Last year I served as president of the Black Student Union Club, and learned a lot about being a club leader. It is not as scary it seems, trust me! A lot of these things I still need to work on, but hopefully you can learn a couple of new ideas from reading this :)
1. Partner up with other clubs for your events! You will be surprised at all the money that clubs are willing to give if you simply request it.
2. Incorporate bonding activities into meetings-- meetings are a lot less stressful if everyone is besties.
3. Invite people to your club face-to-face; it is a more personal method of communication, and ensures that they are held more accountable to attend meetings.
4. Be creative when thinking about advertising. People need to notice your unique advertisement in a sea of thousands.
5. Be different from your predecessor. You are a living, breathing human, and your club is essentially living as well. Different humans have different ideas--bring in your own original ideas and allow the club to transition accordingly.
6. If you truly believe in what you are doing, the rest will come naturally. Like Obama, you too will be able to say that you have done something amazing during your term.
7. Give club members jobs when putting on events AND check in with them throughout the week to make sure that they complete their assignments!
8. Ask members to invite their friends to "like" the club's Facebook page and mark their attendance for club events online.
9. Try to use your staff adviser! Their wisdom, staff connections, and unique perspective could be really beneficial to your club.
10. It will take a lot of time being a leader, but it is all worth it. TRUST ME.
11. Always try to find fun in what you are doing :D
13. Have lots of events and CO-SPONSOR WITH WEB. They help financially, logistically, and proportionally! There really is no loss!
14. Pick a comfortable spot to convene for meetings. How are people going to spill their guts and inner feelings if the location is not quiet and intimate?
15. Watch videos in meetings--they provide time when you do not have to talk. If you surf the infinite internet for long enough, you will be able to find a video relevant to your club.
16. Because you will do it so much, you should try to have fun while checking your email. If checking your email becomes fun, your life will improve drastically.
17. Show visible excitement towards new members so that they will feel sufficiently welcomed.
18. Bring food to meetings. Self-Explanatory.
19. Don't be brought down by your mistakes. All of today's most influential leaders have made mistakes, some big, some small. All that matters is that you grow from them.
20. Always aim for a racially diverse membership.
21. Music always lightens up the mood, and erases a common club leader's phobia: awkward silences.
22. Do not be scared of public speaking. Everyone has an automatic respect for you because you, my friend, are a leader.
