If you have any suggestions for questions that should be added, or have anything to add to these answers, please contact Ashwini Rao at ashwini.rao@uwex.edu. 

Q: How can I communicate with other club facilitators?

A: The easiest way to do this is by utilizing the I&E Club Facilitator ListServ. This tool allows you to send emails to all other facilitators in the state. If you are not yet part of this list, you can sign up at https://lists.uwex.edu/mailman/listinfo/iande-clubs.

Q: How do I find speakers or topics for my meetings?

A: One way to find quality topics and speakers is to look at what other clubs are doing. You can do this by scanning the Event Calendar provided on the WEN website (be sure to look at the archived events as well as upcoming events), or by sending out an email to the I&E Club Facilitator ListServ and simply asking for suggestions. Another suggestion would be to use the WEN Resource Connection at www.wenportal.org/connector. This tool helps to find professional organizations that specialize in certain areas of innovation and business development.

Q: How do I connect with the local inventors and entrepreneurs?

A: Varying attendance is a common problem for the clubs. Making sure that you are getting the word out to the inventors and entrepreneurs in your area is vital to keeping your attendance up. Some common techniques would include keeping a database of all people who have attended in the past (make sure to collect emails as it is the cheapest way to get the information to these people); Partnering with local chambers, tech colleges, and university organizations and sending information out to their internal databases; Sending press releases to local newspapers; Getting spots on local television stations; Creating ListServs of your own in order to make it easier for members to connect with one another; Offering incentives to your members for bringing others to meetings; Creating a website for potential members to visit; And getting time slots on local radio stations.

Q: How do I write quality press releases or promotional materials for my club?

A: The I&E Facilitator ListServ would be a useful tool for this problem as well. There are many well established clubs that have perfected their promotional materials. Use the ListServ to ask for examples that can be customized for your club.

Q: How do I continue to fund the club after the initial grant money is used up?

A: Many clubs have recruited sponsors for this exact reason. There are many opportunities that can be offered to sponsors in return for their donations. These would include putting their logos on promotional materials, allowing them to distribute materials at the meetings, allowing them to set up tables or booths at the meetings, allowing them to speak at the meetings, and adding links from your website to theirs.

Q: How do I address the topic of confidentiality in my meetings?

A: The easiest way to ensure that people are not inappropriately disclosing intellectual property during meetings would be to state “Please do not disclose information that you consider to be confidential” at the beginning of each meeting.

Q: How do I free myself of liability from speakers, other members, or advisors?

A: WEN, in collaboration with professional attorneys, has developed the following verbiage for this purpose:

“The services of speakers, facilitators, members or meeting attendees at the (I&E group name) are not necessarily endorsed or recommended by the (I&E group) or the Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Network (WEN).”

Q: How do I keep up attendance during the holidays?