Team and Committment

A sense of team is probably one of the most important components in a non-profit besides the passion for the cause you are helping. People don't necessarily commit themselves to an organization, they really commit themselves to the people who are a part of the organization. I think a lot of people forget this sometimes, which ultimately leads to team dysfunction. For example, if Bob has a general sense of commitment to "XYZ" organization but not to the people of the organization, who is he really accountable to?

When it comes to accountability, this also plays a role. People don't feel accountable to "XYZ" organization, they feel accountable to the people in the organization. If there isn't a sense of team and a relationship between the members, there is little accountability. This is a recipe for a organization to fall apart.

Never underestimate the importance of team building. It should be the foundation of all organizations. Without a sense of team, an organization cannot properly function.

Ideas for Teambuilding/Accountability

• Plan functions/outings/socials for members that are only for social purposes.
• Encourage all members to get to know one another. Remember to lead by example.
• Have an open discussion about accountability. Have members decide what accountability means to them and have them contribute specific examples of what is not acceptable or acceptable behavior up front. Have members create a contract that they sign themselves.
• Take the time to personally speak with each member to show them that they are important to you and that you care about them.

Happy Valentine's Day!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick M. Lencioni is a great book for any member of any kid of team to read. I highly recommend it. It's fun, interesting, and clear to read.


Here's an article that the author of the book co-wrote about teams.

Drinking the Kool-aid

One of the goals to achieve in a non-profit student organization is to have members "bought-in" to what you are doing. Meaning, they sincerely feel that the organization matters and are passionate about it. This, in cults, is called "drinking the kool-aid."

Last year, HERO exec "bought into" the idea that it was possible to raise $306,000 as crazy as the number was because the year before it raised $75,000. HERO exec drank the kool-aid and passed the punch bowl around all year last year and guess what? The organization raised a little over $306,000.

The act of drinking the kool-aid is just as important as passing the punch bowl and getting others to drink the kool-aid. It's about being passionate and having that passion rub off on others. This perpetuates people to actively contribute to the organization, which translates to success. In the process, it also creates a "cult-like" culture of the organization, which is a good thing. It makes people feel like they belong. If the entire organization drank the kool-aid and passed the punch bowl to to the entire campus, think of all that can be achieved?

Strategy

One major PR issue that UGA HEROs has is that people don't actually know what purpose it serves and the need for it. Although UGA HEROs has extremely high name recognition on campus, our growth is being hindered by the lack on of communication on our part to explain to the community what HERO is. If more people understood the mission of our organization and the need for it, participation would increase and the organization, as a whole, will grow.

Once I have selected a committee, the first plan of action is to create a unified and simple message that is easy to understand and easy to spread around campus. I am planning on making a facts sheet that all executive council and committee members (all 250 of them) must memorize and understand. This way our message is clear, concise, and consistent.

Also, I'm brainstorming a way to communicate this to campus. I'm thinking some type of publicity stunt or something crazy that everyone will have to pay attention to.

Committee Recruitment

This past week has been committee recruitment, meaning we are recruiting people to apply to be on a committee in our organization.

We (meaning executive council) have found that the best way to recruit students is to speak to them in their classes. The key is to place an emphasis of how a certain committee fits into their major. For example, I went and spoke to the Introduction to Public Relations class and placed an emphasis on the public relations committee within the organization. This gives students 2 incentives to join : 1) A worthy cause and 2) A chance to have a hands-on experience related to their major area of study.

We also utilized listservs, making sure to send a personalized e-mail to last years' committee members thanking them for their previous work and encouraging them to reapply this year.

We also utilized our website by posting information as well as the actual application that is downloadable. In addition, we created a facebook event and invited thousands of students as well as posted 100 flyers on campus.

For promotions, we rented out the plaza at the student center and handed out about 5,000 small flyers. Executive members were there speaking to interested students about the organization and answer questions. We call this "Tate Promotions" after the name of the student center. It's a great way to have face-to-face communication with various students and to make the organization available to students. We have a Mark Richt (our head football coach) life-size cardboard cut out, various signs and posters, and music that includes the word "hero," such as I Need a Hero, There Goes My Hero, I Can Be Your Hero Baby, etc. and popular hip-hop songs to keep the atmosphere interesting and exciting.

In addition, we hosted 2 information sessions that were mentioned on our communications. They were run by our Co-Executive Directors and our Campus Relations chair.

Purpose

The purpose of this blog is to learn and share the knowledge I gain along the way of heading up PR for a non-profit student organization at the University of Georgia.

What I will really be doing is a combination of PR, promotions, marketing, and advertising. Fundraising is also a large part of our organization. There is a PR/Marketing committee that will help support and execute communications.

The organization I am promoting is UGA HEROs. UGA HEROs supports HERO for Children Inc., which provides quality of life care to children in the state of Georgia affected by HIV/AIDS. UGA HEROs is 4 years old and growing. UGA HEROs raised $306,000+ in 2007 and was also named Organization of the Year at the University of Georgia. In fall of 2007, 12,000 students were involved, making it the largest student organization on campus, as well as the largest philanthropy in the southeast.

Hopefully, this blog can help other college students promote their non-profit student organization and serve as a record for future committee heads.