FPN By Laws

Fairfield Professional Network (FPN) – By-laws

The Fairfield Professional Network was established to provide Fairfield area business people an opportunity to increase business through the most effective – and least expensive – form of advertising: word-of-mouth.  The group provides a formalized way to connect with business people that meet and do business with the same people you would like to meet and do business with.

Networking requires commitment.  The most successful networking groups are comprised of participants who are sincerely committed to helping one another through networking.  They are a team.  Meetings need to take place frequently, start and end on time, and be attended by all members in order for the group to be effective.  Members of the Fairfield Professional Network are responsible for complying with the policies and guidelines of the organization.

General Guidelines:

  1. Only one person from each professional specialty is permitted to join.  Exceptions for specialists within a profession will be made if acceptable to all members.
  2. Prospective members will apply for membership at the recommendation of an existing member.  A letter of application along with a one-page description of the applicant’s line of business, including contact information and details of how they intend to contribute to the group, are  to be submitted to the group for review.  Once a month, or as needed, applications will be reviewed by the current membership and new members will be informed of their acceptance to the group.
  3. All participants should represent their primary occupation, not a part-time business.
  4. Attendance is critical.  If you cannot attend a meeting, you should send a substitute.  This will not count as an absence.   Members are required to attend a minimum of twice each month.  Members who attend less frequently than required will be considered inactive.  Members considered inactive will be marked as such on the network roster, and their name, contact information, and business information will be removed from electronic and paper communication.  Exceptions may be made for exceptional or extenuating circumstances.
  5. Participation by members is a key to the success of the group.  Members can participate by bringing bona-fide referrals and/or visitors to meetings and through regular presentations related to their business or profession.
  6. 34% of active members will be considered a quorum for making network decisions.  Each member has one vote, including officers.
  7. In January of each year the group will elect a new slate of officers.  The officer slate and duties are as follows:

 

  1. President
    1. Preside over network meetings
    2. Oversee group business
    3. Facilitate meeting effectiveness and efficiency
  2. Vice President
    1. Serve as President in his/her absence
    2. Serve as timekeeper for the meeting.   In the Vice-President’s absence, timekeeper duty is passed on as follows: President, Secretary, Treasurer, President-elect, Vice-President-elect, Secretary –elect, Treasurer-elect.
  3. Secretary
    1. Maintain network roster and attendance
    2. Notify group of inactive members
    3. Communicate agenda items to the group
  4. Treasurer
    1. Oversee network finances
    2. Collect dues
    3. Pay expenses with network funds
    4. Report to the network on a regular basis regarding group finances
  5. President-elect
    1. Collaborate with sitting president in preparation to succeed him/her the following year.
  6. Vice President-elect
    1. Collaborate with sitting Vice-President in preparation to succeed him/her the following year.
  7. Secretary-elect
    1. Collaborate with sitting Secretary in preparation to succeed him/her the following year.
  8. Treasurer-elect
    1. Collaborate with sitting Treasurer in preparation to succeed him/her the following year.

Meeting Structure:

  • Early morning meetings will be held once every week on Thursday mornings at 8:00 in Conference Room One, First Floor, Sullivan Independence Hall,  725 Old Post Road, Fairfield, CT  06824
  • Meetings will start and end on time and will be limited to 60 minutes.
  1. 7:45 – Gathering Time.  Coffee and refreshments presented by the designated refreshments person.
  2. 8:00 sharp – Meeting begins regardless of who has shown up.  Be there or you will miss important group business.  Late arrivers throw $1.00 into the “pot” to be used to fund future group events.
  3. 8:00 – 8:05 – FPN business
  4. 8:05 – 8:25 – ONE MINUTE personal commercials.  Please use this time well.  Tell the group what’s new this week, specifics about what your ideal referral looks like.  DO NOT spend time reiterating what they already know about you.

i.      The group may, by majority vote, extend the one minute interval if it is deemed in the best interest of the group.

ii.      The timekeeper will keep time during commercials.  In his/her absence, that role will be assumed by the President, then by the Secretary, then by the Treasurer, then the officers elect, as needed.

  1. 8:25- 8:30 – Coffee break
  2. 8:30 – 8:45 – Weekly presentation – This is limited to 15 minutes.  The timekeeper will keep time for this section of the meeting as well.

Suggested formats are:

Formal: Prepare a 10 minute (max) formal presentation about your business and what you’re looking for in the way of referrals.  Additional 5 minutes should be used to field questions and for discussion with the group.

Informal: Open it up to questions from the group that you can answer to clarify your business or the type of referrals you are looking for.

  1. 8:45 – 8:50 – “Dancing” Report.  Every week two members will be assigned the task of getting together during the upcoming week to get to know the other member and what they are looking for from the group.  This can be a phone call, a coffee meeting, lunch, drinks, whatever.  They will both report back to the group on the following Thursday about what they learned about one another.   At the conclusion of the “Dancing” Report, the President (or her/his surrogate) will facilitate the selection of “Dancing” partners for the following week.
  2. 8:50 – 9:00 – Touch base with members as you gather your things and leave the room.

Membership Dues and Duties

An annual fee of $50 will be due on February 20, and will renew annually.  Dues are not transferable.  Annual dues are not refundable in full or in part.

Each week, the member scheduled to present to the group the following week will be responsible for refreshments.  If the member scheduled for refreshments should forget or be unable to deliver on their time, they will contribute $25 to the general fund to be used to fund future network events.

Attendance and Referrals

Members are expected to arrive on time, attend regularly, and provide referrals to other members of the network to the best of their ability.  The group has agreed to impose the following “mandatory contributions” to the FPN fund, for the betterment of the network.  The following fees have been agreed upon by the group:

  • $1 by any member arriving after 8am
  • $2 by any member who fails to attend, and does not inform the other members of the group.
  • $1 by any member who receives a referral from someone in the network, who then becomes a paying client of that member.
  • $25 to any member who does not follow through on their refreshments obligation

Comments are closed.