2021 Affinity Group Application

Thank you for your interest in getting involved with ULI Orange County/Inland Empire’s Affinity Groups. Please submit this application by June 24, 2021 in order to be considered.

*A ULI membership is not required to apply. However, once you are selected, you will need to secure your spot by becoming a member and paying the membership fee.
ULI member info here
** Public Sector members receive additional benefits and discounts.
*** ULI is a DEI ally and supports membership to increase diversity though scholarship arrangements. Please inquire once selected.

What:
Affinity Groups work to engage and prepare generations of leaders to positively impact communities. These exclusive groups of ten to forty mid to senior-level members who meet quarterly to network and share best practices involved in the industry locally and in the region.

The meetings average two hours long. Group members can be drawn from the full range of disciplines involved in a product type or industry sector.

Below is the list of ULI Orange County/Inland Empire’s Affinity Groups:

WLI Women’s Leadership Initiative
The mission of the WLI is expressed in its four primary objectives:
•   Promote the advancement of women, throughout their careers, as leaders in the real estate industry.
•   Increase the number of women who serve in leadership positions in the real estate industry and in ULI.
•   Increase the visibility of women leaders in the real estate industry and in ULI.
•   Increase the number of women who are active ULI Full members and support the development of young women members as leaders in ULI and in their professions.

NEXT Group
NEXT supports the ULI mission by identifying, connecting, and elevating the next generation of leaders for the built environment and ULI globally. NEXT engages and supports members aged 35-45 into all of ULI’s activities.

Members of WLI and NEXT members must commit to attending 4-quarterly meetings each fiscal year (July-June).

Affinity Group requirements and expectations are as follows:

•   You must be a ULI member in good standing to sit on an Affinity Group
•   You must apply for an appointment to sit on an Affinity Group (WLI or NEXT)
•   Affinity Groups membership is limited to 30-40 members
•   You may not miss more than one meeting per fiscal year. If you miss more than one meeting per fiscal year you will be automatically resigned from the Council
•   Appointment is at the discretion District Council Advisory Board Leadership

If applying for a leadership role:
•   Affinity Group Leadership is responsible for the following program of work for each year:
o   Large Tier program addressing current trend or practice area problem
o   Mid-Tier activity highlighting and presenting insights summary of what was discovered within the convenings and providing fodder for AG to generate articles, or presentations to other members.
o   Small-Tier activity leveraging national content and inviting a speaker or implementing one of the many tools provided by the National ULI resources.

Link to Leadership Role Descriptions

How:
Please complete the form below to apply for a seat on an Affinity Group for 2 -year term. Two-year terms are concurrent with ULI’s 2022-2023 fiscal years (July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2023).

A blind review of applications via assignment of points will be conducted by the incoming and current Advisory Board Leadership to ensure consistency and momentum of goals and efforts.

This process allows for our leadership to be comprised of members who genuinely have shown up to lead and can demonstrate an understanding of what the charge of ULI leadership is at its Mission Driven core. *Because we value a diversity of viewpoints and want to encourage broad engagement, multiple members from the same company, serving on the same Council, is discouraged.

Submission of an application, or previous involvement is NOT a guarantee that you will be accepted on a council or that your choice(s) will be available. Select only Affinity Groups on which you will be willing to accept an appointment. Please note the age qualifications for

NEXT: 35 -45
WLI: open- no age qualification

Why:
Affinity Groups are small-group, focused meetings for solutions driven members who care about advancing best practices in niche areas of the industry. Affinity Groups are consistent with ULI’s tradition of sharing experiences gained, mistakes made, and lessons learned.

Members in these groups are distinctive in that they seek solutions and work to share that information and ideas with the larger membership via programs, articles, events which aim to move the needle of best practices within our industry.

Meetings may include case studies, round table discussions, and offsite private tours. Discussions at Council meetings must allow for diverse consideration of issues that effect change. Openness is key! Information is shared confidentially among members and should not be shared outside of the Councils except to share solutions that benefit our industry challenges and current emerging topics.