I am involved with a charity that sets up regional charities. We have a nominally clean procedure which can set up a charity in a few days. However a constantly changing legislative and regulatory environment can send the whole system back to square one.
When we are dealing with a new legislative and regulatory environment for each chapter, the plan for a cookie-cutter approach is likely to founder at the first hurdle. Moreover cultural and demographic differences are even more diversifying.
Regulatory constraints limit the sense in which a chapter, if it is to benefit from charitable, non-profit or tax exempt status, can be a membership organisation.
On the other hand a simple "association" may meet most of the needs of a chapter, and they should not be weighed down with excess regulatory burden if that is all they need.