How to start a successful student organization

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How to Start Successful Student Organization

How to Gain Official Recognition (varies by school)

Each school will have different procedures to gain official recognition, but you will first need to contact the Office of Student Activities for your schools specific procedures.

What to Expect

Normally, schools will require an advisor who is a member of the university faculty or administration.
Complete a Student Organization Affiliation Form, including signatures
Have a membership composed of at least 50% students.
Provide a constitution (example attached).
Provide a petition signed by at least 10 students who indicate an interest in becoming a member of the student organization.
After submitting the necessary information, the organization will be notified of the decision by the Office of Student Activities.

Benefits of Recognition (varies by school)

Ability to request funding.
Free use of the publicity supplies. Most schools offer free use of supplies in their Office of Student Activities.
Ability to reserve rooms.
Ability to participate in the Activities Fairs, designed to introduce the many opportunities for involvement to new and returning students.
Ability to distribute flyers/mailbox stuffers to student mailboxes.
Listing in the Student Handbook and student organization directory, which are distributed to all new and returning students.
Listing on the school website.
Access to the programming resources available in Student Activities.

Maintaining Recognition (varies by school)

Complete a new Student Organization Affiliation Form listing new officers.
Provide a copy of a new constitution if any changes have been made during the year.
Provide an up-to-date roster of officers and members.

CONSTITUTION & BY-LAWS

Any organization needs to establish procedures in order to conduct business. A constitution and by-laws are an effective way of establishing these procedures. The constitution sets forth the general principles upon which an organization is established. The by-laws would contain in more detail, the procedures to be followed for meetings, decision-making, officer selection, and financial transactions.

Model Constitution

Preamble

State the purpose and aim of the organization. It shall be the purpose of (name) to (purpose).

Article I - Name

Section 1: The name of this organization shall be (provide complete official name, and any variations).

Article II - Membership

Section 1 - List all the qualifications, requirements, rights, duties, and all other conditions for Membership in the organization. All voting members must be registered students at Willamette University. Membership must be extended to all students without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, age, or physical or mental handicap.

Article III - Officers

Section 1 - The officers of this organization shall consist of: (state the number of officers, their titles, and their general duties and responsibilities).

Section 2 - Qualifications for each office, if any.

Section 3 - Term of office. (State the period of time that the office will be held).

Section 4 - Provisions for removal of an officer.

Article IV - Executive Council

Section 1 - State the make-up of the Executive Committee, Board of Directors, or Council; the method of selection; terms of office; and its general duties and responsibilities.

Article V - Elections

Section 1 - State the method and frequency of elections. Specify who is eligible to vote and all qualifications that members must meet before becoming candidates for office.

Article VI - Meetings

Section 1 - State the number of members required to be present at a meeting in order to conduct business; i.e., a quorum, which is usually a simple majority.

Section 2 - State by what rules of order or procedure the meetings shall be conducted.

Article VII - Advisors

Section 1 - There shall be a faculty/staff advisor who shall be an ex-officio member with no voting privileges.

Section 2 - Method of selecting an advisor, and their duties or responsibilities.

Article VIII - Amendment

Section 1 - The procedure for amendments, include any requirements for the form or manner in which the amendment is written. Specify the margin of votes needed for passage.

Model By-Laws

Meetings: Stipulate the frequency of meetings, possibly the day of the week, time and location.

Officers: List any additional duties or responsibilities assigned to officers.

Committees: Name any standing committees and the method to be used for selecting chair people and committee members. State the duties and responsibilities of these committees.

Financial: Provide for initiation fees, dues and other assessments (if any). Consider provisions for allocating funds, accounting procedures, etc.

Elections: State all of the election rules and procedures not already covered in the constitution. Be sure to include procedures for filling vacancies and procedures for voting.

Amendment of By-Laws: Stipulate the method for amending the by-laws. The requirements for amending the by-laws should not be as great as those for amending the constitution.

ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

BRAINSTORMING

Is your group stumped for new ideas? Do you do the same activities the same old way, year after year? Do the leaders and maybe a few others do all the talking?

