Last month, we were able to Experience the DECA Month Difference! DECA Month was truly a phenomenal way to showcase our advice, tips, adoration and gratitude for the organization we all know and love. With that being said, we are now nearing a new yar, and a new year calls for new plans and ideas!
District Conferences are beginning, Association Conferences are nearing and DECA ICDC is officially five months away. Now that it’s December, it’s time for our advisors, members and association and chapter officer teams to start preparing for the competition season. With the academic year of 2023-2024 being halfway through, I wanted to provide a list of ideas for member engagement and what items to think about planning for as we make headway toward 2024:
1. Collaboration with Other Chapters
A lot of the time, schools within the same district or community often know each other. In that regard, it’s important to capitalize on this fact. You can grow membership engagement if you reach out to local chapters for mock competitions, community service activities or networking events. Working together and collaborating is a great way to truly Experience the DECA Difference and meet members from around your association. Specifically, it would be even better to collaborate before association conferences begin!
2. Mock Competitions
If you can find community leaders and industry professionals who would like to judge a mock competition, what better way to get more competition practice? Having mock competitions with your chapter before district and association conferences can prepare members for competitive event season. This will also give members a way to gain business exposure and competitive event practice.
3. Competitive Event Themed Meetings
If you’re trying to keep competitive member engagement high, it would be smart to thoroughly plan out meetings catered towards competing. There are various ways to do so! Officers can create Kahoots for exam questions, do roleplay practices, develop ideas for visual aids or create executive summaries for practice. If you can get members ready for competition and make it fun, members will not only be competition-ready but excited for the conferences to come.
4. CTE Month Plans
On a separate note, CTE Month is in February. Before the new year hits, it would be smart for chapter and association officer teams to come up with ways to advocate for DECA. Advocacy is absolutely crucial for membership growth and retention. I recommend that your chapter/association make several plans for advocacy. Some options include attending your capitol, contacting legislative officials, contacting local businesses to sponsor competitive events, finding more judges for association conferences or connecting with middle schools to inform incoming high schoolers about DECA.
As we head towards the new year, I encourage you to come up with fabulous ideas and initiatives to keep your members engaged. A new year means new ways to help members Experience the Difference!
