Recruiting Members

You've established your organization - now you need others to join the cause! Personal contacts and word of mouth have proven to be the most efficient ways to recruit new membership for your organization. However, here are a few other ideas:

• Participate in the Activities Fair during orientations and Hawk Week.
• Post informational fliers on university bulletin boards.
• Promote on The BEAT.
• Set up an informational table in Stoland Lounge or the School of Nursing Atrium.
• Host an informational meeting.
• Ask each member to bring a friend to a specific recruitment meeting.

Goal Setting

Goals are important to establish at the beginning of the academic year. These should serve as your direction and state of what it is that you wish to accomplish. Taken as a sum, your goals give the group reason for existing by clarifying what your group is working towards. Goals also give you something to evaluate at the end of the year so that you can determine your successes and accomplishments. Goals will most likely change from year to year, depending on the leadership of the group. Set goals as a group. It's a great way to get all involved and give members a sense of ownership and inclusion.

Steps for Setting Goals

• Review past goals
  • As a group, evaluate the goals from past years.
  • Discuss what goals were successful and why.
  • Use them as a foundation for this year's goals.
• Determine what the group wishes to accomplish this year
  • Using the mission statement, decide as a group what you would like to do.
  • Decide how each goal will be achieved.
• Prioritize
• Create Action Plans
  • For each goal, decide what steps need to be taken to reach the goal.
  • Set timelines for each step.
  • Determine who is responsible for each step.
• Begin work to successfully complete each goal
• Evaluate the group's goals at the end of the year
  • Goals should be achievable, believable, controllable, desirable, evaluated, growth enhancing, measurable, prioritized, realistic, time-bound, understandable and valuable.

Meetings 101

In order to plan for the year, student organizations should plan meetings with members to review goals. The frequency of meetings will be determined by what the group hopes to accomplish in a given year. 

Here are a few helpful tips to running a successful meeting:

• Keep meetings short and productive by following an agenda.
• Publicize the agenda ahead of time using email or your organization’s website.
• Create an expectation that meetings start and end on time.
• Always introduce new members by name and welcome them.
• Keep group discussion on track.
• Personal issues should be addressed outside the meeting.
• Summarize tasks and individual assignments before adjourning.
• Set the date and time of your next meeting before adjourning.
• Post minutes on your website or send them via email to all group members, especially those not in attendance to keep everyone informed and on the same page.

Voting Methods and Types

As part of your ongoing business, you may need to hold votes on specific topics or issues. According to traditional Parlimentary Procedures procedures, there are several voting methods and types of votes that are used at specific times during the meeting. 

The following are voting methods you may choose to use to conduct business during your meetings:

• Acclamation: All those in agreement say "aye" and all those opposed say "nay".
• Show of hands: Count the number in agreement and the number opposed.
• Standing vote: All those in agreement stand.
• Secret ballot: Vote written on a slip of paper, collected and normally tallied by advisor or chief officer.
• Secret roll call ballot: Members sign the ballots. 
• Roll call: Members verbally respond one at a time.

In addition to determining the method your organization will use, you will want to determine the voting type. Examples include:

• Majority: More than half the number of votes.
• Two-thirds: 2/3 or more of votes.
• Tie vote: Chair makes tie-breaking vote.
• Plurality vote: Largest number of votes. 
• Unanimous: All votes.
• General consent: Chair assumes he/she has consent of members.

Working with an Advisor

In order to help the advisor understand your expectations of his or her role, your group should complete the advisor expectations worksheet at the beginning of the academic year. Once the members have given some thought to each question, share the information with the advisor and use it as a springboard for discussion.

At the end of the academic year, the advisor may appreciate feedback. The advisor manual includes a self-evaluation form. Your group may want to revisit the advisor expectations worksheet in order to provide your perspective on the advisor's performance the past year. Be sure to discuss the evaluation form first with the advisor. If you want it to be a useful tool, both parties should agree to it first.