So I have graduated college and gotten a job. However, I wanted to make sure my club would be okay without me.
Here are ways to help your club thrive after your gone.
Find your most responsible and hardworking club member. You need to find out if they want a position in your club. Odds are that good club members are very active and might be offered offices in other clubs.
Give them more responsibilities step by step while you are still in office.
When (or if) they get elected give them starting materials. What do they need to know about fundraising, doing events, or gaining members? Do you have raffle tickets, t-shirts, or bank account numbers that they need?
Give them a calendar of what you did when you were in charge. I wish I had that when I was president. It is an excellent guide for your future officers.
Give them a copy of the constitution. You have no idea how often I was asked to forward that on. Give them a hard copy and a digital copy.
Once they are in office let them have your number and email. They will ask questions. If you can, show up to the first few meetings with them in charge. Afterwards talk to them about what they did well. This will boost their confidence and encourage them to stay a leader.
Be supportive as much as you can but let them have the reigns. I slowly took myself out of meetings while those students were in charge. That way they didn't rely on me so heavily and it gave me a chance to focus on graduating.
END ON A HAPPY NOTE:
It has been shown that little children and older people together improves mood and gets them both motivated. How cute is this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EI9ye459YMk
Saturday, August 5, 2017
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
Responsibility is Empowering
I am happy to report that my club this year has active members and have done really great events. The events have included handing out candy to children at Halloween, helping out with blood drives and my proudest achievement a Zombie Walk. The club was able to raise awareness about safety while having fun. The reason that this went off without a hitch is that everyone had a responsibility.
At the beginning of the year each of the members chose which events we should have and which we shouldn't with an activity called carousel. I hung 10 sheets of paper around the room with the name of one event on sheet. The members each had five stickers that they would put on their top five favorite ideas. The sheets with the most stickers were the most liked. They walk around and around reading what they are and choose which one they like (like a carousel). From there the leaders of the club knew which event to focus our energy on and that the members would more likely be involved.
At the beginning of the year each of the members chose which events we should have and which we shouldn't with an activity called carousel. I hung 10 sheets of paper around the room with the name of one event on sheet. The members each had five stickers that they would put on their top five favorite ideas. The sheets with the most stickers were the most liked. They walk around and around reading what they are and choose which one they like (like a carousel). From there the leaders of the club knew which event to focus our energy on and that the members would more likely be involved.
 |
| Image from Redbubble |
From there we had students pick an event that they wanted to be part of a committee for. The students did have the option of not joining as well. No reason to force someone to do something they don't want to do. From there the committees voted on who should be their leaders. That is when I (the president) and the adviser sat down the the committee leaders and discussed with them what we were expecting.
We discussed how much we were willing to spend, why we wanted this even to happen, and the goals for the club.
The other portion of the meeting was spent discussing jobs. Should there be posters? Then make a member from your group in charge of it. Do we need permits or permission? Better have someone in charge of that. Should there be food or music? There's a job for someone right there.
The goal is that each person is in charge of something and there are always enough jobs to go around. It is important for the leaders to stress that if they fail at their job, then the whole group will suffer. If the event is done well, then there are many great benefits that should be expressed to the group too.
1. The members with jobs feel they are useful to your group. They feel involved in a part of something for your club and maybe for your school. This person is more inclined to stay in your club and spread word of the club's work.
2. Members learn skills that they may not have learned otherwise. For example, one student created posters for the first time. Another person talked with the Vice President of the college for permission codes. One student was in charge of safety for the Zombie Walk since it was in the dark and on a road which meant thinking of creative solutions. All the members in the committee had to work on their communication skills with one another to make sure they were on top of their jobs.
3. Confidence in the club and even in the members themselves will go up when the job is completed well. Each member knows they did a good job and that it was because of them. Those with leadership positions should recognize these accomplishments to the entire club. It seems small but it is so so necessary.
4. The members who were doing jobs now feel more ready to take on bigger jobs. In a way, you are training these members to take the leadership positions of the club. I won't be able to be president next year so it is my job to find a replacement. The goal I have is to train each of the members so that they will be able to take my place effectively.
END ON A HAPPY NOTE:
These comics give me to fuzzies.
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Mental Health and Bullying
I plan to be a counselor when I graduate from college. I love helping people and want to motivate others. I want to help those suffering from mental illness. Today I wish I had the chance to help someone with mental illness.
