DEFINITION OF SPECIAL INTERESTS GROUPS (SIGs)

A Special Interest Group (SIG) is a defined network of Turkish American Business Forum members who share common interests and concerns, and engage in activities that promote their professional growth, business relationships, and interactions with the rest of the society.

A SIG can only be formed following a formal approval procedure of the Board of Director's SIG Committee, which is ultimately responsible for the monitoring of the activities of the SIGs. The SIG Committee will develop its procedures to ensure that each SIG is established and maintained only to promote the mission and the values of the Business Forum.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE S.I.G. COMMITTEE

• Approves the formation of a SIG;

• Oversees the management and activities performed by the SIG to make sure the rules set by the SIG and the nature of its activities  are in line with the Business Forum's mission, values, and rules set by Business Forum's tax and legal status;

• Ensures that adequate infrastructure support is provided to each SIG by various Business Forum Committees and professional staff;

• Negotiates and allocates the budget for proposed SIG activities with the approval of the Board;

• Dissolves inactive SIGs;

(The SIG Committee is appointed by the President for one year. Not all SIG Committee members must be Directors.)

GUIDELINES TO FORM A S.I.G.

• Each SIG is formed after a formal approval by the SIG Committee. Each SIG application must include the following information:
• Mission/Purpose of the proposed SIG (proposed SIG shall not be a derivative of an existing SIG),
• Names of a minimum of 10 Business Forum members who agree to participate for at least 6 months,
• Names of a proposed SIG Lead and an Associate SIG Lead,
• List of potential activities/services to SIG members.
  (e.g., list-servers, e-mail groups, frequency of newsletters, meetings, networking events)

• The SIG Lead establishes and maintains the SIG mailing list and acts as the moderator of the list.
• The SIG Lead is the main contact person with the SIG Committee Chair and will present activity reports to the SIG Committee Chair at the end of each quarter.
• The SIG Chair will hold meetings with SIG Leads on an as needed basis, based on the performance of each SIG and as requested by the SIG Leads.
• In case of a withdrawal of a SIG Lead, a new SIG Lead must be proposed by the SIG within one month of withdrawal. The associate SIG Lead will be the next logical choice.
• The SIG Chair must approve fund requesting activities. Requested activities and budget allocation will be discussed in the first SIG Committee meeting following the request, and the answer will be provided to the SIG Lead within a week after the meeting.
• A budget request has to be submitted to the SIG Chair with an explanation of the use of the funds and the expected benefit. Proof of payment will be required, and not all requests may be funded. (E.g., we recommend the use of e-newsletters and the web as the primary communication tools. Print newsletters are not likely to receive funding.)
• Since Turkish American Business Forum is a non-profit organization, the SIG Lead must consult the SIG Committee Chair before implementing any fund-raising activity in order to conform to legal obligations.

PROCEDURES TO DISSOLVE A S.I.G.

• Has been inactive in the past six months (e.g., less than 10 members, no evidence of activity, no newsletters, no quarterly reports),
• Has not been able to appoint a SIG Lead for the past three months,
• Engaged in activities contrary to the mission and purpose of the Turkish American Business Forum. A SIG may be dissolved by a SIG Committee decision.
• In order to reactivate a dissolved SIG, a new application form must be submitted.

Existing Special Interest Groups

WIN (Women Inspired by the Network)

Young Professionals