FAQ - What should our chapter do throughout the year?
- Chapters are encouraged to hold regularly scheduled meetings both for the general body membership and the executive board. Meetings can be used for a variety of things, including event and activity planning, professional development, etc. It is recommended that executive board members create the agenda for the general body meetings in advance to ensure an efficient and productive meeting. Outside of meetings, chapters are encouraged to plan, host, and/or attend activities focused in the areas of teaching, service, research, and advocacy.
- How should our executive board be structured?
- At minimum, chapters should have a President, Treasurer, and Secretary. Ideally, these positions along with a Vice President and an additional support role such as a Historian, Social Media Chair, or Professional Development Chair will make a well-rounded executive board for your chapter. Some larger chapters will create positions specific to their needs such as a Vice President for Teaching and Research and a Vice President Service and Advocacy, or even a Vice President for each one of these pillars. The key to a well-functioning executive board is having clearly defined roles and expectations for each position and consistent communication among the members.
- How do we get funding?
- Funding can always be tricky as each chapter and university is set up a little different. Chapters are encouraged to utilize student organization funds that may be available through your Student Activities office. Similarly, scholarships may be available for leadership development and conference travel through university departments. Don't forget that National Eta Sigma Gamma offers Travel and Activity Grants for our local chapters! Finally, traditional fundraising is also a great way to start building up some available funds for your chapter; consider activities like profit-share nights with local restaurants, selling items through a company that donates a portion of the proceeds to your group, and hosting alumni engagement activities that encourage donations.
- How do we engage our members?
- One of the best things to do is simply ask your members what they want to get out of participating in ESG. Consider providing opportunities that they likely wouldn't get in a class or through other activities at the university. For example, ask guest speakers or alumni to speak about their public health career at your meetings, organize field trips to local public health organizations, plan service activities for the whole group to do together, hold study sessions, and organize social activities at least once/semester. Consistent communication is also key; members want to know what is going on, so update them via social media, create a GroupMe or group text chain to check in with one another, and make information available through a platform like Google Drive, Microsoft Teams, or a Blackboard or Canvas community page.
- What does National Eta Sigma Gamma require of our chapter each year?
- Each year, your chapter should submit the Chapter Annual Report. Notification of the annual report goes out each spring with the report due on June 1. Submitting this report annually not only keeps your chapter in active status, but also makes your chapter eligible for travel and project grants, as well as chapter awards. Some awards come with a cash prize that can be utilized by chapters to fund chapter activities for the next academic year or used to support local ESG chapter needs.
- If our chapter is feeling stuck in a slump and simply isn't having a very engaging year, what should we do?
- First, know that this is totally normal! All student organizations go through high and low seasons of participation. If you are feeling lost and need some direction, please reach out to the National ESG Office and arrange a call with the Director of Chapter Development or another board member who could provide some ideas and insight based on your challenges.
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