Rebuilding a chapter from the ground up

1. Rebuilding a chapter from the ground up University of Colorado, Colorado Springs President - Timothy Little Vice-President - Donghee Kim Public Affairs Officer - Matthew Feigenbaum Treasurer - Austin Blewer 1

2. Hiring a VA work study • Schools can hire 1 for every 100 veterans. • Create a veteran oriented job description. • School certifying official and job supervisor. • Download the VA Work Study Handbook. 1

3. Rebranding • Create an inclusive recognizable brand for your chapter. • Put your brand on everything, T-shirts, keychains, etc. • Recognizability. 1

4. Tabling • As often as possible for your chapter and schedule. • Actively engage as many students as possible. • Display your brand and inform them of meetings and events. 1

5. Events • Events should be as often as you can support. • Make them widely variable for our diverse veteran culture. • Link with other event sponsors to reduce your responsibilities. 1

6. Building a leadership team • Find highly motivated students who can dedicate the time. • Other veteran employees are good but can be a double edged sword. • Prepare for turnover. 1

7. Creating a daily, weekly and monthly checklist • The tasks that will need completed can be hard to track so create checklists, not just for yourself but those who will take over after you. 1

8. Communication • Have clear guidelines for communication. • Between leadership, members, school, and community. 2

9. 2 way daily communication with leadership • Everyone needs to stay on the same page. • Increases ability of individuals in leadership roles. • Implement a chain of command. 2

10. Weekly outreach to all your members • Create an email list. • Keep members updated and make sure they know you’re an active club. • Inform members of opportunities at school and within your community. 2

11. Tailored bi monthly outreach to active members • Send more personalized updates to your active members. • This helps ensure continues participation of members. 2

12. Set regular meetings • Have a leadership meeting once monthly. • Have a full club meeting once monthly separately from leadership. • This separates administrative work from club activities. 2

13. Utilize social media • Shows club activity, both at school and in the community. • Can be a communication tool for other clubs and organizations. • Is another way of keeping everyone updated on club activities. • Can be used for event signups and RSVPs. 2

14. Ask for feedback from your members • Have an open door policy for all members. • Have a suggestion box. • Helps your club grow and progress. 2

15. Organizational Outreach • It is important to create partnerships outside in your community. • Both internal to your school and external. • Look for places that are military friendly. • Places that are already frequented by your members are a good place to start. 3

16. Student government • Your student government is your link to the school, everything works through them. • As such you should create a strong working relationship with them. • There are many resources available through your student government. 3

17. Other school clubs and organizations • Attend other club events, use them to network and for ideas towards events you can run. • Partner with other clubs to broaden your support base, our membership includes leadership from organizations like Team Rubicon, Team RWB, eSports Club. • This includes using school locations such as any social spaces or school restaurants for social gatherings and to host events. 3

18. Local veteran service organizations • Local veteran service organizations are an invaluable asset to your chapter and school. • Many of these organizations have work study opportunities and are very capable of helping veterans in many ways. • If your school does not have a relationship with one of these organizations already, you as the SVO chapter can help create that relationship. 3

19. Local volunteer organizations/non profits • Make sure to give back to your community. • Give time to organizations like Care and Share or Habitat for Humanity. • Setup a regular monthly volunteer event. 3

20. Local businesses • Many businesses support the military and veteran community, returning that support is a good way to build relationships. • These partnerships can be used to host and support your events. 3

21. Near by military installations • Use the resources available to you. • The military installations in your area can provide your chapter with access to activities as well as discounted rates for some things. 3

22. Available school funding • Funding available by student government. • Maximum amounts. • Requirements/regulations. • Request funding on time. 4

23. President’sfunding • Helps fund diversity and inclusiveness. • Will only pay half of the funding. • After action review. 4

24. 501(c)3 • What is 501(c)3. • Is 501(c)3 the only way to receive tax free status? • How to use it. 4

25. Grants • SVA chapter grants. • Library search for grants. • Find a grant writing advisor. 4

26. Community fundraising • Brainstorm. • Crowd funding. • Business outreach. • Coordinate with community businesses for events. • Have fun! (CAH) 4

27. Membership dues • Understand potential negatives. • Keep it small. • Yearly vs semester vs events. 4

28. Lessons learned • Communication missteps and maintaining your clubs independence. • Know your constitution and what you can and cannot do. • Social gatherings vs meetings. • Handling adversity. (Anti Veteran Flyer)

29. Discussion