Starting a DECA chapter is an exciting yet challenging experience. You will develop leadership skills guiding you through college and your professional life. Your social and organizational skills will increase, and you will have many opportunities to make friends and network with people along the way. Starting a chapter can feel overwhelming, but DECA Inc. has resources prepared for you to help. Here are 8 steps to creating a chapter to help you get started!
1. Find an Advisor
Finding an advisor that is prepared to take on the advisor role and oversee DECA activities is fundamental. Their responsibilities include registering the organization on the DECA website, proctoring exams and managing the yearly budget. Other responsibilities they may take on are attending meetings, events and more. When looking for an advisor, try to look for someone well-versed in business, such as a professor in the College of Business, who is prepared to take on such responsibilities.
2. Register with Your University
Registering an organization can look different for each university. Thankfully, universities often encourage such initiatives and advancements in student life, so it’s easier than you think. I suggest contacting your student life office or looking on your university’s website to find out how to do so.
3. Register with DECA Inc.
Registering your chapter requires an advisor and ten individuals interested in becoming members. I recommend contacting your network to see if anyone would be interested in becoming a founding member of your DECA chapter. From there, your advisor will fill out the chapter request form and create an account in the DECA membership portal to access all membership and international event sign-ups and information.
4. Begin Recruitment
During the first few weeks of the semester, many involvement fairs will be held for students interested in getting involved on campus. This is the golden opportunity to recruit members. Make sure to showcase DECA’s strengths in building professionalism, leadership and growth in the fields of business that are beneficial not only to business students but to students in any area of study.
5. Plan your Yearly Budget
Planning events, hosting meetings and getting involved with DECA is not without cost. It is important to set a budget and work towards earning it from early on. When selecting a budget, estimate how many students you think will be involved with the organization for that year. This number may fluctuate, but it is important to have a rough estimate based on student’s interest in the organization thus far. Next, you need to see what things you may do throughout the year that require funds. Ask yourself financial-based questions that align with the goals of your chapter. Once you have all these factors decided, you can now begin fundraising.
6. Begin Fundraising
While each university is different, your university may provide you with funds if you apply for a budget early in the year. However, outside of university funding, it is important to reach out to businesses and your community regarding sponsorships and donations for the organization. You can incentivize such funding by informing companies of the impact DECA has on growing future leaders and providing benefits such as promotions on DECA merch.
7. Host your First Meeting
Your first meeting should be about giving an educational and fun introduction to DECA. In this meeting, explain what DECA is and how it can benefit individuals as students, leaders and professionals. You can outline DECA’s similarities and differences to HS DECA and dive into the fun events that the organization hosts. Take this opportunity to explain to others how DECA has impacted you. I also highly recommend having food or treats at this meeting to get people even more excited to attend (what college kid doesn't like some free food!)
8. Recruit an Officer Team
Going your first year without an officer team is possible, but doing everything yourself can get overwhelming and difficult. There are many responsibilities, such as working with funding, updating social media platforms, planning and hosting meetings and events, preparing for ICDC and more. An officer team is crucial to having a successful first year as an organization. Put out an officer application and elect a strong team with your advisor so that you can distribute tasks effectively and work to get things done.
If you need help throughout this process, please get in touch with our Collegiate DECA Recruitment and Engagement Coordinator, Michelle Le! She is here to guide and assist you in anything you need while starting a chapter. Also, please get in touch with any of your Collegiate DECA Executive Officers with questions! Taking this initiative is already a sign of your passion for DECA, and we cannot wait to see you succeed as you take on this challenge.
