Review this page to learn more about how to plan successful events for your Women in Engineering (WIE) Affinity Group, how to recruit volunteers, and how to complete the required reporting. If there is no WIE Affinity group in your area, you can apply to create a new group.

WIE Affinity Group Required Reporting

Affinity Groups are required to submit meeting, financial, and officer reports to IEEE MGA. Further information and report forms are available through IEEE Member and Geographic Activities.

Student Branch Affinity Groups should follow the reporting procedures required by their Student Branch Chapter.

Planning successful meetings and events

Meetings and events are two of the most visible and valuable ways for an affinity group to serve its members.

Funding

There are two types of funding available to WIE Affinity Groups:

  • Initial Funding: newly formed WIE Affinity Groups are eligible to request up to US $200 in startup funding. This type of funding may be requested only once. Must be requested by the Group’s Chair.
  • Special Funding: established WIE Affinity Groups may request up to US $400 for special projects. A proposal must be submitted by the Group’s Chair at least three months prior to the event. The WIE Committee will review the proposal and make a decision at their next scheduled meeting.

Promotional Materials

WIE promotional items are available for WIE Affinity Group events and activities to bring visibility to IEEE Women in Engineering. Please request items at least three (3) weeks prior to your event. Please note that quantities are limited and items should be supplemental to your primary source of promotional/items for your event. Only one request per group per calendar year is permitted for an Affinity Group.

Recruiting volunteers for your group

IEEE Member and Geographic Activities (MGA) has developed a volunteer recruitment tool kit to provide IEEE Units (Regions, Sections, Societies, Chapters, or Affinity Groups) with ideas for recruiting local IEEE members who may be interested in volunteering their time to help lead IEEE activities.

Free IEEE Webhosting

WIE Affinity Groups are encouraged to establish their own websites. Website hosting and templates are available to Affinity Groups and Student Branches through the IEEE Entity Web Hosting program.

Free Functional Email Alias For WIE Groups

A free IEEE email alias is available for WIE affinity groups. A functional alias is defined as a non-personal IEEE email alias that forwards to an individual. For example, scanner@ieee.org would forward messages to j.smith@yahoo.com or sb.mit@ieee.org, an MIT Student Branch alias which forwards to the Student Branch counselor.

Contribute To The WIE Newsletter

Become a WIE Newsletter contributor by submitting articles, profiles, videos, and images of your event. Visit the IEEE WIE exchange page Call for Contributions to learn more and submit content.

WIE Affinity Group Best Practices

IEEE WIE Affinity Groups can use these best practices to help plan their activities for the year.

  • Plan for the year: Hold your first meeting of the year and begin planning your yearly activities.
  • Welcome and Membership Drive: Organize a IEEE WIE welcome reception for new students and your campus community.
  • International Women’s Day: Celebrate March 8 (International Women’s Day) – host an event on campus and invite inspiring women to speak.
  • Women in Workshop: Connect with your local student society chapters and organize a technical activity such as “Women in …” Workshop.
  • Technical Visit: Promote a technical visit to a local industry site.
  • Plan an event to celebrate International Women in Engineering Day in June.
  • Female Entrepreneurship: Connect with your local student society chapters and Young Professional Affinity Group and organize a talk about Female Entrepreneurship.
  • Learn about the history of women in STEM: Encourage volunteers to read a book that addresses the theme “Women in STEM”, share the histories and promote a discussion about each history. Watch a movie on women in STEM.
  • Encourage young girls: Promote an IEEE WIE STAR based initiative with a local junior high and/or high schools.
  • Leadership Development: Connect with your local student society chapters and Young Professional Affinity Group organize a talk about Leadership Development for Women.
  • End-of-year meeting: Organize a group meeting to review activities conducted during the year and recognize volunteers.