Gamma Iota Sigma
Grand Chapter

Administrative Guide

Chapters

Example of One Chapter's Organization of Committees

Taken from Sigma Chapter’s 1997 Black and Gold Award winning Member Handbook

COMMITTEES

The purpose of committees is to provide GIS members the opportunity to develop their interpersonal, cooperative and leadership skills in a group setting.   Because these skills are invaluable in today’s job market, members should take advantage of this opportunity and sign-up for a committee that interests them.

Committees are charged with various projects and are responsible for the effective and efficient execution of these projects.  Some committees are more involved than others are and members should make decisions regarding which committee(s) to participate in based on that level of involvement.  Also, slots on various committees will be limited.

1.                   RIMS

RIMS stands for The Risk and Insurance Management Society.  It is an organization where professional’s come together to talk about current issues facing the Risk Management industry.  RIMS members include brokers, underwriters, corporate risk managers, etc.  If you do or don’t know exactly what those professions are, this would be a great opportunity to get a better understanding of these positions.  This committee will be responsible for designing the monthly meeting notice for the Delaware Valley Chapter of RIMS as well as designing their monthly newsletter.  We will be responsible for mailing the meeting notice and newsletter to the members of RIMS.  In addition, because members of the RIMS committee will have the opportunity to attend monthly workshops, another advantage of being on the RIMS committee is the opportunity to network with people in the industry and allow them to get to know you.  Members of the RIMS Committee are required to attend  at least one meeting of the Delaware Valley Chapter of RIMS.  REMEMBER: An important edge to have when going to get a job is having contacts in the industry.

2.                   AWARDS AND INITIATION DINNER

This committee was formed to plan our Annual Awards and Initiation Dinner.  The responsibilities of this committee include everything from reserving the hotel where the dinner will be held to designing the program for the evening.

3.                   FUNDRAISING

This committee’s job is to contact industry members, many of whom are alumnus, and ask for contributions for GIS.  This committee is very important to the survival or our organization.  According to current estimates, it cost over $130 per member to run our organization.  Therefore, since we only charge $80 in dues, the other portion of that cost must come from fundraising.

4.                   CAREER FAIR

The Career Fair committee is charged with planning, organizing and executing our annual Career Fair.  Like the Annual Awards for Excellence Luncheon, the Career Fair committee will be responsible for everything that concerns the Fair including contacting industry members to participate, reserving the hotel and designing the program.

5.                   CAREER LIBRARY

This committee is responsible for maintaining and updating the GIS career library.  As previously mentioned, the career library is a useful tool for members when they are preparing to interview with a particular company.  However, if the library does not contain up-to-date information, then it will be useless to members.

6.                   ALUMNI AFFAIRS

The alumni affairs committee is charged with fostering communication between alumni and current GIS members and among alumni themselves.  One of the ways this is accomplished is with the publication of a semi-annual alumni newsletter.  Also, the responsibilities of this committee will broaden with the formation of the Delaware Valley GIS Alumni Organization.  Expanded duties will include the maintaining of the alumni database and assisting alumni in the planning and execution of events.

7.                   STUDENT AFFAIRS

This committee has two major responsibilities.  First, it is charged with increasing member participation in GIS events while “building a sense of community and cohesion among majors.”  Second, it is responsible for the planning and execution of charitable activities.  Every semester, the GIS sponsors a couple charity events.  Last year, we helped to brighten up Christmas for children at St. Christopher’s Hospital where wee helped to wrap presents.  The purpose of this committee is to think of new ideas that we can do as an organization to help other less fortunate people.

8.                   ACTUARIAL SCIENCE AFFAIRS

The purpose of the actuarial science committee is to promote participation and retention of actuarial science majors in Gamma Iota Sigma.  This committee also functions as a liaison between actuarial science students and Gamma Iota Sigma.  Finally, this committee will organize study groups covering both classroom and professional exam material.