FIRST STEP
Determine the membership status of your candidate and yourself.  Contact Information Central at (800) 843-2763/(973) 882-1170 or e-mail infocentral.org for inquiries regarding membership.

• Is the candidate currently Member grade?
• Does the candidate have not less than 10 years of active practice and 10 years of continuous corporate membership in ASME?
• Are you (the initiator) currently a member?

If the answer to any of these is 'no' and will be 'no' at the time of submission, STOP! The candidate does not fulfill the grade requirements. If you are unsure, contact Information Central at (800) 843-2763/(973) 882-1170 or e-mail infocentral.org.

SECOND STEP
Look at and read through the Sample Fellow Proposal (Arthur S. Mefell) found in this kit. The Fellow candidate is fictional and, admittedly, highly qualified for the grade of Fellow.  The contents should provide you with excellent examples of how to present information and construct letters of sponsorship.

Obtain a copy of your candidate's resume. The resume will generally give you most of the details you will require in preparing the proposal and will also be a valuable source of sponsors.

THIRD STEP
Complete the proposal form. Remember to carefully read the sixth page of the Fellow Form, "Guide to the Initiator Check List." Reading now may save rewriting later!

Please remember that the judges of your nominee have nothing on which to base their decision except the facts in your nomination.

FOURTH STEP
Determine your potential sponsors:

• Five (5) sponsors, excluding initiator, are required.
• Three (3) of the sponsors (including yourself) must be an ASME Fellow or with Member grade. (Contact Information Central at (800) 847-2763/(973) 882-1170 or e-mail infocentral.org  for memership inquiries.)
• Sponsors who are not Fellows or Members of ASME should be chosen to broaden the base of sponsor support.
• All sponsors must have an acceptable understanding of the Society's criteria, the candidate's qualifications, and a sound basis for judgment. This necessary understanding can be achieved by referring sponsors to the candidate's completed Fellow proposal form and/or the candidate's resume.
• The 5 sponsors can be from the same company to accommodate Fellow candidates that have spent their careers with one company. The sponsors should be able to provide support for all major achievements of the candidate (e.g., an educator with industry consulting experience should have at least one sponsor from industry).
• Letters from each sponsor must clearly show direct knowledge of the candidate's significant achievements and indicate why this individual should be a Fellow.

FIFTH STEP
The initiator can select one of the nine qualification categories to describe the candidate's significant engineering achievements. One category is sufficient, but more than one category may be utilized if the initiator believes that is necessary to make a credible case for the candidate.

SIXTH STEP
Contact your sponsors. Explain your mission, brief them on the kind of letter desired, gain their confidence and approval. Set a target date for receipt of the letters of recommendation. Remind them that their letters should be succinct and to the point, identifying specifics qualifying the candidate, not generalities. Provide them with copies of the candidate's completed Fellow proposal form.

SEVENTH STEP
Write your own initiator letter. After all that work and your vast knowledge of the candidate's qualifications, you are in the best supportive position.

EIGHTH STEP
If needed, follow up to obtain the sponsor's letters. Check everything for completeness. (Reread the fourth page of the Fellow Form, "Check List/Guide to the Initiator.") Carefully confirm positive answers to each question asked in the check list.

NINTH STEP
*Email the completed Fellow Proposal to the Honors & Fellows Administrator at fellows@asme.org

* Emailing the completed proposal in PDF (preferred) or Word format will expedite the nomination process.

TENTH STEP
What should you expect once you send your hard work to ASME? Off it goes to the ASME Honors & Fellows Department.

     .....WHAT HAPPENS? HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE?

• Receipt is acknowledged in writing to the initiator. If you don't receive a letter of receipt you will know that the proposal was not received by the Honors & Fellows Department.
• If a surprise presentation is planned, notify the Honors & Fellows Department.
• The proposal receives initial review to determine that the various documents are in order. The initiator will receive a one time follow-up in writing or by telephone of any omissions which would prevent adequate appraisal.
• If initial review is satisfactory, the proposal will be prepared for consideration by the Fellow Review Committee (FRC) in either March, June, September or December.  Review by FRC will take two (2) weeks. 
• If FRC defers action, the initiator will be notified as to the reason(s).
• The Committee of Past Presidents (CPP), is given one week from the date of mailing to review the proposals and to return ballots to the Fellows Department.
• Advancement to the grade of Fellow shall be by a positive vote from three-quarters of the total number of ballots received from the CPP entitled to vote.  If the CPP defeats election, the Fellow proposal is returned to Staff for further communication with the initiator.
• Upon the CPP advancement of the candidate to the grade of Fellow, a Fellow certificate, Fellow lapel pin, and name badge, are sent to the initiator to arrange for presentation. (The District Leaders and Section Chairs are sent copies of this correspondence.) Unless ASME has been informed in advance, it is at this time the candidate is advised of the action of CPP.

FINAL STEP
The initiator's work is not done. Once Fellow election is completed, the initiator is requested to arrange for presentation of the Fellow certificate and lapel pin at a Section, Technical Division or other appropriate meeting. If the presentation is to be a surprise, the initiator should provide publicity information to ASME. A Publicity Form and membership card will be sent when the certificate and lapel pin are sent. The initiator should try to have a photograph of the newly elected Fellow. (If the presentation is not to be a surprise, the publicity form and request will be sent to the newly elected Fellow).