Participating in an extracurricular club could be one of the highlights of your college experience. There’s an activity for everyone, whether you’re a head-of-the-class, perfect-GPA, volunteers-at-the-nursing-home-on-weekends type of student or a stay-out-late-on-Thursday, avoid-taking-classes-on-Friday-morning, in-it-for-personal-growth kind of student. That club can often connect you to a national network of like-minded organizations, individuals, and even potential employers. Employers today take a holistic view of potential employees when finding work. You’ll need to bring more than just academic excellence to the table. Employers look for students who have made the most of their college experience. To be clear, being crowned beer pong champion of your dorm does not count, even if it does impress your friends.
Prepare ahead of time by brainstorming ideas:
If you have the opportunity, brainstorm club ideas before the semester begins. This can be a significant time saver and stress reliever. To accomplish this, hold a Zoom meeting during the summer or winter break before the start of the semester. By brainstorming your ideas before time, you will better understand what your club has to offer and be able to persuade others to join. This will also save time in the future, allowing you to focus on your club events rather than worrying about what your next meeting will consist of. Members can tell whether a club planned something before time or if it was thrown together at the last minute.
Pay close attention to your team members:
While you may have a million different club ideas, not all of them may be popular with your members. Early on, try to vary your events so you can gauge which activities your members enjoy the most and use that feedback to shape your club’s offerings. Include as many members as possible, especially if your club is online. It will be more captivating and give them more to communicate about when other students and employers inquire about their club participation.
Don’t dismiss word-of-mouth marketing:
Executive board members must share their events with friends and classmates and post flyers about them. You can also see if your professors will share your flyers or let you speak about your more significant events during classes that are relevant to your club’s subject matter. If a student hears about your event from a friend rather than seeing it posted on the bulletin board, they are more likely to attend.
Take a cue from others:
Take note of the activities and actions of other clubs on your campus and clubs from other colleges that offer a similar experience. Strive to keep up with trends in the industry in which your club operates, as well as current events. Inspiration can strike at any time!
Change things up:
Whatever your club is, a slight change can be very refreshing. That’s not to say you have to drastically alter your activities, though you certainly could if you wanted to. However, there may be a way to improve how you carry out your original activities. For example, perhaps your club holds its fundraisers at the same restaurant each year. Consider having the event at a different restaurant. An annual event can be revitalized by simply changing its location.
Make it more than just a resume generator:
The executive board is the most critical aspect of a great college club. Whatever your club’s reputation is, the executive committee can maintain or change it. Be willing to put in the effort rather than simply listing the position on your CV. The best clubs prioritize their members and understand that their efforts will help keep the club running for years after their terms are over.
Maintain your organization:
When you’re on an executive board, you must keep track of many dates, times, and documents. Keep everything in one location where all members can access it. This will reduce confusion and allow you to find what you need when needed. I strongly advise using Google Calendar and Google Drive for your club’s organizational needs.
Prepare your checks and balances in advance:
While regular member meetings may not necessitate this, organizing a significant event involves many moving parts. Make sure you consult with all necessary parties well in advance. Each component takes time to complete, and the more time you give yourself, the better your results will be.
Don’t exhaust yourself:
While having a lot of ideas is excellent, club members also have midterms, finals, and holidays to attend to. Keep these dates in mind and try to avoid events during these times if possible. Your members will appreciate having that time to themselves. In addition, assess how everyone on the executive board is feeling. Do they appear to be exhausted? If yes, schedule a week with no events or meetings to give everyone a break. This can re-energize the board. A good way to rejuvenate the group could be to have a chill house session. For example if you stay in a student apartment in Manchester, you can have the group come over to bond, relax, share ideas, discuss lives etc!
Make a transition plan:
Being on an executive board provides a wealth of knowledge. You learn what works and doesn’t, the club’s challenges and opportunities, essential club requirements, and much more. If your club’s former executive board has to learn everything independently, they will undoubtedly miss out on opportunities and repeat past mistakes. To avoid this, have each former executive board member train the incoming board member for their position. This will be highly beneficial to the club and lead to tremendous success.
While this may appear to be a lot to remember, the basic idea is to put your people first. This includes both other members of the executive board and general club members. Everything else will fall into place if you consistently work to put them first!
College has a lot going on, and it depends on you where you want to put in your energy and grow, so choose wisely, make informed decisions and also don’t get very stressed things will automatically fall into place once you get the hang of it, plus don’t forget to to enjoy because these years wont come back!