At my old high school today, a student killed himself. It is not clear if it was bullying or if it was a mental health issue. What is more disturbing is that this is the fourth student suicide at my school in four years.
What can I do?
What can we do?
First, is to stop playing the blame game. Mental health is not a joke. It's not merely "feeling bad." A person can't "snap out of it." It is ignorant to blame those who are mentally ill and say that it was their fault. It's ignorant to think that they could have prevented it. It isn't that simple.
I once heard someone say that they wished a person would stop complaining about their depression because it wasn't cancer. No it isn't cancer. I can't say what is worse or better. What I am saying is don't compare the two different pains. Also, don't compare the two treatments. When a person is mentally ill they don't or can't treat themselves. This is where a person can come in and help.
1. Stay informed
2. Reach Out
Often, those who suffer from mental health issues are embarrassed and will tell you to keep quiet if they have shared with you that they are ill. Unless you are a psychiatrist, you shouldn't keep this to yourself. Their family needs to know. Your school counselor need know.
There is also the National Suicide Prevention Line at 1-800-273-8255. If you are questioning to call them, THEN JUST CALL THEM. A life isn't an issue to take lightly. Or call the National Youth Crisis Hotline at 1-800-442-4673.
3. Support, Support, SUPPORT
The worst part of mental illness is feeling alone. Check up on them and often. Don't go weeks without contact. A person with mental health wants to be alone but that makes the problem worse. They need someone to talk to or be around that is a positive influence. It sounds intimidating to be around someone who is ill but it can mean recovery for this person. When they are talking to you about mental illness avoid statements that were listed above. These would be better to say. Or these as well. Be open as possible.
4. Prevent
Each school needs a mental health program. Find programs that help students with mental health issues. My school has an "Open Door Policy" which is where a student can go to any faculty member with a sign of an open door on their office and talk to them about any issue. They are trained in mental health counseling and are in contact with the residence hall association. Does your school have an open door program? Think about implementing one. Get after school programs that promote positivity. Raise awareness on mental health. Bring in speakers.
Prevent the stigma by understanding mental health and talking about it. Make more programs or give more funding for mental health. Donate. Watch documentaries. Read. Stop blaming.
 |
| Courtesy of Pinterest |
Bullying should not be taken lightly.
For issues on bullying, a person needs to report if they see any bullying happening. Report to a teacher, counselor, principal, even the police department. "Bullying" is harassment and is against the law. There a few different types of bullying such as mental or physical. There is also the new one which is cyber-bullying, this is what is causing the biggest problems of our day. Do not be a bystander. You can be the solution.
Don't be a Bystander
END ON A HAPPY NOTE:
This has been a heavy post. Hopefully, I can cheer you up. Please enjoy!
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Don't Delay...Start Now!
We all get to that point in our lives where we are crazy busy. Currently I'm on Christmas Break at my college and have had a lot of free time. I've recently had to start getting my stuff in a heap to prepare for next semester. One of the items on my list is being more on top of delays. The last month of school is that my club was trying to sell our latest fundraiser, winter car safety kits.
The issue is that I asked for a volunteer to make posters and email our school about the event. The person that volunteered, didn't do the things I asked. It doesn't sound like this is a big deal, and in the grand scheme of things it isn't, but it does hurt the club. Why?
1. It shows that our club can't handle the simple things. If we can't do small items then we certainly can't handle big events.
2. It shows that we are lazy or careless. This gives the club a bad reputation which means no new members.
3. The word didn't go out about our fundraiser. No one knew about this event going on which hurts our fund for CPR classes. That in itself has it's own consequences.
What am I supposed to do?
The job as president, or even as a member, is to make sure that no one delays. I did not tell the member that I was disappointed that the posters didn't happen. I gave the assignment to someone else. The email occurrence should have been brought up sooner as well. The member told me that they had said something to me in person about the subject and it was my job to remember. I agreed with this sentiment but frankly, I have such a bad memory.
That's when I decided to make sure I wouldn't forget. I sent that member an email that said that if they can't handle these assignments, they need to email me, print off a paper for me, or write on my hand that they need someone else to do the job. I also told this person it is their job to find a replacement. They are an adult and can handle that much.
Being a leader means that you make sure jobs get done but it does not mean you are a babysitter. Organizations like these look good on resumes because they train people to be adults. Giving out responsibilities is one thing, but making sure that the person acts responsible is another. Again, a person doesn't need to be dictator to get the job done. Being assertive is enough.
