Zoom is a global communication service committed to high security standards and solid customer service. They offer virtual meeting rooms, digital "soft" phones and webinars. Their customers range from individuals with private accounts businesses with branch offices around the world. 

Chapters will most likely need a Multi User account. In this account, the chapter is the account owner with at least one Pro license and will invite basic level (free) Zoom Users to join their account. 

Meetings held under a free, basic license have the same security standards and settings as do the paid licenses. Paid licenses offer unlimited meeting times, cloud storage for recordings, report menus, polls and a number of additional settings.  

Registration is simple. Go to zoom.us/signup, provide an email address and create a password.

Account Profiles can be created in the name of a person or in the name of the organization. For ASG chapters, it is advisable to register with a Chapter Email Address. In doing so, you will be able to retain control over your Zoom account, rather than putting it into the hands of an individual. 

If a person registers an account in their name, they can go to the Profile Page and edit their person name so that it is instead the name of their chapter. They can also edit the profile photo to be something that reflect their chapter instead of a person. Lastly, they can create a new personal Zoom account and join the Chapter's Zoom account as a basic user in the role of Administrator. 

The number of Pro licenses purchased by the Chapter will depend on the Chapter's budget, how frequently they need to use zoom and if they need want each group leader to control their own meetings for unlimited time periods. 

Only one Pro license is needed for scheduling all meetings at both the Chapter and the NG/SIG levels. If you want to add Alternate Hosts to your scheduled Zoom Meetings, then you will need to purchase a license for each Alternate Host. Otherwise, you can give your Basic users (those without a license) the ability to start the meetings using the Host Key option. 

If your chapter uses one recurring zoom meeting for all of its groups, good communication between the account owner and basic users is critical so that their meetings do not overlap. 

Chapters planning to hold more than 6 meetings a month usually find it convenient to have more than one licensed user if they have the financial resources. Zoom offers discounts to single user accounts and to new accounts from time to time.

Tech Soup offers a 50% discount on Zoom licenses but that will require chapters to register for Tech Soup, provide them with their IRS Determination Letter and pay a nominal administration fee to Tech Soup. As of May 2022 the admin fee is $57 and renews every year. 

Chapters should consider implementing policy that clearly reflects their values. There are three main areas that need to be considered.

Security
Zoom meetings with the highest level of security, would require all members in a chapter to register for Zoom and log into their Zoom account before joining a meeting. An additional layer would be to require all members to join a Chapter's Zoom account as users and allow only those people into Zoom meetings.

Most chapters would find that to be "overkill". For most chapters, requiring a Waiting Room and/or a passcode is more than adequate.

Protection of Personal Information
When a Chapter requires all their members to have a Zoom account, they might expect less participation and possibly a loss of members if the members do not want to create a Zoom account or reveal their name and email to Zoom. 

Not all people are comfortable giving their personal information to Zoom. Settings can be enabled for Zoom meetings so that creating a Zoom account or revealing their name and email address to Zoom is not a requirement. 

Ease of Use
Many chapters strive to ease the burden of their members having to learn new technology. Members will feel left out or frustrated if a service is too difficult for them to understand or if there are too many steps involved.

Chapters can enable settings to make it as easy as possible to use Zoom however, in doing so, it means striking a balance in your settings between security, privacy and ease of use.

Chapters will need to offer Zoom assistance to their members over a period of weeks, possibly months until they become comfortable with the process of joining and participating in Zoom meetings.