How to Keep Your Club Active All Semester Long

college students in a group

A major part of the university experience is belonging to clubs. If you hold a leadership position, it’s up to you to ensure your club stays active throughout the semester. There are several ways to do this.

1. Come Up with Ideas at the Start of the Semester

Make sure you don’t run out of ideas for activities by having a brainstorming session at your first executive board meeting. Knowing what you’ll be offering will also help you advertise your club to new members. You could hold this executive board meeting right at the start of the semester or even before you return to university over video chat.

2. Ask for Feedback

Create a diverse program of activities near the beginning of the semester and ask members for feedback about which they enjoyed the most. You can then continue with more of these types of events. However, don’t just ask for feedback once: reach out to members often to find ways to keep improving.

3. Set Up a Group Chat

Stay connected outside of meetings by setting up a group chat for your club. You’ll be able to converse, share things related to the theme of the club, and use icebreakers to get to know each other better. You could even hold the occasional virtual meeting.

4. Use Word-of-Mouth Marketing to Attract More Members

The best form of marketing for a club is word of mouth. Whereas you should definitely post flyers around campus, it will help if you also talk a little about your club when handing them out to students. Some of your professors may even allow you to speak for a few minutes about your club in class, particularly if it relates to the subject of your class.

5. Keep Events Fresh

Students who join your club when they start university are sure to become bored if the fourth annual event is at the same restaurant as the previous three years or if you keep repeating the same concepts. Just making minor changes will encourage students to keep attending.

6. Be Organized

Your meetings will be a disaster if you’re disorganized. Create a file to keep all the paperwork for your club in one place and add important dates to your calendar.

7. Stay Relaxed During Exam Season

You obviously don’t want to plan big events around midterms and finals, but it may be best to have a couple weeks without any meetings at all. This will help members feel less stressed — and they’ll be more excited to return when exams are over.

As well as holding events on campus, you may like to invite members over to your apartment, such as for executive meetings. However, a dorm room is unlikely to have enough space for everyone. An alternative to McMaster residence is West Village Suites. You can hold meetings in your spacious suite or in the state-of-the-art games room — this is a great way to meet other students who may be interested in joining your club. Apply now for the floor plan of your choice.

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