Don't delay when it comes to projects. If you have a job, do the job. If you gave the job and aren't satisfied, let them know and don't beat around the bush.
END ON A HAPPY NOTE:
Not going to lie...I wish I knew someone like this. They would certainly brighten anyone's day! http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/05/24/57/05245709c7b23c81de2ead33eb3e8315.jpg
Saturday, October 25, 2014
Progress Thus Far
This year started off pretty rough. I had over twenty people say they were interested in this club. I was told people were excited to start volunteering and helping and being positive. I felt confident and awesome...then we had our first meeting.
Our first meeting had a total of four people. I felt like this...
I had done all the planning, knew what I wanted to do, and felt like I had landed on my face. What was I to do?
END ON A HAPPY NOTE:
Our first meeting had a total of four people. I felt like this...
 |
| Courtesy of Buzzfeed |
FIRST I was heavily relying on myself to get things done. I didn't want anyone else's help because I thought I was the only one who could do the job right. Other members needed to have a job as well, my trusty Vice President could have easily done those jobs. As soon as I let others have jobs, membership started to grow.
SECOND Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither will a club's reputation. Membership will grow when the word gets out about us. Currently, we are about ten members active and three inactive. Slowly but surely, we are getting there!
THIRD Some of the people in the club had this mindset of, "We're small so we can slack off." Being a leader does not mean screaming at this people and telling them they suck. A leader states that although we are small, we will work like a larger club. I asked if they needed help or if their responsibilities needed to be someone else's. Immediately, things started getting done. No threats are ever needed when running anything.
FOURTH Being active in something will get the club's name out there and keep your members. I have repeatedly said in this blog that blender events are needed. After our few small events, are name got out to a few people and our members were glad to do something fun.
Starting a club can be tedious but after a while you'll be like this guy.
Victorious.
 |
| Courtesy of Buzzfeed |
Halloween is on it's way. Here is a little Halloween humor for you.
Sunday, August 10, 2014
Work Tips for Working with Your Club
At my summer job I am in charge of two groups which each consist of about eight people. In all I'm in charge of about 16 people. Before I started my new position of Assistant Field Researcher all those in leadership positions had training. They gave each of us a packet consisting of four pages of tips from the Office of Student Leadership Development from the Ulrich Student Center. Here are the ones I and the other leaders thought were the best.
Motivating Others
1. Set an Example. If you make promises you have to come through. If you want your members to be on time, be on time yourself. Be the model you want your members to be.
2. Keep the other informed. Have timely and open communications with your members so all can participate in the discussions or future planning.
3. Get to know each of your members. Why are they in your club? This is ESSENTIAL if you want your members to feel like they belong.
4. Remember that each person in your club could be taking your position or help you out. "You can do the work of two people, but you can't be two people." Lee Iacocca
Team Unity
1. Keep morale high. Allow at least one meeting to consist of the entire group commenting on the activities they have done. Giving everyone a voice allows for ideas to be improved and a chance for members to feel included.
2. Don't dwell on failures. You get out what you put in. If you are constantly negative, you'll only get negative feedback. Keeping negatives to a minimum will give more honest and profitable solutions.
Effective Communication
1. Refrain from using abbreviations or slang words. Some may not know what you mean. Right words means the right message.
2. Listen. The Ulrich Student Center says, "Remember communication is a two way street." People may feel pushed to the side if you don't listen to what they have to say.
3. If you critique, critique the IDEA not the person.
4. Take responsibility. Use "I" not "you." It sounds like blame is being spread to others when saying you, you, you all the time. That leads to feeling disgruntled and perhaps the clubs down-fall. Be assertive and say, "I." Passive aggressive people blame and assertive people take the fame. (I just made that up. Thank you very much.)
OVERALL: These are the traits that my company thought made great leaders. You can see some are listed above.
1. Leaders need excitement and energy.
2. Need to engage with members. Don't have awkward quiet times.
3. Organized and serious when working and training.
4. Open to questions and discussion. Members shouldn't be afraid of leaders. They should respect and feel friendly towards leaders.
End On a Happy Note:
If you like art or all things crazy, you will love Mary Doodles on youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DttpANYgT00
 |
| Courtesy of Pinterest and stylegerms.com |
1. Set an Example. If you make promises you have to come through. If you want your members to be on time, be on time yourself. Be the model you want your members to be.
2. Keep the other informed. Have timely and open communications with your members so all can participate in the discussions or future planning.
