Officer Transition Workshop Chris Rindosh

Purpose of this workshop Help organizations set themselves up for a successful next year Not making your next set of officers start over from square one Collecting/imparting important organization documents from one executive board to the next Encourage a meeting between incoming/outgoing officers to discuss transition (and a framework for that conversation) Building confidence of current members to take on leadership roles

Five Critical Steps for ensuring a successful transition Identifying potential leaders Encouraging those students Giving them the tools to succeed Having a successful election Remaining a resource throughout the transition process

Identifying Potential Leaders What are the qualities you would look for in someone trying to take over your position when you leave? Identifying Potential Leaders

Encouragement Plan A: Make it known well in advance that you want the organization to succeed after you are gone Tell members early in the semester to start thinking about if they would be interested in stepping up Plan B: Approach members early Express your confidence in them Having someone believe in you Get them connected Projects/Events Building a personal relationship Take them out to lunch Make sure this is something that THEY want

A word of caution… The person you want to take on the position may not win the election Your role is to prepare potential leaders, not pick the next one Remember that the goal is to ensure that the organization succeeds

Tools to Succeed Shadowing Exposure to executive board meeting(s) 1:1 Conversations Tiger Stripes/Budgeting information Transition Binder

Transition Binder – Things to include Major job responsibilities of the position Reflections on your personal experience with the position What are the hardest parts? What are things you wish you knew when you first started? Any important documents for the past year/next year IE: Budget information, marketing documents, etc. Any important contact information for vendors, campus administrators, etc… that your club works with who they should know Timelines/resources for any major recurring events your organization plans Past meeting agendas/minutes Digitize/SAVE everything (preferably e-mailed directly to them AND saved on Involved@TU under your group’s documents section) This will make it easy for whoever comes after you to update/edit instead of starting from scratch

Transition Binder (Example)

Transition Binder (Continued)

Who feels their predecessor did a great job in training you for your position? What were some of the things they said/did that were helpful?

Elections Start early – Figure out dates with your exec board now Advertise dates to members well in advance Encourage students to run Check your group’s constitution Give an opportunity for students to express why they would be good candidates Have a plan for how the vote is going to happen Paper Ballot Involved@TU Have someone neutral administer the election

After the election… hold a transition meeting Meeting between outgoing officers, incoming officers and advisor Talk about major challenges the organization faced over the past year Goals that you completed Things left unfinished Answering questions Going through transition materials Assuaging fears/anxiety Goal setting Advisor

Start thinking about… What was one goal you had for your position this year that never materialized that you would still like to see happen in the future of your organization? What was one program or idea that really worked well for your organization this year that you would like to see repeated or expanded upon in the future? Do you have any specific suggestions how your successor can expand this program? What is the most challenging part of your position and what would you recommend to your successor in confronting that challenge? How do you feel your organization has grown this year (has it?)? Where do you see this group moving in the future?

Past workshop question guide Outgoing e-board members – What was one goal you had for your position this year that never materialized that you would still like to see happen in the future of your organization? Incoming e-board members – What is one thing coming into this position that you would like to accomplish either for yourself or the organization over the next year? Outgoing e-board members – What was one program or idea that really worked well for your organization this year that you would like to see repeated or expanded upon in the future? Do you have any specific suggestions how your successor can expand this program? Incoming e-board members – What did you think went really well within the organization this past year? How do you see yourself picking up where the outgoing members left off? Outgoing e-board members – What is the most challenging part of your position and what would you recommend to your successor in confronting that challenge? Incoming e-board members – What are you most nervous about in taking up this position? (For both outgoing/incoming) How do you feel your organization has grown this year (has it?)? Where do you see this group moving in the future?

Advisor Can play a critical role in continuity of an organization from year to year Keeper of transition materials Provide guidance to new executive board members while they are “finding their footing” Encourage new exec members to set expectations with advisor Advisor checklist

Involved@TU Switch over primary contact information to new president Ensures they are getting important updates related to student organizations Tiger Stripes/Budgeting/Involvement Fair registration etc… Get’s you out of receiving messages after you graduate Reregistration will open at the end of this semester, but you do not need to wait At any point you can change this information as the current primary contact for the group

Remaining a resource for your group Provide your contact information The first few months are the hardest Clutch transition binder Phone calls when difficulties arise Personal advisor/mentor After a while… All a part of the student organization circle of life

Questions?