Archive:Exec report - Membership Chair 2008 - 2009

Membership Chair: Sarah Long

First day of classes: Main Event Carnival

You will get e-mails about this over the summer. Create a wiki page/post on the message board a week or two in advance and get people to sign up and help you man the booth. Also you need execs to sign up for clubroom duty. You can’t officially sell memberships at the booth, but you can send people to the clubroom to sign up if they’re really keen. Before the event print out A LOT of VOC info pamphlets. Get stuff to decorate the booth- gear, the big poster, attractive members in their VOC t-shirts, journals, songbooks, etc.

The e-mails I received before the event had some questions. Here’s what I wrote: Describe your club/service. Why do you feel it is relevant to new and returning students? The Varsity Outdoor Club is a member-run student club with members interested in hiking, camping, climbing, mountaineering, kayaking, mountain biking, skiing, canoeing, and many more outdoor activities. As a member of the VOC, you will gain access to free gear rental, instructional schools, outdoor trips, and a vibrant social scene.

September 17th - 19th: Clubs Days

Try to secure a good booth location (next to the front doors on the main level) in advance. Disclaimer: I don’t know how AMS will be allocating booths next year; this year we were randomly assigned to an out-of-the-way spot upstairs, and couldn’t convince them to move us. (If this happens to you, it’s not the end of the world, although you’ll have to put in extra work to get membership numbers up to where they need to be.) Prior to Clubs Days, create a wiki page/post on the message board and get people to sign up and help you man the booth. I also put up posters (I can give you the one I designed) around campus. Make sure you have enough fliers, membership forms, membership cards, a moneybox, and change. Again, gather props that make the booth look snazzy. Having a poster with a list of upcoming trips is a good idea. You’ll also be selling Longhike tickets, so have some fliers explaining/advertising Longhike.

During/After Clubs Days

Enter all the membership forms into the computer as soon as you can! Go to the clubroom a few days a week at lunch to help people sign up and to check your mailbox for new forms. Promptly and cheerfully answer the many e-mails you will receive regarding membership stuff. Organize one trip per term. Since you’re trying to get new members involved, it would be particularly awesome if the trips you lead are super beginner friendly and early in the term. This year, we also had an info/orientation night for new members in early October. There will probably be some other random opportunities to promote the club and sign up new members- in late September there was a mini Clubs Fair at Place Vanier, and in early January we had a table at an Arts-organized Food Fair.

Budget

I spent a bit of money (around $60?) photocopying pamphlets and posters.