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Old 05-14-2009, 10:16 AM
Zillini Zillini is offline
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Join Date: May 2005
Location: Heart of Dixie
Posts: 1,011
This is a common problem with any group, not just GLO's. Everybody wants the perks of membership, but not the work. First off over programming is one of the most common traps a chapter can fall into because they (especially Exec officers) think they need to do everything imaginable. Doing some things well is far better than doing everything half heartedly. Even the most committed and active members can get burned out if there is too much to do -- especially if it interferes with schoolwork/studying. Even fun activities can be seen as an obligation if there are too many and it will suck the fun right out of it.

Too often exec officers dictate the functions a chapter will do rather than finding out what the members actually want. For example, is there enough interest to field a specific intramural team, both players and supporters to attend games? Chapter votes and polls can be useful. Yet you can't rely solely on that because there must be leaders in a chapter and there are things that must be accomplished. Meaning it's probably not a good idea to take a chapter vote on whether they should do a philanthropy event because they may say no. Instead, take a vote on whether to do this philanthropy event or that one, on this date or that.

Pick only the most important/critical events to make attendance mandatory. Voluntary activities then need to be fun and/or rewarding so that members will want to come and have more. Sometimes this means accepting that only a few core folks will show up at first. Then those core folks need to talk up how great the event was and encourage others to attend the next one.

Don't forget that the more lead time members have knowing when events (especially mandatory) are scheduled, the easier it is to plan to attend. Provide each member with a calendar of scheduled events each semester/term. This means planning ahead by Exec. Regularly update it too, but try not to make too many changes.

A system of rewards/consequences for attending events can be helpful. This could be a point system like 33girl mentioned, a fine system, a combination of both, or something else entirely that would work for your chapter. Keep in mind any sort of system requires tracking. Attendance needs to be taken at events, reviewing legit excuses for missed mandatory events, point/fine/whatever totals maintained, informing members of their totals, enforcing any consequences (like no socials), etc. The whole thing will fall apart if someone gets credit for attending something when s/he didn't or attends a social function when s/he shouldn't have. Word spreads fast and those who did what was expected will resent it.
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