Step 5: Start recruiting your First Executive Board

Find them, and they'll help you find everyone else.
Written by Emma Cameron
Updated 2 years ago

Creating an Executive Board (EB) is an important part of establishing and maintaining a successful OFTW chapter. (There we go, that’s better.) Below, you’ll find a series of steps, as well as advice and materials, that you can use to find your Dream Team that will help you get more pledges, and therefore save more lives.

Contents:

  1. Why a board
  2. When to begin building a board
  3. Who to look for when creating your first board
  4. “Must” Roles
  5. “Nice to have” Roles

Why a board:

  • Your Executive Board is the group of students that will drive the success of the chapter. You will work with the EB to plan, organize, and execute the different OFTW events and initiatives throughout the academic year. They will be the key to your success.

When to begin building a board:

  • As early as possible. The sooner you get a team, the more momentum and more work is brought to your young chapter.
  • General rule of thumb - Once you’ve started planning a great Kick-Off Event, begin to build out your first board.

Who to look for when creating your first board:

  • Talk to your classmates and friends - ask them if they’re interested, and also ask them if they know anyone that might be a good fit
  • Make an announcement before or after one of your classes, with your professor's permission
  • Email like-minded student groups on campus
  • Use mailing lists for other activities you are involved in, such as sports teams
  • Post on class Facebook or Instagram pages
  • Execute a great Kick-off Event!

“Must” Roles:

President(s)

  • Responsibilities: Recruiting, organizing, and motivating the chapter Executive Board, executing regular EB meetings, act as a liaison between the chapter and OFTW HQ, finding speakers and planning events, doing any auxiliary work that needs to be done
  • Suggested qualifications: Leadership, enthusiasm, and organizational skills

VP of Social Media

  • Responsibilities: Managing the social media strategy for the chapter
  • Suggested qualifications: Digital marketing and/or social media brand management experience

VP of Tabling / VP of Pledge Week

  • Responsibilities: Managing the regular tabling of the chapter (e.g. reserves the table and space, organizes sign ups, guides new members on effective tabling and communication, etc.)
  • Suggested qualifications: Organization and leadership skills, extroverted 

VP(s) of the Student Ambassador Program

  • Responsibilities: Recruiting and managing the Student Ambassadors, hosting regular trainings, hosting other social opportunities for the SA Program to build community
  • Suggested qualifications: Motivational and interpersonal skills, large social network

“Nice to have” Roles:

Vice President / VP of Operations

  • Responsibilities: Assisting the President(s) in multiple capacities, general flexibility in  helping EB members with projects, administrative tasks (eg. booking rooms, ensuring compliance with school, etc.), assisting with meetings and recruitment, liaison between chapter and OFTW HQ when President(s) are absent, groomed for potential leadership role
  • Suggested qualifications: Leadership and organizational skills, detail oriented, flexible

VP of Physical Marketing

  • Responsibilities: Executing on the creation and distribution of flyers and other physical marketing content, spearheading new physical marketing initiatives (e.g. coffee sleeves, origami cranes, etc.) 
  • Suggested qualifications: Marketing and design skills and experience

VP of Student Group / Departmental Outreach

  • Responsibilities: Executing on regular presentations to other student groups and classes to spread the OFTW message and recruit members and pledges
  • Suggested qualifications: Presentation and public speaking skills

VP of Finance

  • Responsibilities: Managing funding requests and chapter budget, monitoring money raised and impact, reporting to OFTW HQ on progress
  • Suggested qualifications: Experience in budget management, finance or accounting background preferred

VP of Charities

  • Responsibilities: Maintaining expertise on the OFTW charity portfolio and selection process and acting as the primary charity information resources for the chapter, highlighting a different charity at each regular EB meeting
  • Suggested qualifications: Participates in the Charity Selection process
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