3. Get to know each of your members. Why are they in your club? This is ESSENTIAL if you want your members to feel like they belong.
4. Remember that each person in your club could be taking your position or help you out. "You can do the work of two people, but you can't be two people." Lee Iacocca
 |
| Courtesy of Mulan and Pinterest Even Mulan needed a team to defeat the Huns. |
1. Keep morale high. Allow at least one meeting to consist of the entire group commenting on the activities they have done. Giving everyone a voice allows for ideas to be improved and a chance for members to feel included.
2. Don't dwell on failures. You get out what you put in. If you are constantly negative, you'll only get negative feedback. Keeping negatives to a minimum will give more honest and profitable solutions.
 |
| Courtesy of Pinterest Kim Possible was a cheerleader and saved the world and you can still contact her. |
Effective Communication
1. Refrain from using abbreviations or slang words. Some may not know what you mean. Right words means the right message.
2. Listen. The Ulrich Student Center says, "Remember communication is a two way street." People may feel pushed to the side if you don't listen to what they have to say.
3. If you critique, critique the IDEA not the person.
4. Take responsibility. Use "I" not "you." It sounds like blame is being spread to others when saying you, you, you all the time. That leads to feeling disgruntled and perhaps the clubs down-fall. Be assertive and say, "I." Passive aggressive people blame and assertive people take the fame. (I just made that up. Thank you very much.)
OVERALL: These are the traits that my company thought made great leaders. You can see some are listed above.
1. Leaders need excitement and energy.
2. Need to engage with members. Don't have awkward quiet times.
3. Organized and serious when working and training.
4. Open to questions and discussion. Members shouldn't be afraid of leaders. They should respect and feel friendly towards leaders.
End On a Happy Note:
If you like art or all things crazy, you will love Mary Doodles on youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DttpANYgT00
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Steps for Clubbing (AKA Starting a Club and Tips for Club Members/Leaders)
Currently, I am club president of the Red Cross Club at my college. This club has been here for three years going on its fourth and has gone through multiple advisers, lazy presidents, and lack of members. I am hoping to fix all that. Thanks to the conference I have mentioned at least a thousand times in this blog, there were some tips and tricks that I used and may use to save this club yet.
1. WHAT IS YOUR REASON FOR THIS CLUB
If you go into a leadership position for a club because it will look good on your resume, think again. Grant a club can look nice on your resume for a few reasons such as to appear active. The fact is you will be miserable and you will probably quit if that is the only reason. Being a member means time commitments and going to the occasional boring meetings and if you were there for the cupcakes, you best be leaving.
Being a leader means deciding, planning, and time commitments and if don't want to spend time outside of the club doing work, don't volunteer. For the Red Cross Club there was time spent to find ways to advertise our club, working on our Facebook page, and setting up our event calender for the year which doesn't sound like much but it definitely took time away from my summer.
You SHOULD join a club because you like it's message, it's events, or it can improve your talents or skills.
You SHOULD be a leader because you want to better others, self, community, or school. OR if YOU want to improve the club somehow. The emphasis is on the 'you' as in, you think you can drive the club with your ideas, not others. I'm not saying you shouldn't get help, by all means, GET ADVICE ALWAYS, but don't be piggy backing off of others all the time.
2. ARE PEOPLE INTERESTED
Will people want to join or want to keep joining? Some clubs will not be recognized by a school, company, or organization (like the Red Cross) unless you have so many members. Find out if your club will be interfered by those rules and see if people would be interested enough to stay with your club. If the answer it is no, find out why. Tips below may help with problems the club may have.
3. HAVE A PLAN
Clubs often struggle at this step. A person thinks, "Aha! Yes! I think a car wash would be great!" Then the car wash NEVER happens. BOOM! You've just lost members. No one wants to be part of a club that doesn't follow through. The club has to think of when, where, back up plans, and perhaps even a budget when it comes to events. Think of canceling as the big red button no one wants to touch. If you must cancel, figure out why and if the event should ever be thought of doing again. For the club I'm in, we have cancelled because we kept postponing to the point where it was three months later from the original date. Postponing can be a good idea but beware of the forever postponing plague.
