HOT TOPIC – “Making a Personal Connection to Members”

The quickest and most efficient way to build and retain membership is to make a personal connection with your members. My favorite part about SWE is not the professional development or service activities that it sponsors, but the time I get to spend with my SWEsters!! Most people can’t make a personal connection with others based on meetings once or twice a month- the REAL connection happens through social events where one on one interaction takes place. Next month, try integrating some get-to-know-you events into your calendar. How about a dinner where all there is to do is chit-chat (you may even come up with some discussion sparking questions)? What about a hands-on service activity where women have to work together to accomplish the project? Both of these are ways to get women talking and start those lifetime friendships!! Take some time from now on to focus on feeding the personal needs of your members as well as  the professional needs.

-Lauren Bialoskurski                                                                                                                                                                                                   RCCE

HOT TOPIC: Attracting and Retaining Membership

Hello fellow SWE Divas. My name is Allison Tuff and I am this year’s Region D Membership Chair. As active members in SWE we are always looking for ways to recruit more members into our local sections to share in both the benefits of SWE and to extend the reach of our local network and resources.

A section’s membership is what keeps it alive and thriving. The members are ultimately who provide the much needed support for successful events. So thank you SWE members, whether you are helping by offering your leadership skills, planning events, donating supplies, or simply going to meetings and bringing a friend =)

To me, the best method to attract and retain members is though involvement. Sections should entice new comers with the great opportunities they have for members to get involved. I believe that increasing membership involvement will have both a direct and positive influence on recruitment and retention numbers as members begin to take ownership of their local section and feel like they belong.

The University of Central Florida section implemented a great program called SWE Buddies to help recruit and retain new members. SWE Buddies is a mentoring program the section created to provide a support network to help students negotiate the difficulties of their first years in the engineering curriculum by getting to know SWE members that have gone though the same thing. This is a great opportunity for Seniors and Juniors to relay the volumes of information they’ve gathered over the years and make an underclassman fell welcome within the organization. It is a simple and rewarding program that helps get new comers involved!

As Region Membership Chair, one of my primary goals is to see a healthy increase in membership recruitment and retention numbers among all of the region’s local sections and MALs. Monthly membership reports will be posted on the Region D Community, so make sure you check them out. Should you have any questions regarding Membership, please feel free to email me at Allison.M.Tuff@usa-spaceops.com.

Meet Candace Watson – Region D RCR

Candace Watson joined SWE in the fall semester of 2007, after deciding to pursue a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).  Coming from an architecture background, she felt that it was a great opportunity to get exposed to engineering.  That semester, she was heavily involved with planning activities for the local Girl Scouts to expose them to various engineering fields.  After her first year of involvement, she was convinced to run for the vice president position for 2008/2009 school year.  Having a successful attempt at this position, she continued to improve on the activities that her collegiate section participated in with the local Girls Scouts.  Candace helped organize and plan activities that encouraged more participation from the students at UAB.  This past spring Candace ran for the president position for her section and won, and then was selected as the Region Collegiate Representative for region D.

Candace Watson – Welcome Post

I hope that everyone starting their school year with enthusiasm and a zeal for learning!  I am Candace Watson the Region Collegiate Representative for Region-D.   I am in charge of Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama sections this year and wanted to let go over some of the goals that I have for this year.  When I ran for this position in the spring at the regional conference, improving communication was my top goal, and is what I will be working on this year.  I believe if there are open lines of communication and a point of contact for collegiate leaders, these leaders can quickly ask questions and receive answers, allowing them to spend more time on what is important, growing SWE membership, exposing more people to SWE and educating the engineering profession why it is important to have a Society of Women Engineers!  Another goal that I have for the year is to advertise some great achievements that each collegiate section has accomplished.  I hope that this will give ideas to those sections that are struggling to get back on their feet and will encourage and give more stabilized sections new ideas to keep the fire going in their sections.  I feel that we have started off to a great beginning this year, and after reading the first submittal of collegiate reports, I believe that this is going to be a great year for SWE!  As a region, we should work together to expand SWE and educate others why it is important to have a Society of Women Engineers!  Please let me know if there is anything that I can do to assist your section with.  Look forward to meeting you at the Annual Meeting in Long Beach, California this October!    

Contact Information:

Email:  cjwatson@uab.edu

Phone:  734.634.5775

Hot Topic: Getting People Out When The Weather’s Rough

The original Hot Topic was “Getting People Out When It’s Cold Out”. This doesn’t normally affect all of Region D, I know that the sections in sunny Florida and sunnier still, in Puerto Rico, don’t have to worry too much, if at all, about the cold. On the other hand, rain… can rain on our parade, literally. So: how do you deal with the weather? How do you get people to come to your activities despite the weather?

(Last week, we went over three checkpoints to consider for a successful activity: promote the activity well, provide incentives to the attendees, and follow up. They hold true no matter what activity or hardship you come across. Read more here.)

One way to combat the weather is to, at least when the weather’s rough (bitter cold, raining), keep your activities indoors for a while. Take this time of year to hold seminars and host company info-sessions.

Since not many people are willing to drive/walk/bike long distances when the weather is harsh, you’ll also want keep your indoor activities local, preferably on campus. UNF’s Bingo-Night is one example; you can also host Karaoke Nights, Talent Shows… what works best on your campus.

You can also use the weather to your advantage. Is it too cold out? Hold a Hot-Cocoa Social! Too hot? Hold an ice-cream social, or plan a trip to the beach.

Not all can be fun and games, though. Sometimes the weather can be cruel, and your local community could be severely affected. Although we all hope this never happens, in the worst-case scenario that it does, it is our duty as an organized group of the community to do whatever we can to help. (Read: service project.)

What does your Section do when the weather’s rough? Let us know: leave a comment. You can also send in suggestions to rcne-d@swe.org.

Tips for a Successful Activity

I’m no expert in Student Organizations, but I pride myself in having actively participated in SWE and Tau Beta Pi for the past four years. Over these years, I’ve taken a number of roles, among them, Vice President, Treasurer, Newsletter Editor and Webmaster. I’ve also been a mere active member in both societies, as well as other societies, so I’ve seen student activities from both sides, as an attendee and as organizer, on many levels. I was recently asked to go over what makes an activity or project a successful one, and I thought I’d share my answer with you.

It’s a tough question; what works for one society may not work for another. Besides, depending on the scope of the activity and the participation of the attendees, your goals and your expectations and how far it is from reality… there are a lot of factors that can affect the success of your activity. However, I’ve noticed three things most of the activities I’ve organized or attended had in common: promotion, incentives, and following-up. Neglecting any one of these key components in an activity will not necessarily result in a disastrous activity, but none of those activities I’ve attended that were deemed a success left them out.

As you plan your activities and projects for this semester, consider the following three tips. Also, if you’ve got tips you’d like to share, don’t forget to comment! Or, send them in to rcne-d@swe.org.