Recruiting Members

Recruiting new members is an important component of ensuring the long term success of a student organization. All organizations are required to have and maintain at least four members. Successful recruiting is dependent on relationship-building and marketing. Promoting the group can occur through social media, attending K Fest, hosting an info table/session and just taking with your friends and classmates. Showcasing your organization’s goals is the best way to spark the interest in others. Registered student organizations are able to participate in the annual Fall Campus Involvement Fair (better known as K-Fest), which is a great way to attract new members. There is also a “Mini K-Fest” held early each spring term to give orgs an opportunity to recruit new members and re-engage students returning from study abroad.

• Know and Understand Your Vision
  • The current members should understand the vision of the organization so they can communicate its purpose to potential members.
• Set Recruitment Goals
  • Recruitment goals should not only include how many members you want involved, but also the kinds of members. Remember quality of membership is just as important as quantity.
• Get Everyone Involved
  • Have current members contact people they know who might want to get involved. Word-of-mouth is the best and least expensive type of publicity you can utilize.
• Utilize a Visual Element
  • Visual publicity is often vital to a recruitment campaign. Have members with artistic talents work on posters, banners, and social media posts.
• Make Your Organization Present (K-Fest, etc.)
  • In addition to attending K-Fest in the fall, you might want to hold info sessions or staff an information table, inviting people to attend in order to hear about your organization and meet current members.

Retaining Members

Once members are in place, find ways to keep them engaged and motivated to contribute to the growth of the group. Build a sense of community among members by hosting social activities that allow them to connect with one another. Be transparent with members, so they are aware of the latest happenings and understand decision making in the organization. Some tips for ensuring membership retention are listed below:

• Plan a Special Welcome Meeting
  • Group participation of a special welcoming for new members is one way to make your members feel wanted, needed, and appreciated. This special event helps form a memorable bond between old and new members and hopefully will help give them a sense of belonging to the group.
• Teach Your Members about your org’s mission, vision, and values
  • It is important to orient new members to your group’s goals and objectives, structures, rules and norms. It leads to better understanding, more commitment, and less frustration.
• Get Their Input
  • Members want to know that their presence and contributions matter to the group. Try asking for input on activities, themes, etc.
• Give Them Responsibilities
  • To be sure that their first organizational experience is a positive one, assign new members tasks that are well within their skill level and that they can successfully accomplish.
• Get to Know Them Individually
  • Make sure all members feel known and valued by at least one group leader. If members feel that someone will notice if they miss a meeting, they’re more likely to keep coming.

Selecting an Executive Board (E-Board)

To be considered an Active Student Organization, OSI requires all organizations to have at least the following Executive Board Leaders:

• Organization Leader (President / Main Contact)
  • This person is the main contact for the organization and will be expected to attend all mandatory trainings for the group. This person will also be expected to relay important information from the College and OSI to the organization members.
• Financial Officer / Treasurer
  • This person will be responsible for all financial transactions for the organization. This will include account charges, reimbursements, and budgeting. The person in this will be responsible for meeting the organization requirements before any transactions can take place.

Although the above three positions are the only required positions to be an active organization, other Executive Board roles could include:

• Vice President
• Secretary
• Membership Recruitment and Retention
• Marketing and Promotions
• Programming
• Historian

Every member of a team is important, but the best team cannot play to its strengths without a great leader being in place.

Delegating Tasks

Learning how to delegate as a student leader is integral to success of the organization. It is important to be able to envision goals for the organization and know how to work with the team members in taking steps towards accomplishing these goals. All members of the organization have their own unique talents and can contribute to the group in different ways.

Leaders should try to identify their members’ special abilities and delegate tasks that they can accomplish. By delegating the tasks of the organization, leaders can be more efficient with their time and can focus their efforts on other important initiatives. Communication is key when delegating; avoid being a task master, and find ways to motivate team members to accomplish their goals. Be sure to recognize members at meetings and show gratitude for their contributions. Successful delegation can be obtained through the following 8 tips:

1. Make the project meaningful. Do not delegate bits and pieces.
2. Choose the person for the project. Take into consideration their available time, interest, role in the group, and abilities. Do NOT use perceived weakness or inexperience to stop you from delegating.
3. Tell the person why they were chosen for the project, highlighting what you think their strengths are.
4. Discuss the project with the person. Talk about goals and objectives and set a deadline for completion. Define the person’s responsibilities and amount of authority.
5. Let go of the project… that’s what delegation is! Prepare the person to accept the project so you will feel more comfortable letting go.
6. Give honest and accurate feedback throughout the process. Share information with the person to reduce potential errors.
7. If problems occur, revisit your initial discussion about goals and objectives. Do not automatically take back the project if things are not going according to plan. Redefine the person’s responsibilities and amount of authority if needed.
8. Evaluate the results. Make sure you delegated appropriately. Make sure the person completed the task completely.

Org Conflict and Difficult Situations

Working through differences between individuals within our outside your organization, although it may be difficult and uncomfortable, can greatly strengthen your relationship with others. Difficult situations can arise from differences among members, ideas, or beliefs. How those situations are handled can either result in a positive or counterproductive solution. Refer to the tips below to help guide you and your organization through difficult situations.

• Make sure to depersonalize what is going on. This can include:
  • Deflecting conversation back to the topic when people feel attacked. Talking about “it,” and not “you.”
  • Sharing different views about the topic and opening the topic to receive other’s opinions.
• Monitor your response, and consider the communication style of others. Some people tend to be more direct than others. Learn what works for the group/individual and adjust your communication accordingly. It is important to note that this does not have to include adjusting your standpoint.
• Consider the thoughts and opinions of others. There might be some validity in a conversation being difficult. Growth can come from a difficult situation. Know your boundaries. Know what you can deal with in a day.
• Do not assume that you know the viewpoint of others.
• Do not look at difficult situations like a competition. Try to make every situation a win-win. This can be achieved through compromise at times. In other instances hear the other side(s) of the story, and use your best judgment. But remember, this is a team effort!
• Do not shut down. Be willing to effectively communicate at all cost for your organization. Every conflict is not going to be solved in the heat of the moment. Assess your level of emotion, and decide whether something needs to be dealt with in the heat of the moment or if it can be tabled until everyone cools down.
• Look for the positive in other people—even if they’re difficult. Play to this person’s strengths. If you notice undesirable personality traits about a person, don’t share them with others. This can ruin your group morale and make this person an outsider.
• Remember that you don’t have to be everyone’s friend. You have to be a team member! Working well together does not always mean getting along.

When a problem arises with a group member, it is important to first return to any written documents you have about your org’s mission, values, norms, and procedures. How has your org agreed to handle disagreement, conflict, or misbehavior? Sometimes an org may wish to dismiss a member who has engaged in behavior that goes against the group’s norms; however, dismissal should not be taken lightly or done hastily. Org leadership should attempt to facilitate a restorative conversation, following the suggestions above, to give all affected parties opportunities to share their experiences and to come to an agreement about future behavior. The organization’s Advisor, or OSA staff members may provide support in these conversations, as needed.

Guidelines for Engaging Across Differences

• It’s ok to disagree
• It’s not ok to blame, shame, or attack ourselves or others
• Practice self-focus
• Notice both the process and content
• Practice “both/and” thinking
• Be aware of both the intent and impact of your actions
• Maintain confidentiality