How to Start a Chapter
From Ni Wiki
How to Start a Chapter will get you started with initial outreach & planning as you set up your first general interest meeting & begin planning for ventures.
Contents |
Why do you want to start a chapter?
Everyone has their own reasons for wanting to start a chapter of Nourish International. For some it's the opportunity to lead summer projects. For others its a means of exploring their entrepreneurial ambitions. Being the founding member of a chapter of Nourish International is a invaluable leadership opportunity but it's one that requires extraordinary dedication and hard work. In order to succeed, you must know what drives you. When things get tough, you need to be able to clearly explain why you want to start a chapter and why you want to make an impact on the world. If your desire to start a chapter is rooted in something deep, you'll be able to weather the occasional storm and stand as a beacon of inspiration for your whole team. Staying strong when the going gets tough is what leadership is all about.
General Interest Meeting
Building Interest
You've decided to answer the challenge. You want to start a chapter of Nourish International. Now what do you do? Well, your next step will be to hold a general interest meeting to get the word out about Nourish. Ideally, you'll already have a couple of people whom you know are interested. If not, find a couple people to help you out with publicizing & setting up for the interest meeting. Starting early is a must since people begin to make commitments early on in the school year.
How does one build up interest for a general interest meeting? Simply follow any or all of the strategies outlined in the Sales & Marketing article with a special focus on direct solicitation and classroom presentations.
The Meeting
Introduction/Welcome – 15 minutes
- Who we are/our mission: explanation of NI history and our goals, as well as describing the student-driven aspect of our structure
- How we do it: brief explanation of Venture-Project format, noting the difference between seeking charity and providing goods and services to fund our efforts
- Summer Project presentation: slideshow/documentary to accompany description of our previous projects
Committee Explanation and Interest Assessment – 15-30 minutes
- Break into equal groups, each group being directed to a short presentation of the various committees and the tasks/opportunities involved in each
- Rotate until all groups have seen all the committees
- Pass out Interest Assessment cards to collect name, email address (very important), phone number, major, year in school, and in which committees each student would be interested in participating
Reconvene and Close the Meeting – 3 minutes
- Thank everyone for coming and let them know they will be contacted about upcoming committee meetings
- Encourage them to attend/participate in/volunteer at upcoming Ventures (always be promoting!)
- Let everyone know that the NI members will remain for 30-45 minutes to answer questions, explain more about the program, or to just hang out
Important: At this point, students will engage in conversation with themselves and with us. It is important not to discourage this by ushering everyone out of the room at the “end” of the meeting. By showing them that we’re willing to answer questions if they like or just hang around and chat, we’re demonstrating what makes us different from all the other organizations that want their membership too. Remember, we stand out from every other organization because a) we are a completely student-led and -driven international movement and b) we form great relationships with everyone we work with.
Official Recognition
The process of becoming an officially recognized student group varies from university to university. Some universities require officers beforehand and force you to jump through a endless hoops and others don't require much of anything. One of the first items of business before you hold your first general interest meeting will be to find out exactly what your university requires. This allows for you to plan ahead of time and gives you the security of knowing what you have to do and by when. If you've had experience dealing with the student organization bureaucracy before then you're certainly on strong footing.
At many universities becoming an official student group is more than just a formality. Without official recognition you may not be able to reserve rooms for meetings & space to host ventures. Universities are also notoriously hostile to anything that carries risk so becoming an officially recognized student group is usually a prerequisite for serving food & holding your first Hunger Lunch.
It is important to also research your universities policy on food early on. This will save you a lot of heartache and headache as you decide on what to do for your first venture. Sometimes the administration will set up enough hurdles that holding a first Hunger Lunch will be a long term goal and you'll want to start with something else.
Since each school is different this section is less helpful than it could have been if there was one standardized process. If you ever need help with this feel free to contact the national office with your particular situation.
Your First Venture
Getting your chapter off the ground means getting members & making money. Since getting members is a means to the end of running ventures making money for projects your next steps after the general interest meeting will be to:
- Set up your Chapter Structure & elect officers
- Have your first Hunger Lunch
