Wisconsin DECA Direct

It’s one thing to have a large chapter but a whole other struggle is to get members involved. So, how do you reach members and persuade them to attend events? Appleton East DECA aimed to increase chapter involvement among its members this year. Through trial and error, they curated a six-step guide to ensure increased member involvement. 

The Pitch:

Before a chapter can host an event, they must have members attend these events. Intriguing students is the first step in increasing involvement. When pitching DECA to new students, ensure you perfect the elevator pitch. This should include a quick minute speech about what DECA is and what is exciting and unique about your chapter. Try to emphasize the flexibility of DECA and let interested students know that DECA is not a requirement and that they can attend events that work for them! This aims to prevent fear in new members who think DECA may be too big of a commitment for them. 

Approachability: 

Be Approachable! Although this is listed as a step, it should be conducted throughout the entire school year. New members, underclassmen, or even current members may be nervous to ask questions or approach leadership members or officers; being approachable can help combat this issue. A simple smile is a great way to show members that you’re not scary and are there to help! Additional ways to ensure your officers and leadership team are approachable is by creating fun introduction videos for your social media or sparking a conversation to help members feel more comfortable.

Enticing Events:

Now, it’s time to start planning the events for your chapter. These could be practice competition events, community service opportunities, or a social outing for your chapter. One of the best ways to ensure members are interested in your events is by creating enticing events. Offer a fun experience for members at a local business or offer some free food; regardless of what you plan, try to find what will get your members excited to attend.

Promotion: 

Once you’ve figured out a fun activity for your chapter, remember to promote it. Promotions should start from 1 month to 2 weeks before the event to allow time for members to clear their schedule/ask off of work for the event. Posting on your chapter’s social media, talking to members in the hall, hanging up posters, and reminding members at meetings are great ways to let members know about upcoming events. Remember to create interesting content for members that will make them pause from scrolling and look at your post. Furthermore, having members repost your promotional images is a great way to reach a broader audience.

Attendance:

Don’t forget to take attendance at your event. This data can be used to tell you if your process is working. Your chapter can use this information as a benchmark to try to increase the number of attendees at each event. It’s recommended to keep attendance for all events your chapter hosts in an Excel/Google sheet and any factors that may affect attendance, such as a holiday, a school dance, or weather. By monitoring attendance, your chapter can better understand what works best for your chapter in the hosting and promoting process of your events.

Feedback:

The last step in increasing your chapter’s involvement is receiving feedback. Feedback is crucial in any situation because improvements can always be made. Feel free to ask members questions about their experience at your events and record your own opinions about the event. Anonymous feedback is a great way to promote honest comments from respondents because they don’t need to sugarcoat their responses. Don’t feel discouraged if you receive some negative feedback; this can be used as constructive criticism and can help your chapter improve your event and promotion process for the future! Remember, nothing will ever be perfect, and this process may have many ups and downs. The best thing to do is to continue hosting events and improving your process to find what works best for your chapter!

You got this!