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In Our Global Community
Want To Start A Women In Data Chapter?
Local Women in Data (WiD) events are run by passionate volunteer chapter leads and their teams. We work closely with every lead, so there is a formal application process to start an official chapter in your city.
WiD offers an opportunity to bring together your local data community, connect what’s going on in your city with the broader data world, and join a network of talented organizers that spans six continents.
If you’re serious about bringing Women in Data to your town, we’d love to hear from you. Please read through the following information to get a better idea of how we operates. If Women in Data seems like the right fit for you, fill out the form at the bottom to receive the New Chapter Application via email.
About the Lead
What does it mean to be a Chapter Lead?
Each WiD chapter is led by one person who serves as the chapter lead. This volunteer represents their city by leading a team of volunteers and organizing the chapter with the support of WiD.
We do require all chapter leads to be current Pro members of WiD so they have full access to the WiD Portal and are familiar with all programs and community.
Learn more about our Pro membership here.
As the lead, you would be in charge of all the details for your local event such as:
Securing a venue
Finding a speaker each quarter for events
Finding sponsors event costs
Leading the Chapter team (including a photographer)
Marketing for the event
Serving as the main point of contact for the WiD Team
Do hosts sign a license agreement?
Each Lead signs a license agreement in order to represent the WiD brand and agrees that all content created as a result of a WiD event is property of WiD. The license agreement lasts for 12 months and is renewable.
Can there be co-leads?
Yes. We require ONE point of contact for each chapter who serves as the face of that city but we ask that you nominate a co-lead to support you behind the scenes. This way if illness, travel, or any number of life’s surprises prevents you from hosting an event, you have a solid back up. You’re free to organize your team as you see fit, but only one person can be the official lead. Often co-leads are considered as the successor to the chapter lead role.
General Questions
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Each chapter is expected to host a WiD event once per month, every month.
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Yes, no exceptions.
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Women in Data has monthly global themes. The themes serve as a common thread to connect all of our cities. All chapters participate by selecting a speaker that broadly relates to the topic of the month. Leads know about themes at least six months in advance.
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On average, a host spends about 20 hours a month building their community and preparing for events. This number may fluctuate a bit as the host becomes more seasoned, but 20 hours is a good estimate.
About Your City
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Nope. We stick with one per city.
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No. WiD chapter licenses are limited to one city.
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We realize that there are large creative communities in smaller cities, so we are open to receiving applications from cities of any size. Just put together a compelling and outstanding application and show us why your city is in need of a WiD chapter.
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You’re welcome to still apply. Just ask yourself since the chapters would be so close, would it make sense objectively to have a chapter in your city as well? As part of our vetting process we will reach out to existing nearby chapters for their take.
About The Application Process
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Here are some qualities:
— You just make things happen: Organizing a chapter is a big responsibility and involves many moving pieces. We’ve learned that although experience in the industry and event organization is a plus, it can’t make up for a willingness to get started, figure things out, and make it work.
— You’re good at giving away credit: It takes a certain personality to successfully lead a volunteer team, keep sponsors happy, and celebrate local talent. This chapter won’t be about you. It will be about the fantastic people you get to bring together.
— You’re flexible: This is an exciting time for WiD, and we will ask you to experiment with new initiatives while welcoming feedback.
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Bobcat
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You do not need approval but you are required to follow our brand and finance policy.
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No. WiD provides all the tools and resources you need to get going. However, you are responsible for securing sponsorship for your events.
We do require all chapter leads to be current Pro members of WiD so they have full access to the WiD Portal and are familiar with all programs and community.Learn more about our Pro membership here.
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Nope.
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No.
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Each of our chapters receives access to the Chapter Drive (e.g. brand assets, slides templates, sample marketing materials), the online Chapter Lead handbook that details guidelines and learnings, and access to our internal portal for all chapter leads worldwide. We are available at any time to provide one-on-one support to chapters.
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Our agreements are one year long and after that chapters must reapply for another year.
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We have a handover process in place for leads. You will have the option to nominate someone who you heavily endorse to be the next lead (they will have to complete an abridged application).
Request An Application:
Join for free as a Community Member here, then read through our Welcome Guide to Request an Chapter Application.
