{"id":6596,"date":"2015-12-23T17:15:19","date_gmt":"2015-12-23T22:15:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/?p=6596"},"modified":"2015-12-23T17:15:19","modified_gmt":"2015-12-23T22:15:19","slug":"increasing-engagement-and-attendance-in-chapters-pr-pods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/2015\/12\/23\/increasing-engagement-and-attendance-in-chapters-pr-pods\/","title":{"rendered":"Increasing Engagement and Attendance in Chapters: PR Pods"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"7382239368_ba418d5b73_b\"<\/a>One of the hardest parts of leading a PRSSA Chapter, big or small, is encouraging members to take advantage of their PRSSA benefits, attend PRSSA events and create a social community within the Chapter. There are many ways to hone in on your Chapter\u2019s strengths to do just this. At Indiana University, we decided to try something new to create opportunities for our members to learn and grow in the public relations field. Most importantly, we wanted to have a community within PRSSA and make it fun to be a part of it. Thus, we created the PR Pods.<\/p>\n

The purpose of PR Pods is to make the Chapter feel smaller for our members, create accountability and create fun incentives for members to get and stay involved in the organization. Here are the steps we took to get started:<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Send out applications and ask all interested members to fill them out<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>After reviewing the responses, make Pods with five to six members each<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Hold a mass meeting so everyone can meet<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. \u00a0 \u00a0 Allow general members to take on a leadership opportunities as the leader of their Pod, keeping members accountable and reporting points<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    In addition to the social aspect, we wanted the Pods to benefit the organization as a whole as well. Therefore, members will be rewarded if at least half of their pod shows up to social, professional or general events hosted by PRSSA. The leader of the Pod would then report the activity to the director of membership who keeps track of the Pod members and points. Below is how the point system is structured:<\/span><\/p>\n