbursement paperwork by using a debit (or check) card. The newsletter editor can use it to pay for printing and postage. Convention expenses and reservations can be automatically covered by the chapter account. Most banks issue free debit cards for checking customers. Debit transactions show up on the monthly bank statement just like checking transactions and deposits. If you use online banking, you can also pull up a current bank statement at any time and use it to prepare your financial report for the next chapter meeting. Be sure you have good financial controls in place, though, to make sure the card is used appropriately.
Take your chapter program on the road. The Waukegan Chapter packed up their members and took a tour of "Odd, Ugly, Fabulous, and Ridiculous" pianos in their area. Different technicians nominated instruments for the tour and presented information about why each instrument was unique. Of course, dinner and ice cream was included on the tour and the group even solved a few mysteries along the way.
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