Thursday, May 15, 2014

Week 3 - Blog Discussion




I want to share with you a struggle I've had this year with student members of the Collegiate FFA. We have a great turn out at the beginning of the  year, but towards the middle of the year we are down on the number of students who want to help with any of our volunteer projects and activities. I am chalking it up to a bad year - but wonder if I need to do something more to help students understand the importance of involvement in college life, clubs and volunteering.

Perhaps I should create a 'marketing' plan for Collegiate FFA?

Thoughts?

10 comments:

  1. Dr. Lawver,
    I feel all of those are possibilities, maybe students don't see the importance of collegiate FFA. What night are you having it on? My next question is, how are you currently marketing your activities. Maybe you need to get some testimonials from your graduating students in your freshman class of the importance of getting ivolved? I know we used to have facebook page, but I almost think that facebook is not as effective as it used to be.

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  2. In diffusion of innovations we learned that there are certain people that are key in getting anything going. Maybe you need to find the students that are going to inspire others to volunteer and focus efforts on those people then they will get others to come. You are looking for leaders that can get others to act when they are on the boarder or not sure if they want to. Do you know any people you can talk to to inspire other students?

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  3. I agree with Thomas, that it really takes specific students to get the ball rolling. If you have students that are very active and motivated in what they are doing, then maybe your numbers will go up? Having little get-togethers and FCCLA functions with refreshments always helps our members stay active throughout the entire year. It's really tough keeping the students all motivated throughout the entire year, though! Maybe having a blog like this one for your FFA students would help?

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  4. I would agree that there may be many factors that could influence membership and attendance. Some of which Zane touched on. One thing that I think should may be considered is teaming with some other clubs on campus or volunteer groups to try and expand the knowledge of collegiate FFA and involve more people. I could see the collegiate 4-H or even perhaps some of the country swing club having members that would like to be involved.

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  5. I agree with you, Mylind. I have found that collaboration can be a huge help in volunteer programming. In my work, I have collaborated with many other organizations with similar goals and interests, and as a result i have increased efficiency, effectiveness, I have gotten more and more volunteers and others with new perspectives and ideas... I have found that through collaboration i reach more people because i can target more varieties and heightened interest.

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  6. I like the comments others have made and am taking notes for myself as motivating people is hard for me! The only other idea I had was to put on some sort of get together to get people excited again about FFA and then try and show them the need you have for help. I also find that providing food helps get people to these things-I often have a 'mentor council dinner meeting' where I provide dinner and volunteer mentors come and we discuss past and future events and how we can be better-I find they always give me great insight and ideas on how to get other involved and improve the program .Also, when I can tell them about upcoming events and why they will be beneficial and fun-then I can get them excited and then they help me spread the word and get others there.
    Emily Shepperd

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  7. Thanks all for the advice! We've tried to partner with 4H and have had numerous activities throughout the year. I wonder if having the meetings at ASTE is part of the problem? IF we had meetings at the Ag Building maybe we'd be more visible to other students. Another phenomenon I've noticed is that many of my leadership team is young, single girls and married young men…..the two don't have the same ideas on what kinds of activities we should be doing. If that makes sense, the girls want to do something fun and social…the men want something worthwhile (especially if they have to spend time away from their family). Maybe it's a fun, social, family friendly activity?? I'll keep brainstorming, thank you for all the great feedback!

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  8. From Kristin S.

    I think collaboration with other organizations and even other departments at USU is lacking in our collegiate FFA. I didn't even hear about our program until my 3rd year at the university. Once I knew about the organization, their activity was not visible, so I really didn't know what the club did. The students I knew were involved were rarely active, so I didn't see a point in taking time out to go search for information. I really think a bigger effort needs to be made for studets to show their involvement, to steer projects, and to develop a passion for the program.

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  9. I also had the same thoughts as Thomas. We all know the type of person who is the motivated one; the one who always seems to be the glue that sticks everyone together. I think that identifying the student who fits this description, even to a small extent, may be a way to get better participation throughout the entire school year. As an FFA advisor, I feel like I can encourage kids to be involved, but at the end of the day it's their peers that are the ultimate motivator.

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  10. We have the same problems in our FCCLA high school organization, one idea and it sounds like many have the same idea is that the students need to be educated as to why the organization is so important. Once they figure that out then your retention rates may be higher.

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