Starting WiL in your area
Women in Licensing is currently looking for leaders to launch WiL groups in other areas of the US and other countries. If you are interested in learning more about doing this, email wil@les.org.
Here are some guidelines to follow if you are "Thinking of Starting a Women in Licensing Group in Your Area".
- Consider structuring your first kick-off event as an after work Wine and Cheese networking event with a feature speaker.
- Find a local technology firm or company to sponsor your first event (including the venue, managing the RSVP’s and attendance list, managing the registration desk, providin wine and food, and flyer preparation).
- Find two influential local business women in technology-related fields who would be willing to speak at the first event.
- Ask your friends, colleagues, sponsoring firm, to identify other professional women who can assist you in organizing this and perhaps even future WiL events.
- Find someone who is willing to manage a google group of members for your local WiL group. Start adding names of any women you know in the area that is connected with IP or licensing to this group.
- Call yourself the local WiL committee and submit your names to one of the WiL National Chairs.
- Set a small attendance fee – perhaps $20-25. This discourages people from RSVP’ing and not showing up and discourages people who are not in a related field from coming just for the food.
- With the money you collect (hopefully), buy thank you gifts for your speakers, perhaps buy a draw prize.
- Ask your sponsoring firm to help you create a flyer for the event. Ask your sponsoring firm to manage incoming RSVP’s.
- Once a date is set, send the details to the WiL National Chairs and we will work with you to request that LES send out an email to LES members in your area.
- Send the flyer to your list of names. Ask your sponsoring firm to send out the flyer to their database. Ask other local technology-focused associations to send out the flyer to their database.
- Work with your sponsoring firm to manage incoming registrations and send out reminder emails.
- Set up a phone call with your speakers to review what they will say and how the evening will flow.
- Prepare name badges for the event. Bring a camera, an attendance list, a volunteer sign up sheet (with a list of volunteer positions), fishbowl, a cash box and change to the event.
- Have someone attend the registration table to check people in, take their money and give them their name tags. Ask people to put their card in the fishbowl if they want to be on the mailing list (and qualify for the draw prize).
- Make sure that the members of your newly constituted committee work the room so that no one is left standing by themselves.
- Take pictures.
- Let people mingle for about 45 minutes, then make some introductory remarks about the new WiL group, its purpose and goals, and your need for volunteers. Don’t forget to thank your sponsoring firm. Introduce the speakers and let them speak. Thank them after their talk and give them their gifts. Encourage people to stay and mingle.
- Prepare a short write up of the event and send out an email to attendees embedding some digital images and tell them to watch out for the next WiL event.
- Start looking for another sponsoring firm for the next event!