Brainstorming may just be the technique to rejuvenate your organization and get everyone excited and involved. The purpose of this method is to get out as many ideas as possible. The more you have to choose from, the better your final choice will be.

Set the Stage

Set a time limit. The time limit should depend on the size of your group. Try 10 minutes for small groups and 20 minutes for larger groups.
The best group size is 3 - 15 people. If you have more, break into two or more groups and brainstorm simultaneously.
The question or issue must be one to which all participants can speak. Focus on only one issue.
Record all of the responses on a blackboard or big sheet of paper so everyone can see them. Do not record the name of the person suggesting. Record only key words and phrases, not word for word.

Explain the Following Rules

Do not discuss ideas
Do not criticize, praise, or judge
Be spontaneous, no hand-raising, just call out
Repetitions are okay
Quantity counts
Build on each other's ideas, "hitchhiking" or "piggybacking" is encouraged
Enjoy the silences, often the best ideas come out of them
It is okay to be outrageous, even silly

Make Good Use of Your member's Creativity

If several groups brainstormed the same idea, put the lists on the wall and let everyone read each other's work. Group ideas into related categories for review.
Decide which ideas are most promising and which can be eliminated.
Rank the remaining ideas in order of most promising.
Select those with the greatest potential and high-ranking priority for either implementation or refinement by your organization.
Be sure to utilize the ideas generated. It is extremely demoralizing for a group to invest its time, energy and creativity and have its ideas disappear. Seeing your idea come to fruition, however, is extremely rewarding.

BUDGET BASICS

A budget is a tool used for planning and controlling organizational financial resources. A budget does not have to be complex! Your club or organization will need a budget to request funds from any source, whether it is on campus or not.

What a Budget Accomplishes

It helps to refine goals.
It compels members of the organization to use funds efficiently and effectively.
It provides information to analyze, adjust, and evaluate programs and activities.
It provides a historical reference to be used for future planning.

Knowing your organization's priorities, objectives, and goals aids you in preparing your budget. As you begin, ask yourself the following questions:

What is the time period with which you are working (e.g., one semester, academic year)?
What does your group most want to accomplish?
How much will it cost?
Where is the money coming from?
Once these questions are answered, you are ready to begin preparing your budget.

Preparing your Budget

Prepare an outline of the organization's planned future activities.

Determine and record available funds (e.g. carry over balance from previous year, newly allocated monies, etc.)
Estimate and record expected income and when it will be available (dues, t-shirts and other merchandise sales, fundraisers, etc.)
Define and record needed expenses (advertising, rentals, printing, supplies, etc.)
Review, revise, and then assemble into a final budget.
Have members vote or reach some type of consensus for budget approval.
And remember!...a budget needs to be flexible enough to anticipate unexpected expenses.

EFFECTIVE MEETING STRATEGIES

Do you dread attending meetings because they are dull, unproductive, disorganized and too long? With proper planning and preparation, any meeting can be effective and enjoyable.

Several Functions of Meetings

Gives members a chance to discuss and evaluate goals and objectives.
Keeps members updated on current events.
Provides a chance to communicate and keep the group cohesive.
Allows the group to pull resources together for decision making.

If the facilitator starts with a careful plan and finishes with a thorough follow-up, the meeting will "run smoothly". The following are some tips to help you make your next meeting successful, productive and fun.

BEFORE THE MEETING

Define the purpose(s) of the meeting with an agenda.
Sample Agenda
1. Call to Order
2. Approval of Agenda, any additions or retractions
3. Correction and Approval of Minutes (if taken and distributed)
4. Announcements
5. Treasurer's Report
6. Committee Reports
7. Unfinished Business
8. New Business
9. Special Issues/Concerns
10. Adjournment
Distribute the agenda (e-mail works well) and background material (articles, reviews) that must be read before the meeting.
Set a reasonable meeting time limit, given the amount of material on the agenda.
Reserve a room to meet in.

