Sweet, sweet summer—the time to relax, catch some sun, and step up your NSSLHA game. Wait, what?!
Yeah, you heard us right! Summer is the perfect time to reflect on your NSSLHA chapter’s past experiences and think about the upcoming year. Use your time off to get a head start and dream about what you hope your chapter accomplishes this upcoming year. In the long run, you and your chapter may just be rewarded through National NSSLHA’s Chapter and Member Honors!
Here are some tips to get started now to help create smooth sailing throughout the rest of the school year:
Affiliate Your Chapter
First things first—submit your NSSLHA chapter affiliation with National NSSLHA! It’s easy and ensures your chapter stays in the loop about all of the important events and resources available to chapter members. Your chapter even gets a fancy custom logo to use and acknowledgement on the website!
Clean Your Chapter’s Office Space
Use this time to go through any NSSLHA-designated spaces—office rooms, closets, drawers, or binders. Organize any loose paperwork and file things away that are older than 5 years. Throw away or donate any leftover perishable items or NSSLHA gear from past fundraisers. Consider making an inventory list of what you own to prevent your chapter from spending $$$ on items you already own!
Update Your NSSLHA Chapter Materials
Don’t forget—NSSLHA’s brand was updated a couple of years ago. We have a fancy new website and blog; and fun stuff on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn! At this point, your chapter should be phasing out anything that uses the old logo and colors and starting to use NSSLHA’s newly branded materials.
This is where that fancy custom logo comes into play. Use your chapter’s custom logo to update your social media accounts, giveaways, fliers, and tablecloths—really, anything that uses the new NSSLHA logo!
That said, we realize chapters aren’t made of money. So first, update the things that don’t cost a penny (social media, fliers, etc.). Then, as your costlier items (tablecloths, giveaways) start falling apart and you need to order new ones anyway, implement your new custom chapter logo.
Feel free to send any questions about how chapters should use the NSSLHA brand to nsslha@asha.org. Our National Office staff is happy to help!
Get Organized
Take time out of your busy schedule to create a master NSSLHA binder full of everything relevant to your chapter. This includes contact information, members’ email addresses, links to relevant websites, and the roles and responsibilities of your leadership positions. Store your meeting minutes and other important documents that may be searched for throughout the year. If you’re tech savvy, consider making your chapter paperless by creating Google drives that include all of this info.
While you’re at it … double check National NSSLHA’s website to make sure all the links and info you have is correct. We’ve been through a lot of changes throughout the past several years, so you might be hanging onto some outdated info. And this may cause you to miss out on some really important goodies!
This organization will help through the transition process each year. Not to mention, your future NSSLHA officers will thank you!
Create Positive Relationships
Take some time to organize a summer leadership retreat for your NSSLHA chapter’s officers. This can be as simple or extravagant as you’d like! If you’re away for the summer, look into scheduling an online meeting that’ll allow you to get to know each other. Start looking up some ideas on how to motivate, inspire, and unite your leaders to achieve new goals this year. The ideas are endless!
Start Planning
Whether you start thinking about your chapter’s meeting schedule or topics, or organizing events, now’s the time to start brainstorming! We have a bunch of ideas for ice breakers, knowledge sharing, socials, fundraisers, and service projects online—check it out!
We also have an entire section on the website dedicated to helping NSSLHA chapters, including
- a bylaws template,
- tips on how to run a meeting,
- suggestions on how to create chapter goals,
- tips for successful chapters, and
- an event idea bank.
Don’t miss out!
Need More Ideas? Reach Out!
One of the benefits of being a National NSSLHA member and chapter is that you have a WHOLE TEAM of student leaders here to help you succeed!
We have Student State Officers (SSOs) in each state, and Regional Councilors (RCs) in each region, to help you connect with National NSSLHA and other chapters within your state and region. Don’t forget that our Executive Council members are here for you too. Talk about growing your network!
Last But Not Least…
Enjoy your summer! As student leaders, you work tirelessly all year long. Remember to take a break and recharge. Through chapter leadership, you’re getting hands-on experience and are on a journey to becoming a well-rounded leader. We have all the faith in the world in your chapters and look forward to working with you this year to help achieve all the amazing accomplishments you hope to attain!