4. DON'T BE A DICTATOR AND BUT DON'T MOSH PIT IT
When the leaders in a group state what you are going to do, then the club changes from being a fun extracurricular to being a member in a dictatorship. Grant, they should lead but not to the point that only the board is making decisions. Leaders are there for organization. Members are there for creativity. There is a negative side to members though. Meetings run by members only can easily go from, "What do you think?" to "I'm sorry I can't hear you because everyone is talking at once." As leaders, think of a few options that the club can decide on. Starting with, "Alright think of an event and we'll do it." WILL lead to chaos. So start instead with, "We have three options which include a car wash, a color run, and a water gun fight. Which of these do you like best?" If you want club members to think of ideas themselves, have them fill out a planning sheet and vote on it. Organization and creativity are keys to a healthy club.
5. LEADERS/ADVISERS
The Red Cross Club at my school has suffered greatly from insufficient leadership. Currently, the club is on it's 5th adviser in three years but has had two presidents for all three years. The membership is down to two people. Leaders/Advisers can make or break your club. When starting a club or voting on positions, know who can stick around and who is there merely because no one else will. Choosing based on the things below can help you with your decision.
-Are they scatterbrained? If the answer is yes...stay far away. These people tend to blab, procrastinate, and mosh pit meetings.
-Are they organized/strict? If the answer is yes, then you say yes. Strict people get stuff done and will let you know when something is amiss. Some may hate them as teachers, counselors, etc. but if they can get you out of the deep dark depths that is lack of members, you stay with them. Let me put it to you this way, if you had to escape prison would you choose Elmo or Vin Diesel to get you out?
-Are the likable? I know I just stated that some may hate them as a person so deal with it; just trust me this is different. Being strict is more like being organized but on Red Bull; they seem to be overbearing but they have all the right equipment. If that person is known for being a jerk then you say no. These people are more like sugar; they seem to be in charge but in the end, you were and now you're sad. The reason is that your adviser/leader will have to associate with other people whether it be the principal or a board. If they suck at talking, or presenting, or get emotional fast, count them out. No one wants to listen to an annoying voice when they can be charmed by a sweeter one, or at the very least an organized one.
-Are they athletic coaches or are athletes? If the answer is yes, you should probably say no. Grant, coaches or athletes are usually motivated, organized, and self-made leaders but there are multiple things that could go wrong. First, will meetings interfere with their practices or games? If so, they will always choose the sport over the club. Athletics pay (either by a paycheck or scholarship) and advising/leading rarely does. Second issue will be time. These people either have to have a certain GPA and will skip meetings to study or there may be so many hours they can work for your school. They will choose their education or job over you. Every. Single. Time. (Even volunteering for your club can be considered 'working' as they are still are participating in a school event and the school will force your adviser to quit the club. Yes, it's happened to me before.)
6. MEETINGS ARE BORING OR DISORGANIZED
There a few things you can do.
Boring
-Playing music has been shown to increase attention. In fact video game music was created for that purpose. Mario is usually a good choice to play in the background or the Hans Zimmer station on Pandora. Music with lyrics or dancing music can be distracting.
-Start meetings with something fun and QUICK! Don't spend more then 10 minutes on a warm up game. You could start off with something as easy as musical chairs. One great way to increase relationships is have everyone (even the adviser) go to a complete stranger and have them either tell them their future dreams or come up with a secret handshake.
-Give out stress balls or anything else kinesthetic. Having something physical forces that person to pay attention as their mind will wander less often.
-Instead of having every meeting consisting of planning, and choosing, and arguing...do blender events instead. Choose something that pertains to your club or club's motivation that is fun to do and run with it! For example, the Art Guild at my school built spooky creatures and placed them around the campus on April Fool's Day. It was both fun and held to the artistic values of the club.
Disorganized
-Don't know what Robert's Rules are? Get to know them and enforce them. These rules prevent talking over others and arguments. http://img.docstoccdn.com/thumb/orig/4862573.png
-Think of Murphy's Law: Anything That Can Go Wrong, Will Go Wrong. Predict when there may be a problem and think of solutions for it. You don't have to be over paranoid but it's better to think Murphy then to be run over by craziness.
-Have an agenda. At the start of the meeting hand out what will be discussed. Include time limits by each subject if needed. At the end of each meeting, there should be time to have "free talk" where members can discuss anything they wish to include in the next meeting.
7. RELATIONSHIPS ARE POOR AMONG MEMBERS
There are two major issues that cause depleting numbers. Either there are not enough people to create energy or they don't know each other well enough to come back. You can advertise all you want on Facebook, twitter, or whatever else and people will not come. It is the club's job to sound exciting or have close relationships among members. Ways to do that are...
