The steps to receiving official club status will depend on your specific school, but here are some basic tips to transition from a strong Facebook group to an active student group:
Contact Erin Eagan, ONE’s Youth and Campus Outreach Coordinator, to let her know about your Facebook group and your desire to start a more active chapter! She will provide you with the support and resources you will need to keep the group plugged into national campaign.
Identify the members of your Facebook group who seem most enthusiastic about ONE. Students who message you with interest about starting a group on campus, as well as those who actively post on the group’s wall, discussion board and photo section, should be included in the initial planning phase.
Find faculty who are willing to support a ONE group on campus. Include these faculty members in the initial planning phase as well.
Have a sit-down meeting with this initial group of supporters. Invite your Regional ONE Field Organizer to come. The purpose of this meeting will be twofold: 1) Discuss the procedure for obtaining official group status on your campus. 2) Come up with a specific vision for your unique ONE campus chapter. How do you plan on educating your campus about ONE? In what ways could your campus group contribute to ONE locally, regionally, and nationally?
Once the groundwork is laid, it is time to proceed with the official launch of the campus chapter. Message all the members of your Facebook group to let them know about the launch of your ONE chapter. Briefly share your vision for the group and provide a place and time for the group’s first meeting. You should host a Facebook event for the first meeting through the “Create a Related Event” feature.
Use the first meeting to gauge the level of interest in the group. Discuss this vision for the group, brainstorm ways to build your membership, and educate others on your campus about the ONE Campaign.
Congratulations! Your campus ONE group is officially up and running!
WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR LOCAL GROUP
How might your local group contribute locally, regionally, and nationally? Remember, Erin Eagan and your Regional Field Organizer are there to help, but here are some likely ideas:
With the 2008 presidential election coming up, ONE is showing up in force at political candidates’ events. Organize a group to attend the local events wearing ONE T-shirts and ONE bands! If possible, ask the candidate directly about his or her views on certain ONE issues and give him or her a ONE band to wear. If you get a picture with a candidate wearing a ONE band, send it to Erin or your regional organizer. Be loud and be proud!
Think of creative ways to incorporate awareness of ONE’s issues into your campus community. For instance, if your campus has a communications or film studies department, see if you could collaborate on a short documentary, or if your campus has an international relations club, see if you can partner on an event about international development programs.
Respond to the national campaign’s action alerts. Call or meet with your local congressmen to express your views on the impending legislation.
Engage the College Democrats and College Republicans for a bipartisan ONE event.
Make sure to coordinate events with Erin and your ONE Regional Field Organizer.
MAINTAINING YOUR STRONG FACEBOOK PRESENCE
Successfully transitioning from Facebook to reality is not an excuse for letting your Facebook group stagnate. Facebook tools can tremendously improve your organizing and outreach capabilities. Plus, remember when you were a freshman looking for the right groups to join? Make sure that your ONE Facebook group becomes a staple of your campus network by following these tips:
Keep updating the group profile!!
When a group is updated, it moves to the top of everyone’s My Groups page, which helps keep the online group active. The easiest way to do this is to update the Recent News section with national Action Alerts and your campus ONE activities.
See the tools?—Use them!
Post photos, message the members, create an event, post topics on the discussion board, post on the wall—you know the drill. Distinguishing an active group from a stagnant one is easy. Make sure that yours is active.
Welcome on board! Keep us updated. Together, we are creating the political will to make extreme poverty history.
