To The W Source network,
When trying to summarize an entire 2021, two words come to mind: flexibility and structure.
Flexibility – because what better word describes the extreme changes COVID-19 has had on our personal lives, our businesses, and networking as a whole. I'm so proud of the flexibility of each of your chapters as you transitioned from virtual to in-person and perhaps had to change or cancel in-person events.
New Chapter Flexibility Two superb examples of this are our two new chapters in Texas and Ventura/Thousand Oaks, CA. These creative chapter heads came to me with a way to make The W Source program work, but only if we flexed the business model slightly.
Texas, our first state-wide chapter – By learning more about the dynamics of Texas-based businesses, which usually is state-wide, we opened our first all-state chapter. Kelly, Elisa, and Lisa have done a fantastic job adding localized events along with their virtual meetings.
Ventura / Thousand Oaks, CA chapter – our first two-financial-advisor chapter. Vida and I met recently through a mutual connection, and it turned out she knew Kristen Hafner, who was looking for a partner to help her start a group. These ladies have served on a non-profit board together and wanted to repeat that collaboration to co-lead the group.
Membership Flexibility Throughout 2021, we offered dues forgiveness and renewal extensions as often as possible, especially as we acknowledged the struggles to anticipate what businesses face today, let alone imagine a commitment of another year. We are happy that despite those changes, we continue to provide services and sustain our network throughout 2021!
And Now, About Structure – We've spent the recent months reviewing what makes the network unique and special. We've reaffirmed that our structure continues to curate an environment to support the credential caliber of professionals inside the group – you! So, when thinking about 2022, we want to get back to the basics of membership. That includes a reminder of our terms and conditions of membership linked below. It states:
TERMS OF MEMBERSHIP
Memberships are individual, non-transferrable and non-refundable. Membership is active upon payment being received in full. Annual renewal is based on the month that the initial full payment was made upon joining. Membership renewal is at the discretion of the Chapter Head and is based upon demonstrating commitment to the Responsibilities of Membership which includes, among other things, attending at least 80% of chapter meetings, attending 80% of one-on-one’s, other expenses, and meeting with the regional coach on some occasions.
MEMBERSHIP CANCELLATION POLICY
Membership in The W Source™ is annual. Cancellations are at the discretion of The W Source™ and Chapter Head of the pertaining chapter. You may request to not renew for the following calendar year.
i. Submitting a Cancellation Request If you wish to cancel your membership in The W Source™, please provide a verbal or written request to cancel your membership to your Chapter Head who will then notify The W Source™. Cancellation is not complete until written confirmation is provided by The W Source™. You are responsible for checking your bank and credit card accounts to ensure that automatic payments have been stopped.
ii Membership Holds Unfortunately, The W Source™ does not offer membership holds. If you wish to cancel your membership, please follow the Submitting a Cancellation Request procedure above. read more
Our chapter heads had a meeting in November where we discussed these same concepts. They are also excited to get back to our scheduled programming. As it may have been a while since you reviewed these, we hope that they bring comfort, knowing that the caliber of professionals will continue to remain exclusive, and provide you clarity on what's expected from you as a member.
A Structured Commitment – The primary bullet we want to highlight is the annual nature of membership. We expect each member to honor their full year of membership dues, whether you pay monthly or annually. Of course, you are welcome to request that your membership not renew at any time. If you need to be reminded of your renewal date, your chapter head has that information!
We designed The W Source with annual membership for its structure (there's that word again). This is because the programming your chapter heads bring to you often takes a year plus to coordinate (i.e., Member Spotlight presentation schedule could take 12 months to get through the entire chapter). In addition, we've found that women make referrals based on trust, which takes time – the annual membership allows for that time.
The sentiment we want you to walk away with is:
We're going back to our regularly scheduled programming. Meaning, we're holding ourselves and the network to a high standard on both the administrative and membership engagement sides.
We will have more structure in 2022 to focus on providing the best answers, templates, and tools to help your chapters grow. In addition, we want to provide everyone with more referrals and more networking opportunities!
REVIEW FULL TERMS OF MEMBERSHIP
As always, we welcome your input, whether it be through your chapter head, or by directly reaching out to us at info@thewsource.com. Happy New Year and Cheers to 2022!
Sincerely,
Hannah Buschbom CFP®, CDFA™, CFF®
Co-Founder and Wealth Advisor
THE W SOURCE™
p: 805-770-1356
a: 1332 Anacapa Street, STE 110 Santa Barbara, CA 9310