Beyond the Meeting Agenda: Chapter Success Starts with Community
While strategic planning is important, our mid-sized Chapter at Marist University found a solid foundation for Chapter success is a strong sense of community. Our efforts successfully increased engagement and satisfaction by making interactions intentional, personal and fun. Here’s how we proved to members that they were a part of a supportive and engaging network.
Build a strong Executive Board.
The Executive Board is the core of each Chapter, responsible for planning and engagement. Creating meaningful relationships between board members can contribute to a cohesive Chapter strategy. Your Chapter can actively foster team bonding by allowing time for personal conversations at the start or end of your Executive Board meetings. Consistently ask for ideas, comments, questions, concerns, or even jokes. The stronger your Executive Board is, the stronger your collaborative efforts will be. You want your members to see that you are a connected group, inspiring and inviting connections with all members.
Get to know your members.
Take the time to learn each member’s name and welcome them personally to each event. Learn a bit about them; Are they a sports fan? Interested in a particular trending TV series or book? Use this information as small talking points before, after, and during meetings to create meaningful conversations with your members.
Learn their PR interests. Are they interested in fashion? Want to go into Sports PR? Entertainment? You can use this to guide Chapter programming to ensure a valuable experience for everyone. Make everyone feel seen and build a professional connection with members to boost engagement and relationships. They’re more than just stakeholders — they’re peers, and eventually, friends.
Create engaging opportunities.
College students spend all day in classes and lectures… PRSSA shouldn’t feel like another. It’s an opportunity to enhance a PR education through various opportunities and connections. Play some popular music before each meeting starts to create an uplifting and energetic vibe as members trickle in. Allow opportunities for members to engage with one another. Our Chapter utilized a lot of partner and team games, like PRSSA Jeopardy, Kahoot or social media scavenger hunts — programming tip: nostalgia really brings people together! Meetings should involve member participation. Ask for any questions, thoughts and insights from your attendees to create a more conversational-style meeting. Activities like keychain making and game nights are wonderful opportunities for members to engage with each other — and any professionals who might participate!
Show appreciation.
Don’t just end a meeting with, “Okay, bye! See you next time!” Sincerely thank everyone for coming and engaging. Express gratitude when members share feedback or ideas. Acknowledge when they help clean up from an event or engage in fundraising and community service efforts. Don’t let any contribution go unnoticed. Remember, there would be no Chapter to lead without all of the incredible members.
The bottom line:
Your PRSSA Chapter can be a strong community that amplifies the benefits of the organization. The Marist Chapter community helped to boost attendance, increase engagement and facilitate the sharing of industry insights and networks. Building a tight-knit community allows members to truly connect with one another and form friendships that continue to drive our Chapter forward.
Arlyn Memmott is a Gold Key Award winner and Marist University student. After serving as Marist PRSSA Chapter President, she earned her B.A. in Communications, concentrated in Public Relations and Advertising. She is currently pursuing her M.A. in Marketing Communication. She enjoys the fast-paced and ever-changing landscape of PR. Connect with her on LinkedIn.
