PRESIDENT'S TOOLKIT
Table of Contents
Who is EWB? Why Might Starting a Chapter Be Right for Me?
How Do I Start a Chapter?
What Can We Accomplish in a Year At EWB?
How Do I Keep My
Chapter Going?
Chapter Operation
Resources
Recruitment Resources
It is very rare that you can grow your chapter without actually putting your team out there - having a presence at core campus events such as Orientation Week, classroom visits, and club fairs is essential if you want to keep your chapter alive and to recruit more members beyond your immediate group of friends. Having a good relationship with your student union or association, as well as your faculty’s deans, will be a good way to ensure you never miss any of these key events.
Check out a couple of key resources for promoting and strategizing around your chapter’s recruitment here:
Partnership development is essential if you are hoping to expand your chapter’s reach, both in audience size and in fundraising potential. When considering other clubs and businesses to collaborate with, start by asking yourself, do our values align? Who are the clubs that are raising awareness around similar causes on your campus, and which brands are sponsoring them?
You can also check out this great resource (Coming Soon!) developed by Community DT members to learn more about trading volunteer hours with local organizations in exchange for keynote speakers! Stay tuned for more resources on partnership-building as we continue to collect best practices documents from members of our community!
Grant & Sponsorship Outreach
Many of the most successful recurring chapter events are possible because of one member’s outstanding work to seek out and connect with local businesses or grant opportunities available directly on campus. This member could be you for your chapter! In the summer, when you have plenty of time for planning and aren’t stressed by the pressure of a quick turnaround, take a look at the different grants and funding opportunities available on your campus. Keep an eye out for opportunities through different newsletters and networks (the OCIC and Tamarack Institute are two examples of great resource newsletters), and check the #opportunities channel on the EWB Community Discord server for new resources.
Additionally, you can proactively seek out new funding opportunities by reaching out to local businesses and organizations with a strong pitch and clear ask. You can brainstorm which companies you already have loose connections with by doing a resource and stakeholder mapping exercise. This simple exercise includes prompts that will help your members to think strategically about who they know and who they can easily build stronger connections with.
Here are a few other templates and resources to get you started:
Event Hosting Resources
Without question, one of the most powerful aspects of EWB’s chapter network is the ability of individual chapters to engage with their members and the general public. With this in mind, chapters that experience the most success in their engagement activities are those that are intentional and organized in designing events and activities for their team, chapter members, and their external audiences. Consider the various audiences your chapter engages with. When designing your engagement activities for the year, it’s important to tailor them to fit the needs and level of commitment and engagement of the various constituents.
Most of the technical information that you will need for creating an Eventbrite event through your chapter can be found here, and you can also refer to this Safe and Inclusive Events checklist to ensure that your event provides a meeting space that is as accessible and inclusive as possible.