At Incoming Leader you learned about your personal strengths, your region, and your role. You came together as regions to build an action plan and identify three or four key goals you want to accomplish together this year. You built not only a foundation for success for your region; you also built a foundation of success for yourself by learning how you can be a better leader through focusing on your strengths. Now, you may be wondering where to go next and how you will begin executing your goals. As you return to campus this week you will want to focus on two things, recruitment and on breaking down your goals and prioritizing the tactics you laid out.
First up, recruitment. You can’ t run a campaign and execute the goals you laid out without a team. That is why recruitment is so crucial. We also have to recruit because we cannot be truly representative without having students from all over campus, from different backgrounds, and that have lived different life experiences, on our team. Plus every senate could use a few more members, right? The key thing to remember when recruiting students is that students want to join movements, not organizations. They want to know that what they are doing is making a difference in their community. So instead of asking students to join senate right away, ask them to volunteer on one of the campaigns you are working on like Open Education Resources, Save TRIO, Equity, or Get Out the Vote. Think of recruitment like dating. Would you ask someone to marry you on the first date? Of course not! So don’t ask someone to join senate the first time you meet them.
Recruitment steps
Table & ask them to get involved!
Have a volunteer interest form and ask them to circle the campaign they want to work on & be sure to get a cell phone number so you can follow up with them via text! You can also use a LeadMN campaign pledge form.
Text them and invite them to volunteer!
Ask them if they can table with you, do a class rap with you, or ask if they want meet up with you and grab coffee to get to know them & learn more about the campaign.
Get to know them.
When they come out to volunteer, ask them questions and build the relationship.
Invite them to their first senate meeting.
Once you know them and they are invested in a campaign, invite them to their first senate meeting! But, be sure to greet them, introduce them to folks and make them feel welcome.
Now you know the steps to recruitment. This is how you should begin breaking down your goals and prioritizing the tactics you laid out for your regions at Incoming Leader. The first step is to review the plan you made and prioritize the tactics you laid out. What do you want to do first? Don’t start out and think you have to accomplish the whole plan in day one, but instead chunk it out and give each tactic a time frame for accomplishment. For example, if your first goal was Save TRIO, you may start by scheduling a tabling event during the first week of the semester to tell students about the issue and invite them to get involved. As you continue to execute your action plans, feel free to reach out to LeadMN staff and cabinet members. We are here to guide and help you as you accomplish your goals!
You have the skills you need for a successful year! Chunk out your plan and start small. Remember, recruitment doesn’t have to be separate from the campaigns you are working on—it is part of them. Finally, utilize the team you have here to support you. Your regional leaders, LeadMN staff and cabinet are here to support you! Let’s rock this year together and we can’t wait to see you all at the September Student Leadership Conference!