ACM Local Network · Current State · As of July 2026

How ACM Local Works

The whole path a person and a group travel with the ACM Local Network — in through local.acm.org, supported and governed along the way, and eventually out. A small, high-touch, relationship-run program, mapped as it works today.

Local ActivatorAndrew Conklin Entry pointlocal.acm.org → Mailchimp NetworkMeetup Pro · acm-local-network OversightLocal Mentoring Committee MappedJuly 2026
Automated system rail Human touchpoint / judgment Active & healthy Leaves the network Informal / relational
01

Into the network — the acquisition funnel

Two kinds of people enter the same funnel: someone who wants to start a group, and an organizer who already runs one and wants to join. It narrows through an automated nurture sequence to one human conversation, where the decision is actually made.

Aspiring organizer no group yet Existing organizer already runs a group “Become an Organizer” call-to-action AWARENESS local.acm.org Join the Mailchimp list INTEREST Mailchimp AUTO Auto-responder welcome email NURTURE Zapier AUTO 45-min icebreaker call with the Local Activator CONVERSION cal.com HUMAN Decide: organize with ACM Local DECISION Launch a new group ACM ⟨region⟩ · themed · independent Bring an existing group in adopted into the network ACM LOCAL NETWORK Meetup Pro · sponsored groups
The funnel narrows to one human moment. Everything from the CTA to the welcome email is automated (blue); the 45-minute icebreaker call is the single human touchpoint (amber) and the real conversion gate. Both personas exit the same decision into the network — one by launching, one by adopting an existing group.
02

The bulk path — movement pitches

The funnel brings organizers in one at a time. Occasionally the Local Activator courts and pitches the central coordinator of a whole movement instead — and many groups join at once, bypassing the personal funnel entirely.

Local Activator movement pitch pitch Central coordinator of a movement opts in Multiple groups join at once bulk ACM Local Network
One relationship, many groups. Courting a movement's central coordinator — a pitch developed over one or more conversations — can onboard an entire slate of chapters at once: Papers We Love, Responsible AI, AI Collective, Code & Coffee and the like. These groups are typically independently organized (ACM isn't the main organizer), which later shapes how they can leave.
03

The human rhythm

Between the automated emails and the formal governance, the whole thing runs on relationships. One recurring room — the ACM Organizers Call — plus the Local Activator's steady week-to-week engagement.

Curious organizers still deciding Current organizers running groups ACM Organizers Call every ~2 months · 45 min 1 showcase ▸ open discussion Peer rapport questions · sharing · momentum
One call, two audiences. A 45-minute session about every two months: one organizer showcased up front, then open discussion — run on Luma (invites & RSVP) and Zoom (video). It gives the curious a low-stakes look inside and gives current organizers peers.
Weekly
1 : 1 engagement
The Activator on emails, inquiries, replies, and organizer tasks — the always-on layer.
~Monthly
A few icebreaker calls
New prospects and joining organizers, one conversation at a time.
Every ~2 months
Organizers Call
The whole community in one room — showcase plus open discussion.
Known driftThe Organizers Call runs on Luma (invites & RSVP) and Zoom (video). Because Luma isn't connected to Mailchimp, its invite audience and the main list have drifted apart — they're reconciled by hand.
04

The systems behind it

Eight surfaces carry the journey. The hand-off between them is where the process is either automated or handled by hand — and, in one spot, where it drifts.

Web & code
GitHub
Hosts the website (this repo → local.acm.org via Pages) and per-group repos across the org — e.g. ACM Austin.
Capture
Mailchimp
The list. Website CTA feeds every new subscriber in.
Automation
Zapier
Fires on a new subscriber → sends the auto-responder welcome email.
Scheduling
cal.com
Event-type link with the Activator's availability & booking for the icebreaker.
Network
Meetup Pro
The sponsored group network — ACM ⟨region⟩, themed, or independent groups.
Tracking
Monthly reports
Activity reports + a vulnerable-groups tab. Reviewed by hand by the Activator.
Events
Luma
Luma Plus runs the Organizers Call invites & RSVP; also an ACM Local network calendar that's still underused. Not connected to Mailchimp — audiences drift.
Video
Zoom
Hosts the live ACM Organizers Call.
05

Governance & oversight

The operation isn't unaccountable. An oversight committee sits above it — a Chair and several volunteers — carrying governance down into the network and reporting up the chain to a higher board.

ACM Practitioners Board the higher board reports up via the Chair Local Mentoring Committee Chair + several volunteers oversight & governance ACM Local Network operations Local Activator · organizers · groups
Accountability runs in two directions. The Local Mentoring Committee oversees operations, and its Chair is the conduit — governance flowing down, reporting flowing up to the ACM Practitioners Board. The same committee also supplies mentoring to organizers, so it touches the journey as both oversight and support.
06

Out of the network — leaving

Leaving isn't unilateral, and it isn't always a shutdown. A declining group is caught by monthly reports and the vulnerability filter, worked through outreach, and then either removed from the network (it keeps running) or closed outright — and which is even possible depends on whether ACM is the group's main organizer.

Active organizing running events logs Monthly report activity logged Vulnerable-groups tab 0 events / 90 days · none scheduled flags Activator review triages the flag Outreach to organizer multi-touch · over ~3 months re-engages ↺ → back to active remove close Removed from network group keeps running Group closed shut down · archived first
Two ways to leave, and closure is consented. A flag triggers outreach, not immediate action. A group is then removed from the network but keeps running, or closed outright. Closing is only possible when ACM is the main organizer, and even then only with the organizer's confirmation — or, without it, if no organizers remain or they've gone unresponsive across 3+ months. When ACM isn't the main organizer, leaving means removal, not shutdown. Re-engagement returns the group to active; the archive runs before any close.

Qualitative by design Small scale, high touch

This isn't a metrics funnel — it's a relationship operation at small scale: a few icebreakers a month, an Organizers Call every couple of months, and weekly 1 : 1 engagement. Its value is qualitative, so most of it runs on judgment and rapport rather than process. A few pieces of the leaving path stay informal — worth firming up only if the network grows.

  • The vulnerability signal is a single filter. 90 days idle with nothing scheduled flags a group for a look — not for closure.
  • Outreach is relational, not templated. Multi-touch over ~3 months, run from the Activator's inbox rather than a defined sequence.
  • The leaving rules are norms, not documents. Remove vs. close, who can close, and the consent / unresponsive conditions are understood but unwritten.
  • Archiving isn't yet a standard pre-close step. The tooling exists; making it a habit before any close is the one thing most worth locking in.