This Charter of the North Florida SolidWorks User Group sets forth

• the purpose of the organization,
• the scope of our problem solving activity,
• the membership rules,
• plans for funding.
• guidelines for meetings.
• the goals for the website.
• and the purpose for the membership database. 

This Charter will be subject to amendment by recommendation from user group participants with concurrence by the President and guidance from the national SolidWorks Users Group Network.

Purpose:

The purpose of the North Florida SolidWorks User Group (NFUG) is to promote the free exchange of information related to the use of SolidWorks among the participants in the user group.  It provides a forum in which the membership may assist each other in furthering their knowledge about and advancing their abilities in the use of SolidWorks.

Problem solving:

• NFUG will not be a resource for product support related issues.  Troubleshooting, bug reporting, and subscription service are available from SolidWorks Corporation, TheSolidExperts, and SolidWorks business partners.

• NFUG will be a resource for sharing practical experience, developing skill, and networking among participants who use SolidWorks.  NFUG meetings are an opportunity to share and to learn.

• All of this activity is done on a voluntary basis.  No guarantees are made.

Membership:

• NFUG is organized and operated completely through volunteering participants.

• Participants need not own a copy of SolidWorks.

• There is no fee for membership.  Donations to the NFUG general fund are gladly accepted. 

• SolidWorks Corporation, TheSolidExperts, ModernTech, and SolidWorks business partners are encouraged to participate as sponsors but are not eligible to hold positions.

 Funding:

• Funds will be applied to the cost of the meeting room, equipment, snacks, handouts, website, or other expenses incurred by NFUG.

• The President will determine the funding method for NFUG.  At this time, there are no dues to participants.  At some future date, it is possible that a membership fee could be established.

• The primary source of funding will be from charitable donations from sponsors.  Sponsors may contribute material, facility, cash, or other forms of support as approved by the President.  NFUG may acknowledge sponsors by posting links on the web site and other favorable mention in NFUG communications.

• Another source of income will be from fees charged to sponsors who make presentations at user group meetings.  The President will set the amount of the fee.  NFUG will encourage these commercial presentations by providing information about the number of participants, the professional interests represented by the participants, and the typical experience level of the audience they might expect to address.

• The President may determine that donations will be solicited at user group meetings.  Participants will be allowed to voluntarily contribute cash to the NFUG general fund.

• The President may also establish other revenue generating programs to support meeting activity.  These programs might include the sale of merchandise with all of the proceeds going to the NFUG general fund.

Meetings: 

• NFUG will meet on a regular basis 4 times yearly.  At this time, the schedule is to meet on the third Thursday of the month for two hours starting at 6:00 PM.  When a Board is created those meetings will immediately follow the conclusion of the regular user group meeting.

• Participants and Sponsors will be encouraged to host the meeting.

• Meeting agenda and subjects will be planned in advance by the President.  Suggestions and requests from NFUG participants are of great importance and will be given top priority in setting the agenda for the next meeting.

• A time during every meeting will be designated for an open forum/discussion on subjects related to SolidWorks.

• SolidWorks Corporation, SolidWorks VARS, and other solution providers may be invited to give demonstrations of their products.

• Attendees are encouraged to volunteer to give case studies related to SolidWorks.

• Members can request to be notified of meetings via email.  They may opt out of the notification list at any time.

• As available, the meeting schedules and agenda will be posted on the future NFUG web site.

Website: 

• The website will become the primary communication resource.

• The goal is to include such information as meeting minutes from prior meetings, preliminary agenda for the next meeting, topics of interest to participants, notice of upcoming SolidWorks related events.

NFUG Member Database:

• A database of participants will be kept.

• The purpose of the database is to support promotion and notification of NFUG events.

• Sponsors and guest speakers may be informed only of the quantity of members, the job titles, and the professional responsibilities of NFUG members.  No direct contact information, names, or email addresses will be distributed by NFUG.

• Members will have the option of prohibiting the distribution of their contact information.

• The security and privacy of the membership database is the responsibility of the President.

• Abuse of the NFUG membership database will result in revocation of membership and exclusion from all further NFUG activities.

• Database information for all participants may include:

               Participants name,

               Participants email,

               Employer,

               Job Title,

               Area of responsibility,

               Phone number,

               Date started using SolidWorks,

               Opt in for email notification of NFUG events,

               Opt in for sharing contact information with other NFUG members,

               Opt in for wooing sponsors and guest speakers.