Contents
Section 1: Recruitment
Section 2: General Club functions
2.1 Commonly Used Communication Tools
Section 3: Executive Board Resources
3.3 Executive Board Application
Recruitment
Recruitment is an essential part of any RSO on campus. Students involved in student organizations are more likely to feel connected to campus and their fellow Illini. Involvement on campus can also improve academic success and persistence to graduation.
Recruitment enables organizations to expand in terms of numbers, involvement, and support as they continue to operate over time, allowing their organizations to grow in numbers, involvement, and support as they continue to function. Higher membership counts can yield powerful benefits. For some clubs, it’s an extra priority when reserving spaces, access to more resources, etc. So, growing your membership is an important consideration when planning events for your RSO.
Key events to look out for
Quad Day
Always hosted the Sunday before Fall Semester begins, it is the largest student organization festival in the nation, more than 700 student organizations hosting booths to promote their mission and recruit prospective students.
Student Org Expo
Hosted at the start of the spring semester. A smaller-scale event that takes place in the Illini Union, where you can market your club with similar types of clubs and garner a new cohort for the Spring semester.
YMCA Open House
The Y Open House is an event hosted by the University YMCA for RSOs affiliated with the Y. People who attend this event will be interested in the Y pillars and mission, a great way to hone in on your impact!
College-specific Events
If your club is affiliated with any colleges at the University of Illinois, you may be invited to table at events. This is a great way to tailor your pitch and recruitment to a smaller group of more interested students.
Recruitment Tips
Take advantage of social media and web presence
Many prospective members will be conducting research on clubs they are interested in as soon as April, before their freshman year!
Promote your RSO in public spaces
Put up flyers around Green Street/student living areas or table at student dormitories (i.e., Ike/6-pack)
Make your presence visible on campus
Update club website with updated pictures and information
Prospective members want to be able to see themselves as a part of the club!
Add fun pictures at socials, general meetings, fundraisers, etc. Instagram/Facebook/TikTok is a great way to market to members, being more personalized and is more likely to be updated frequently.
Collaborate with other organizations
This may take place further into the semester, but collaborations bring together organizations with different groups of people. Your mission might resonate with anew group of people.
New Member Registration
[Google Form Copy] [Canva Document Copy]
When recruiting new members, whether after any event or if someone shows interest halfway through the semester, it’s important to create and have a New Member Registration Form to collect their information for membership, your newsletter, for futureclub events, and various other reasons. It’s important, if you are collecting sensitive information, to keep that private and in a safe space. Our sample form collects the following information:
Name - Know who is signing up
Email/NetID - Contact for meetings, updates, etc.
Year - Analyze how many members will continue to be a part of your club in the future
Why are you interested in joining our organization? - Get a glimpse of what aspect of the club draws members in, can help with future marketing
New/Returning Membership - Understand how many people come back to the club vs who came in from interest or marketing
Hobbies/Focuses - Help plan events for certain focuses or hobbies
Communication Preferences - Help members get messages more easily
How did you hear about our organization? - Help focus your marketing on more popular methods
What days of the week work best for you? - Helps with scheduling events, more popular days will get more members in attendance
Club Interest Form
[Google Form Copy] [Google Sheets Copy] [Canva Document Copy] [JotForm]
While recruiting, your RSO may find it beneficial to create an Interest Form, where you can invite prospective members to sign up and get communications about first events, meetings, information nights, etc.
This is NOT a commitment form; this is an easy way for your club to disseminate information to a larger number of potential members. There is some similar information to the member registration form, but there is some additional information that our template collects.
Major/Concentration - Understand the pool of majors that may be interested, can help you figure out what guest speakers, alumni, etc. to bring or topics to discuss should they commit
What events would you like to see us have in the future? - Suggestions for future events that you know people would want to attend
Membership Application
[Google Forms Copy] [Canva Document Copy] [Google Sheets Tracking]
This is a little different from the new member registration, as this form is more of a necessity for dues-collecting clubs.Your RSO might find it useful to collect information about all your registered membersusing a Membership Application. This could be because there are membership benefits,to collect dues, or to contact members about specific events.
General Club Functions
Now that you have your members, it is important to maintain their engagement and help them stay in the loop.
Commonly Used Communication Tools
Quad Day
GroupMe is a widely used messaging tool for mobile devices, with access to the app through the web
• Pros: Works universally across different phone types (iOS, Android) and via the web, bridging gaps in group texting, and keeps phone numbers private from other users
• Cons: Lack of channels, troubleshooting/account management can get tricky if you lose login information, limited features compared to other apps, and many RSO members do not like GroupMe.
WhatsApp is a widely used messaging tool, primarily for mobile devices, although it can also be accessed on your web browser via WhatsApp Web. It’s an excellent and very reliable social tool for keeping in touch with others.
• Pros: Easy to use, can have big groups with different channels based on the needs of members (different channels for different divisions in your club)
• Cons: Can be hard to track back discussions
Discord
Discord is a messaging app that enables real-time communication with various interactive media, as well as audio and video calling capabilities.
• Pros: Dynamic interface. Users can customize their channel to suit their needs, tagging members with roles makes it easy to sort people in appropriate channels
• Cons: Limited file sending on the free version
Slack
Slack is a messenger app that brings your remote team together and makes communication quick and easy. You can create channels for topics of discussion, share documents and folders, and search conversation threads easily.
• Pros: Great for large groups or teams, can make channels (public and private) while also allowing direct messages within your Slack channel. Sharing and collaborating happen in real-time
• Cons: On the free version, messages disappear after 90 days, which makes tracking old messages basically impossible unless you get the premium version
Attendance
[Google Form Copy] [Google Sheet Copy]
Your organization may find it useful to take attendance at meetings. This could help theexecutive board determine eligibility for board positions, priority events, etc. There is a lot of data that could be collected:
• Executive Board Potential
• Gauge general interest in events
• Track member involvement over the semester
EVENT RSVP
RSVPing for an event is helpful for your organization. Having an RSVP form helps internal teams plan car assignments for travel events, general transportation logistics, food for potluck events, etc. There can also be RSVPs with fees involved.
Contact Information
[Google Forms Copy]
Contact information is useful for communication with members. Similar to the membership form, it is a way for you to collect information about members to continue communication. It also allows you to consolidate contact information in case you need to reach anyone in an emergency (e.g., travel-related events).
Executive Board Resources
Task Tracking
Efficient task assignment and tracking are primary tasks for an executive board and essential for smooth day-to-day operations. Each RSO has different tasks to accomplish depending on the type of RSO it is, the goals set for the RSO, different partnerships, etc. It is important that these tasks are delegated to the appropriate member of the board and followed up on between members to keep each other accountable.
Some task tracking resources:
• Notion
• Google Docs
• Google Sheets
• Slack
• Any messaging app you choose
Event Shifts
[Single Role Google Form Copy] [Complex Google Form Copy]
For specific events, your RSO may want to incorporate shifts taken by different members of the executive board. This includes fundraisers, event chaperoning, etc. Our template allows you to easily mark which timeslot members would want to work. For additional planning, we included a complex shift planning sheet. This includes timeslots, duties, set-/clean-up, contact information, additional directions, and group chats. This streamlined sheet may be beneficial for bigger events that require a lot ofmoving parts to function.
Executive Board Applications
[Google Forms Copy] [JotForm] [Google Sheets Tracker]
These allow board members to keep track of who’s applying to be on the board the following year, what position they’re applying for, why they’re interested, and various other questions you may ask. These answers may help you draft questions for any potential interviews, understand applicants holistically, and choose the best person for the job.