Proposal-20130816-VPAD-01
- Council Member Name: Sarah Cantwell
- Council Position: VPAD
- Proposal Number: 20130807-VPAD-01
- Objectives: Dialogue and Collaboration 3.0; Leadership Development & Opportunity 15.0, 16.0
- Cost: None
Additional Pertinent Information:
Phi Sigma Pi has a robust and diverse pool of Alumni with expertise in various fields. From PR/Media to Accounting/Finance, our Alumni base is a wealth of knowledge that has primarily remained un-tapped. Topics may include, but are not limited to:
- The Power of the Media and PR – Getting positive coverage for your chapter & your events
- Planning A Successful Event – Tips & tools from the experts
- How To Build A Budget – Chapter & event budgeting 101
- Dollars & Sense – How to launch a SMART fundraising campaign
There are two anticipated deliverables from this project:
- A well-developed, thorough best practices guide on the topic of choice. Guides will be rooted in the real experience and expertise provided by our Alumni, and will be presented in written, but may include video enhancements or examples.
- A new pool of engaged Alumni – expanding our existing Alumni base to include Brothers that may have moved away from active engagement with the Fraternity. This pool will be the basis of a new Alumni Volunteer Corp, which can serve in an advisory capacity for Chapters and/or Brothers in need. Alumni who participate have the potential to be engaged for future leadership and career development sessions at National Convention, Regional Conferences and individual Chapter-based initiatives (proposal forthcoming).
If this project is effective, future program development should be considered around a possible career-mentoring program that can run in tandem with the Professional Networks. Alumni Brothers in various fields could act as career counselors – providing advice and recommendations for Brothers looking to engage in their field of expertise.
Project Activation
There are four phases to this project:
Phase I: Framing the Conversation
Self-Identifying Alumni (through Facebook, NDC, Twitter, etc), will be asked to participate in a google-hangout to brainstorm effective ways of communicating best practices for Collegiate Chapters. The VPAD will steer the conversation so that tasks (i.e. writing material, pulling resources together, recording videos) are assigned to individual participant(s). She will then compile and present to Council for final approval prior to moving on to a new topic.
Phase II: Drafting and Editing
Alumni who wish to continue with the project will help draft content for each guide. Each guide will follow a basic outline (Introduction, Topic Best Practices, Chapter Implementation; Tips & Tools, Finding a Career in XYZ, Useful Resources and Alumni Contacts).
Phase III: Evaluation & Feedback
Phase three will be used to ensure all elements are captured on a particular topic. The VPAD hopes to utilize members of the NDC to review and evaluate the usefulness of each guide. Any feedback received will be managed by the VPAD and communicated to the project volunteers.
Phase IV: Guide Roll-out
The Guide should be made available electronically on the Wiki as well as on the National Website. If possible, the Guides should be promoted by Chapter Consultants and shared via e-mail communication from the National Office.
Timeline
In an effort to strategically launch this initiative, the goal is to test the success of this program by first tackling the topic of PR/Media Relations in the Fall of 2013. Using lessons learned from this project, the VPAD envisions launching subsequent topics over the course of this term, with the ultimate goal of four strong tools created by PSPNC14.
- August – September: PR & Media
- September – October: Event Planning
- October – November: Budgeting
- November – December: Fundraising