-Have members talk to one another. Give them a chance to socialize.
-Get to know them! People are usually in events because they know friends who are at them. Be that friend or at least acquaintance. Getting to know them is a good start. (What are the passionate about? Who is their favorite super hero? If they could meet anyone dead or alive who would it be?) Look up Ryan Clauson for more tips on 'attracting' other people. http://www.mrattraction.com/
-Use ice breakers for your warm up event at meetings. Look at this link for a whole bunch of ideas. >http://indulgy.com/post/t1f6NY18T1/chrysanthemum-first-day-name-activity
The six tips and advise above are the ideas that come to my mind immediately. If you have questions, comment below.
End On a Happy Note:
Dress for the job that you want! http://funsubstance.com/fun/112188/dress-for-the-job-you-want/
If you go into a leadership position for a club because it will look good on your resume, think again. Grant a club can look nice on your resume for a few reasons such as to appear active. The fact is you will be miserable and you will probably quit if that is the only reason. Being a member means time commitments and going to the occasional boring meetings and if you were there for the cupcakes, you best be leaving.
Being a leader means deciding, planning, and time commitments and if don't want to spend time outside of the club doing work, don't volunteer. For the Red Cross Club there was time spent to find ways to advertise our club, working on our Facebook page, and setting up our event calender for the year which doesn't sound like much but it definitely took time away from my summer.
You SHOULD join a club because you like it's message, it's events, or it can improve your talents or skills.
You SHOULD be a leader because you want to better others, self, community, or school. OR if YOU want to improve the club somehow. The emphasis is on the 'you' as in, you think you can drive the club with your ideas, not others. I'm not saying you shouldn't get help, by all means, GET ADVICE ALWAYS, but don't be piggy backing off of others all the time.
 |
| Image from http://thepioneerwoman.com/ |
Will people want to join or want to keep joining? Some clubs will not be recognized by a school, company, or organization (like the Red Cross) unless you have so many members. Find out if your club will be interfered by those rules and see if people would be interested enough to stay with your club. If the answer it is no, find out why. Tips below may help with problems the club may have.
 |
| Image courtesy of Pinterst |
3. HAVE A PLAN
Clubs often struggle at this step. A person thinks, "Aha! Yes! I think a car wash would be great!" Then the car wash NEVER happens. BOOM! You've just lost members. No one wants to be part of a club that doesn't follow through. The club has to think of when, where, back up plans, and perhaps even a budget when it comes to events. Think of canceling as the big red button no one wants to touch. If you must cancel, figure out why and if the event should ever be thought of doing again. For the club I'm in, we have cancelled because we kept postponing to the point where it was three months later from the original date. Postponing can be a good idea but beware of the forever postponing plague.
Here is comprehensive list that my college has each club fill out.
*Note, everything must fit on one page. More than that is a sign of over thinking.*
Name of Event
Contact Name and Number
Date and Time
Campus Location
Total Price
(After event has taken place)
Event Attendance
Comments on Event
Suggestions for Improvement
Event Rating 1-10
When the leaders in a group state what you are going to do, then the club changes from being a fun extracurricular to being a member in a dictatorship. Grant, they should lead but not to the point that only the board is making decisions. Leaders are there for organization. Members are there for creativity. There is a negative side to members though. Meetings run by members only can easily go from, "What do you think?" to "I'm sorry I can't hear you because everyone is talking at once." As leaders, think of a few options that the club can decide on. Starting with, "Alright think of an event and we'll do it." WILL lead to chaos. So start instead with, "We have three options which include a car wash, a color run, and a water gun fight. Which of these do you like best?" If you want club members to think of ideas themselves, have them fill out a planning sheet and vote on it. Organization and creativity are keys to a healthy club.
 |
| Image courtesy of Pinterest |
5. LEADERS/ADVISERS
The Red Cross Club at my school has suffered greatly from insufficient leadership. Currently, the club is on it's 5th adviser in three years but has had two presidents for all three years. The membership is down to two people. Leaders/Advisers can make or break your club. When starting a club or voting on positions, know who can stick around and who is there merely because no one else will. Choosing based on the things below can help you with your decision.
Most Important: Know how much time and effort they want to invest.
-Are they involved in other clubs? How many? If the answer is two+, count them out. They may say they can handle it but they won't. Trust me they won't. If they have led beforehand, count them in as they have experience. A new adviser/leader may be iffy and can quit when they realize that the club is more work than they had in mind.-Are they scatterbrained? If the answer is yes...stay far away. These people tend to blab, procrastinate, and mosh pit meetings.