Other Issues to Consider

Size�Not too small to recognize each members' personal space.
Arrangement�Chairs in a circle, semi-circle or U-shape allow for easy sight of all members and all will feel included.
Variety�meet in different places (not every week though) to keep their attention and accommodate different members.
Posters, diagrams, or even a dry erase board to display important points or decisions are all examples of easy and productive visual aids.

DURING THE MEETING Attitude

Greet members and make them feel welcome, even late members when appropriate.
As a leader, be a role model; listen, show interest, appreciation, and confidence in members. Admit mistakes. Do not hold side conversations or pass notes during the meeting.

Atmosphere

Serve light refreshments when possible, they are good icebreakers and make members feel special and comfortable.
Encourage group discussion and feedback on all discussion topics. You will have better quality decisions as well as highly motivated members as they shape the activities and the committee.
Keep conversation focused. Tactfully end discussions when they are unproductive or becoming destructive.

Agenda

Start on time and end on time.
Review the agenda and stick to the agenda.
Appoint someone to keep minutes of the meetings for future reference.

Accomplishment
Summarize agreements reached and end the meeting on a positive note by asking members to express things they felt were good or successful.

Adjournment
Set a date, time and place for the next meeting.

AFTER THE MEETING

Assessment

Write up and distribute minutes by the next day. Quick action reinforces the importance of the meeting and reduces errors of memory.
Discuss any problems during the meeting with other officers, come up with solutions and implement them at the next meeting.
Follow-up on delegated tasks. See that all members understand and fulfill their responsibilities.
Give recognition and appreciation to excellent and timely progress.
Put unfinished business on the agenda for the next meeting.
Conduct periodic evaluations of the meetings, either secretively or publicly. (See Meeting Assessment Checklist).

MEETING ASSESSMENT CHECKLIST

All meetings need to have periodic evaluations. Use this checklist to aid you and your members in the evaluation process. Use the following rating process:

1 - Poor 2 - Okay 3 - Good 4 - Great 5 - N/A

	TOPIC	RATING (circle one)
Meeting was Properly Planned
1.	Members were notified in advance of the meeting and location	1 2 3 4 5
2.	There was a pre-arranged agenda	1 2 3 4 5
3.	Officers and committees were ready to report	1 2 3 4 5

The Meeting was Organized
1.	The meeting started on time	1 2 3 4 5
2.	Guests were introduced and welcomed	1 2 3 4 5
3.	Agendas were available for all members	1 2 3 4 5
4.	The purposes for the meeting were made clear	1 2 3 4 5
5.	There was a transition from the last meeting	1 2 3 4 5
6.	One topic was discussed at a time	1 2 3 4 5
7.	One person has the floor at a time	1 2 3 4 5
8.	Discussion was relevant	1 2 3 4 5
9.	Chairperson summarized the main points of the discussion	1 2 3 4 5
10.	The meeting moved along at a movable pace	1 2 3 4 5
11.	Committee assignments were complete and clear	1 2 3 4 5
12.	Plans for the next meeting were announced	1 2 3 4 5
13.	All that was planned for the meeting was covered	1 2 3 4 5

Participation in the Meeting
1.	Members participated in discussion and voting	1 2 3 4 5
2.	The chairperson made good use of questions	1 2 3 4 5
3.	The pros and cons of all issues were considered	1 2 3 4 5
4.	Members gave suggestions to committees	1 2 3 4 5
5.	Responsibilities were evenly distributed	1 2 3 4 5
6.	Members participated in planning the agenda for the next meeting	1 2 3 4 5

The Value of the Meeting
1.	Progress was made toward goals	1 2 3 4 5
2.	Something was learned	1 2 3 4 5

Attitude of the Meeting
1.	Attendance was good	1 2 3 4 5
2.	Everyone present was on time	1 2 3 4 5
3.	Members knew one another	1 2 3 4 5
4.	There was a "warm up" period before the meeting	1 2 3 4 5
5.	There was some humor during the meeting	1 2 3 4 5
6.	Members and officers helped one another when needed	1 2 3 4 5
7.	There was an atmosphere of free expression	1 2 3 4 5

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world:

indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. --Margaret Mead


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