Tips to Organizational Success

  1. Correspondence

MEMO

Date

To:

From: (initial final copy(s))

Subject:

Body

 

 

Cc: Advisors & others involved

 

 

LETTERHEAD

Date

Addressee

Greeting (Dear, To Whom It May Concern, etc.)

Body

 

 

 

Closing (Sincerely yours, Thank you, etc.)

(written signature)

Typed Signature

Title

Cc: Advisors & others involved

 

  1. Financial Planning/ Budget Development

"As a process, a budget allows for the participation of constituents and consensus building with regards to levels of funding by program, revenue source, and standards of accountability." --Woodard, 1993

A budget serves as a plan for program revenues and expenditures. The budget process

should consist of the following steps:

The adopted budget then becomes your organization’s "financial road map" for the year. It can change if circumstances dictate such but for the most part, the budget is a plan to be followed as prescribed by the by-laws of your organization.

The Treasurer should design a budget request process and provide periodic reports to the executive members and the members at large.

--Dunkel and Schuh, 1998

(See sample budget form on the next page)

Sample Budget Form

Previous Year Current Year

Revenue

Dues and activity fees ______________ ______________

Student Govt. Allocation ______________ ______________

Services rendered ______________ ______________

Commissions ______________ ______________

Sales ______________ ______________

Fundraisers ______________ ______________

Program receipts ______________ ______________

Other receipts ______________ ______________

Prior year carried forward ______________ ______________

TOTAL REVENUE ______________ ______________

Expenses

Office supplies ______________ ______________

Printing/ Copy services ______________ ______________

Postage ______________ ______________

Equipment rental ______________ ______________

Program expenses (Develop budget for each program)

Newsletter ______________ ______________

Speakers ______________ ______________

Supplies ______________ ______________

Travel ______________ ______________

Outstanding debt ______________ ______________

Miscellaneous expenses ______________ ______________

TOTAL EXPENSES ______________ ______________

BALANCE ______________ ______________

Planning Programs

Why is programming necessary in your organization?

What are the goals of your organization’s programs?

What kind of programs can your organization accomplish?

These are all questions that need to be considered prior to the onset of planning a program. Programming can be a valuable tool for an organization to educate the students, faculty, or public about certain issues or platforms that concerns your organization. No matter what a program goal might be, there are a number of factors to consider when planning an event.

After an event has been completed, it is crucial to do a follow-up evaluation. This evaluation will be used as a guide in planning this event in subsequent years. Evaluations should be performed by both the planners and the participators and should ask:

 

  1. Promotion and Publicity

"Doing business without advertising is like winking at someone in the dark. You know what you are doing, but nobody else does."

--Steward Henderson Britt

Promotion and publicity are essential parts to any program or event and should be considered a top priority during the planning process. After all, what is the point in holding an outstanding program if no one attends? It is important to remember to publicize both before an event as well as follow-up publicity after the completion of an event.

The first thing to keep in mind when thinking about promotion is to PLAN AHEAD! Prepare a working calendar including times when promotional design, printing and distribution are due. Leave enough space in your budget to spend on adequate publicity. Always allow enough time to get the word out about your program.

There are many outlets for advertising an event at West Virginia University. Some techniques will prove more useful for certain types of events or organizations than others will. It is also a good idea to use them in combination with another to ensure a broader advertising area. None will guarantee an audience or response, but used creatively and supplemented with new ideas, these techniques should help any publicity effort.

possible to have a live radio broadcast during the event.

296-0029

For large banners there are special locations around campus available by reservation.

293-8201)
  1. How to Deal with the Media

Student organizations may occasionally be called upon to help explain current events to the public via the media. If you are contacted by a reporter, or by New Services, for an interview, don’t worry: we’ll be happy to help you. First, here are some helpful tips. Read these for general guidelines; then, call the Student Organization Services Public Relations Assistant (Rontina McCann) at 293-3873, or News Services at 293-6997 for further assistance.

Be aware that reporter’s schedules are determined by the "breaking" news of the day. Do not be offended if an interview gets canceled or rescheduled because a more urgent story arises.

There are five C’s to success:

    1. Speak with conviction.
    2. Speak in a conversational manner.
    3. Retain your composure.
    4. Be confident. Remember that you are the expert.
    5. Be colorful – tell stories and anecdotes that illustrate your point. Give examples.

Stick to your main points and do not allow yourself to get drawn too far off on tangents. Most people make the mistake of talking too much. Repeat your points if necessary to get back on track. Speak in complete thoughts. The reporter’s questions may be edited out and your response should stand on its own. For example: In response to the question "What effect will you research have on the public," the answer should be: "Research into the causes of declining levels of creek otters will help us stop the recent steep decline and possibly help replenish their number." Not, "It will help us understand the decline."

For television interviews:

For TV, Radio or personal interviews:

turn off your computer, if possible. Avoid rooms with loud background hums from air

conditioning or heating units.

interview, be sure you are comfortable thinking on your feet and responding off the cuff.

If you feel after reflecting on an interview that you misspoke or gave incorrect information, call the reporter as soon as possible and let her know. Similarly, you can call with additional information if you forgot to make an important point.

Give positive feedback to reporters, if merited, after a story appears. Like the rest of us, they usually hear only complaints and rarely get a call or note to say they’ve done a good job.

If an error appears, let News and Information Services know right away. We can advise you on what to do next. Sometimes a correction can be printed or aired. You also will want to prevent the incorrect information from being used as background for future stories.

If you are unhappy with a story, share your concerns with the reporter first. Contacting his or her editor is a last resort.

For radio and TV stories, obtain a tape of the final broadcast if possible and critique your own performance, looking for ways you might improve in the future. Call News and Information Services at 304-293-6997 to let us know when you’ve done an interview so that we can track down clipping or tapes of your story. If you have a clipping or tape, please share a copy with us. If the interview was with a reporter from a distant location, you might ask her to mail or fax a clipping of the story.

--Rebecca Lofstead, Director of News and Information Services

West Virginia University

  1. Office Etiquette

It is important to remember that even though you are students, if your organization maintains an office in the Mountainlair, it needs to be considered a business-type atmosphere because there are nearby university departmental offices in operation. Typical office etiquette should apply at all times. This means: