Recruitment & Retention
Have a recruitment plan to gain more members of your group. The Student Organization Fairs held in the Fall are an excellent way to promote your organization. In order to retain your members, keep them stimulated through leadership opportunities, create long-term and short-term goals, and have retreats and games every once in a while to develop relationships and friendships.
Meeting Structure
Your meetings should always include an agenda with what you want to accomplish. This keeps the meeting organized and maintains a clear purpose. Provide an opportunity for your executive members to have input on what is discussed. For example, if an important event is coming up and the leader of that event would like a longer timeslot than usual, add that in your planned agenda.
Organizational Management
Good leaders have trust in their executive team and members. Maximize the strengths of your team by delegating accordingly. Your members will feel better connected to the organization and each other if given some autonomy. Set expectations early so each of your members can hold each other accountable for their responsibilities.
Relationship with Your Advisor
An advisor is an integral part of every student organization. The role of the advisor is to counsel and serve as a resource to the students and the student organization. Your advisor can help your organization develop by being the source of consistency from year to year. Don’t consider your advisor as only a signatory on forms, but rather an engaged resource whom you can utilize and rely upon when you need assistance with program planning or troubleshooting within your organization.
Transition & Legacy
Every organization goes through a transition period at the beginning and end of each year. To make the transition process run smoothly, it is recommended that you encourage your officers to maintain all their materials (electronically as well), provide feedback, and hold meetings with the new officers that will be taking over their positions. Transition reports document the officers’ legacy on the organization and provide a foundation for the new leaders.