SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS
North American Association for Environmental Education
OVERVIEW: NAAEE membership is diverse and there are many varied interests within the organization. To create a forum for differing interests to have a voice in the Association, NAAEE has Special Interest Groups (SIGs) as subgroups of the organization. NAAEE members are invited to join those SIGs with which their interests align, and SIGs can only have NAAEE members as members of the interest group. The activity level of SIGs varies greatly from nearly dormant most of the year, to active participation in annual conference activities, to highly active year around with newsletters, web sites and working committee structures.
SIG LEADERSHIP: SIG activities are coordinated by, and SIGs are represented to the President by,
a SIG Coordinator, a member of NAAEE appointed by the Association President. The SIG Coordinator facilitates SIG leaders throughout the year and meets with the SIG Chairs at the NAAEE annual conference. The SIG Coordinator’s primary role is to facilitate communication and support between the Association and the SIGs.
PURPOSE OF THE SIGs: SIGs fulfill a variety of roles within NAAEE, among them:
• Provide a forum for sharing knowledge about common community interests.
• Provide an alternative mechanism for communicating and disseminating professional information.
• Nurture new members and help them feel connected to the organization.
• Generate and try innovative ideas.
• Provide an organized means of raising issues to the leadership of the association.
• Facilitate opportunities for collaborative work.
• Create opportunities for mentoring, interest-related training and enhancement of member services.
• Cultivate, grow, and develop leaders for the Association.
• Provide members for various Association service roles such as committees and task forces.
SIG ESTABLISHMENT: Any member of NAAEE may petition the Board of Directors to establish a
SIG. The steps in the SIG proposal process include:
• PETITION: Develop a one or two page petition that includes:
1) SIG Name: The SIG name should clearly convey the SIGs purpose, identify the focused, topical interests of the SIG members, avoid confusion with other SIGs, and not be divisive when considered in the larger context of all SIGs and the Association.
2) SIG Purpose: A statement of purpose for the proposed SIG that is consistent with the mission of NAAEE.
3) SIG Organizers: A list of organizer’s name and contact/e-mail information, identification of an interim SIG Chair and Vice-Chair. The organizer can be the interim chair or vice-chair. Upon approval of the SIG, these individuals will serve until the next NAAEE conference and the elections at the SIG meeting.
4) Planned Activities: A list of activities planned for the proposed SIG for the coming year should include, at a minimum, a business meeting at the next annual conference.
• PETITION SUBMISSION: The petition should be submitted to the SIG Coordinator who will review the petition, recommend any changes to strengthen the petition, and review any revisions. The SIG Coordinator will then present the petition to the President and Secretary of the Association who will place the decision on the next Board meeting (assuming there are at least 15 days before the next meeting).
• MAINTAINING ACTIVE STATUS: Once approved, a SIG must at a minimum do the following in order to remain in active status:
1) Business Meeting: Hold a SIG business meeting at the NAAEE annual conference.
2) Elections: Elect a Chair and a vice chair to serve terms of no longer than four years (two years as vice-chair; two years as chair). The name and contact information for the Chair and Vice-Chair should be provided to the SIG coordinator and the NAAEE communications office immediately following the annual conference.
MEMBERSHIP: To be a member of a SIG, an individual must be a member of NAAEE. An individual may designate or terminate SIG affiliations annually online, from a list of all formally approved SIGs on their NAAEE Member record.
MEMBERSHIP LISTS: SIG lists will be accessible to the Vice-chair and Chair of the SIG. These lists are for the exclusive use of the SIG leadership for official SIG business and may not be shared with any third party or used for personal use by any SIG member or leader.
LEADERSHIP: The leaders will be elected for a term of four years with two years as vice-chair, followed by two years as chair. After serving as chair, a person (or persons) could again run for another 4 year term (2 years as vice chair and 2 years as chair). SIGs may have other leaders or officers as desired, but these are not part of the organizational requirements and the SIG can change these officers at any business meeting.
ELECTIONS: SIGs will hold an election every two years to elect leaders. The leaders will be elected for a term of four years with two years as vice-chair, followed by two years as chair. The name and contact information for the Chair and Vice-Chair should be provided to the SIG coordinator and the NAAEE communications office immediately following the annual conference.
SIG CHAIR: The SIG Chair is responsible for convening the SIG business meeting at the annual conference. This meeting will be scheduled by the NAAEE office in consultation with the SIG Chair as part of the conference program. The SIG Chair is also responsible for overseeing the planning and development of any SIG activities outside of the annual meeting.
SIG VICE-CHAIR: The role of the SIG Vice-chair is to support the chair and to fill in for the chair in the case the chair is unable to fulfill the duties of the leadership role. The Vice-chair becomes chair upon completion of the two-year term as Vice-chair.
DUES: SIGs shall not collect dues.
REVENUE and EXPENDITURES: A SIG may choose to raise funds for support of SIG projects or activities. Any fundraising must be approved in advance by the Executive Director of the Association using a SIG Revenue/Expenditure form available to the leadership. A SIG may undertake projects or activities that require expenditures of funds. Any expenditure needs to be submitted to the Executive Director for approval. NAAEE is responsible for maintaining the financial records for each SIG.
BUSINESS MEETING: Each SIG shall request and conduct a business meeting at the NAAEE annual conference.
MEMBER COMMUNICATIONS: At a minimum, SIGs should communicate with all SIG
members prior to the NAAEE annual meeting to inform members of sessions related to the interest group, promote workshop if conducting one, inform members of business meeting time and location for the SIG, identify prospective SIG leadership, and to solicit input on the agenda for the coming year. All communications should adhere to policies and standards set forth in NAAEE’s communication’s policy.
ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT: The NAAEE office maintains a balance sheet of expenditures and income for the SIG. NAAEE offers conference call support for SIGs to do work between conferences. NAAEE also provides space for the SIGs at the conference for business meetings and for visibility/recruitment (exhibition hall). NAAEE staff is not tasked to do work for the SIGs beyond providing these services.
Learn about the other types of Committees that facilitate the work of the Association and its members:
CATS (Committees, Advisory Boards, Task Forces, Special Interest Groups (SIGS). - more