-Are they organized/strict? If the answer is yes, then you say yes. Strict people get stuff done and will let you know when something is amiss. Some may hate them as teachers, counselors, etc. but if they can get you out of the deep dark depths that is lack of members, you stay with them. Let me put it to you this way, if you had to escape prison would you choose Elmo or Vin Diesel to get you out?
-Are the likable? I know I just stated that some may hate them as a person so deal with it; just trust me this is different. Being strict is more like being organized but on Red Bull; they seem to be overbearing but they have all the right equipment. If that person is known for being a jerk then you say no. These people are more like sugar; they seem to be in charge but in the end, you were and now you're sad. The reason is that your adviser/leader will have to associate with other people whether it be the principal or a board. If they suck at talking, or presenting, or get emotional fast, count them out. No one wants to listen to an annoying voice when they can be charmed by a sweeter one, or at the very least an organized one.
-Are they athletic coaches or are athletes? If the answer is yes, you should probably say no. Grant, coaches or athletes are usually motivated, organized, and self-made leaders but there are multiple things that could go wrong. First, will meetings interfere with their practices or games? If so, they will always choose the sport over the club. Athletics pay (either by a paycheck or scholarship) and advising/leading rarely does. Second issue will be time. These people either have to have a certain GPA and will skip meetings to study or there may be so many hours they can work for your school. They will choose their education or job over you. Every. Single. Time. (Even volunteering for your club can be considered 'working' as they are still are participating in a school event and the school will force your adviser to quit the club. Yes, it's happened to me before.)
 |
| Courtesy of Buzzfeed |
6. MEETINGS ARE BORING OR DISORGANIZED
There a few things you can do.
Boring
-Playing music has been shown to increase attention. In fact video game music was created for that purpose. Mario is usually a good choice to play in the background or the Hans Zimmer station on Pandora. Music with lyrics or dancing music can be distracting.
-Start meetings with something fun and QUICK! Don't spend more then 10 minutes on a warm up game. You could start off with something as easy as musical chairs. One great way to increase relationships is have everyone (even the adviser) go to a complete stranger and have them either tell them their future dreams or come up with a secret handshake.
-Give out stress balls or anything else kinesthetic. Having something physical forces that person to pay attention as their mind will wander less often.
-Instead of having every meeting consisting of planning, and choosing, and arguing...do blender events instead. Choose something that pertains to your club or club's motivation that is fun to do and run with it! For example, the Art Guild at my school built spooky creatures and placed them around the campus on April Fool's Day. It was both fun and held to the artistic values of the club.
 |
| Courtesy of Mary Rose Fiedler |
-Don't know what Robert's Rules are? Get to know them and enforce them. These rules prevent talking over others and arguments. http://img.docstoccdn.com/thumb/orig/4862573.png
-Think of Murphy's Law: Anything That Can Go Wrong, Will Go Wrong. Predict when there may be a problem and think of solutions for it. You don't have to be over paranoid but it's better to think Murphy then to be run over by craziness.
-Have an agenda. At the start of the meeting hand out what will be discussed. Include time limits by each subject if needed. At the end of each meeting, there should be time to have "free talk" where members can discuss anything they wish to include in the next meeting.
 |
| Image Courtesy of Pinterest |
7. RELATIONSHIPS ARE POOR AMONG MEMBERS
There are two major issues that cause depleting numbers. Either there are not enough people to create energy or they don't know each other well enough to come back. You can advertise all you want on Facebook, twitter, or whatever else and people will not come. It is the club's job to sound exciting or have close relationships among members. Ways to do that are...
-Have members talk to one another. Give them a chance to socialize.
-Get to know them! People are usually in events because they know friends who are at them. Be that friend or at least acquaintance. Getting to know them is a good start. (What are the passionate about? Who is their favorite super hero? If they could meet anyone dead or alive who would it be?) Look up Ryan Clauson for more tips on 'attracting' other people. http://www.mrattraction.com/
-Use ice breakers for your warm up event at meetings. Look at this link for a whole bunch of ideas. >http://indulgy.com/post/t1f6NY18T1/chrysanthemum-first-day-name-activity
 |
| Image Courtesy of Pinterest |
End On a Happy Note:
Dress for the job that you want! http://funsubstance.com/fun/112188/dress-for-the-job-you-want/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)