Zation

It starts with you 👇🏾 As students, there is often a lot about our school or organizations that we can complain about. But very few people actually step up to effect the change they want to see. Highlighting how Chisom Okafor, took his organization from $500 to $50,000 in last week’s post was the true definition of “why not me?” As the summer is slowly coming to an end, the question I have for every student (both leaders and community members) is: What are you doing this year to set up the community you wish your freshman self had, and what steps are you taking to achieve it? Let us know in the comments below. Check out Chisom's story in the link in the comments if you missed it. #StudentLeadership #BeTheChange #InspiringStories

From $500 to $50,000: How This Student Leader Grew His College Club Meet Chisom Okafor, the 2018/19 President of the Black Students Union (BSU) at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Here’s what you’ll learn from him: - How he became a student leader - How he raised $50k for his club - The challenges he faced - His advice for current and aspiring student leaders Check the comments for the full article link. Who are you, and how did you become a student leader? I’m Chisom Okafor, a Product Manager from Nigeria. Coming to the States for college was my first time here. I needed to adapt quickly and I was fortunate to find my community in BSU and the National Society of Black Engineers. I wanted to help others find their community, too so I joined BSU’s board as secretary in my sophomore year, then Vice President, and finally President in my senior year. What impact did you have on your organization? At WPI, the Black and African population was less than 2%. Initially, our club's budget was under $500 a year. By my sophomore year, we organized more events, including a fashion show with a $3,200 budget, winning the Diversity Program of the Year award. As Vice President, we increased the budget to $30k, and as President, we raised it to $50k. Our fashion show became the biggest event on campus, even attracting students from neighboring schools. How were you able to raise $50k for your club? Raising $50k was challenging. Initially, I thought we could get all the funding from the Student Government Association (SGA), but we had to get more creative. We organized bake sales, flash mobs, donation drives, partnered with restaurants, reached out to alumni, and we gradually started to see the checks come in. After two months, we raised $34k and secured the remaining $16k from the SGA. What was the biggest factor in your success? - Hyperfocus on serving our members with valuable year-round events. - Clear goals and early planning, starting in the summer and breaking down our vision into actionable steps. - Empowering my team and community, giving everyone a voice, which boosted collaboration. What struggles did you face as a leader? Balancing leadership with other priorities was challenging, but the experiences were unmatched. Raising funds and managing member engagement was tough, but having a clear vision and a supportive team made it possible. What advice do you have for current and aspiring student leaders? Just try it and see if it’s for you. Some of my favorite college memories are from planning events with my board. Leveraging my leadership experience helped me secure a full-time job before graduation. Create the club your freshman self wished for and put your heart into it. This is when your light begins to shine, and you make a lasting impact. Tag your favorite club or student leader in the comments to get them featured. Follow Zation for more content. Visit our website to join our waitlist and be notified of our special drop this summer.

Student Leaders! Here are 4 steps to maximizing the success of your events... Are you a college club leader looking to elevate your organization? Successful leaders plan their calendar of events in advance. Here’s how: 1. Understand Your Club’s Mission: Create events that fulfill your members’ needs, not just your own. Internalize your mission to guide your event planning. 2. Set Goals: Determine your objectives for the year, semester, or month. Whether you aim to adopt new members or engage existing ones, clear goals will help you focus your efforts. 3. Know Your Event Types and Plan Accordingly: An event could either be a recurring or a one-time event. Know the differences and plan accordingly for each. Frequent events: Weekly meetings, monthly socials, etc., focus on core community building and engagement. One-time events: Fashion shows, robotics tournaments, etc., aim for exposure and cross-organizational engagement. 4. Understand That Sequence Matters: Plan your events for the year like a story with each event representing a chapter that builds on the last. This keeps your members engaged and ensures your events have a cohesive flow. By following these steps, you’ll keep your members engaged and your club growing. Need help with planning? Contact us at contact@zationapp.com and join our online communities. 🔗 Read our full blog post for a detailed guide: [Link in comments] ⏲ Stay Tuned for Product Launch this Summer: A product designed to meet all your membership management, club engagement, and fundraising needs. Join our waitlist. 🚀 Join the Conversation: How do you plan your club's events? Share your tips and experiences in the comments below! 👥 Follow Us for more tips on running your student organizations. #Leadership #EventPlanning #CommunityEngagement #CollegeClubs #ProactivePlanning #ClubGrowth

DO THESE TO SET YOUR CAMPUS CLUB UP FOR SUCCESS THIS YEAR. As the fall semester draws nearer, many club leaders are gearing up for a successful year. Whether you're a first-time leader or a seasoned veteran, we've compiled a set of tested and proven steps, gathered from the experiences of successful club leaders, that you can follow to set your organization up for success this year. Start Fostering Relationships Among the Executive Team: Start having periodic meetings with fellow club executives during the summer break. This provides a great opportunity to get to know each other better and ensure everyone is clear on their roles and expectations. Plan icebreakers to help establish emotional safety within the team, ensuring everyone feels comfortable around each other. Trust us, since you're all volunteering for "extra work," you'll need plenty of this camaraderie. Plan Your Calendar of Events: Create a comprehensive roadmap for the year by scheduling all events, big and small. Although priorities may shift, having a baseline plan helps keep the team proactive and ensures your goals are feasible. Start Planning and Booking Spaces (If Your School Allows It): From experience, location can greatly impact the outcome of an event, and selecting the right one involves more than just booking a room. Factors such as your target audience and event goals should guide your choice. It's a good strategy to identify such criteria early and secure bookings for spaces that best meet them as soon as possible. Develop a Comprehensive Marketing Plan: The reality is, no matter how fantastic your event is, if no one knows about it, no one will show up. Develop a robust plan that encompasses all communication channels—email, social media, group chats, flyers, word of mouth, and more—and maintain a consistent outreach strategy. These are crucial in engaging members and maintaining your club's visibility. Develop a Member Management and Finance Plan: Managing your members effectively is crucial yet often underestimated. A well-planned member management strategy simplifies enrollment, enhances engagement, improves retention, facilitates gamification, and optimizes fund sourcing. This summer, we're launching our platform designed to streamline all of these processes and more. Learn more and join our waitlist at zationapp.com. People who join the waitlist before the launch will stand a chance to win free access to premium features in addition to other perks. In the coming weeks, we'll be sharing case studies on campus clubs like yours that have achieved remarkable feats, offering valuable learning opportunities. FOLLOW US to stay tuned and COMMENT BELOW with the name of your club and college to express interest in being featured, and we’ll be in touch. Clubs with more comments are more likely to be selected for our spotlight. Let's grow our clubs together! #campusclub #studentleader #back2school