President #002 - Giulia Portelli
President of La Trobe University Psych Society
LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gportelli/
“Be kind to yourself and know that you can ask for help.”
Insight #1
Be sure to pay attention to your constitution, and any obligations that exist in your framework, such as membership to your University Student Union etc. It's really important to make sure that you're getting in any necessary paperwork, particularly when it comes to grant/funding applications. And if you're ever confused about the processes, be sure to ask!
Insight #2
Focus on your fellow committee members. A volunteer role is a big responsibility, on top of university and everything else. Make sure they feel supported, listened to and nurtured in their role. They're likely doing a lot for the club and are key in working together for its success, so think about what you're also giving back to them. Maybe you've heard of some good resources they might find useful, you could acknowledge their efforts in meetings or even put aside some time at the start of every meeting as a casual 'committee catch-up'.
Insight #3
Utilise your network. Reach out to the academic and professional staff at your University. If staff endorse something students are more likely to think it's a good thing to get involved in. They can also be a great support and possibly a good future reference!
Campus Challenge
Invite stakeholders to your events
Take care of yourself too! Be kind to yourself and know that you can ask for help. Planning ahead by avoiding events in busy times might also ease the pressure for you later on.
Engaging with your stakeholders is vital. So what’s a stakeholder?
A stakeholder is anyone who is a supporter (financial, resources etc.) of your society. If you are a faculty aligned academic society, this might include Deans, Professors and Tutors. If you are a sporting club, stakeholders might include professional bodies, university faculty staff or representatives (university/state/national level) that you engage with. The same is true for Not-for-Profits or Cultural Clubs (with overarching bodies).
Do an audit of all your events for the previous year.
(1) How many different stakeholders did you invite to attend?
(2) How many attended?
(3) Set S.M.A.R.T. goals for the next 12 months to improve these figures.
(4) Bonus Marks: Ask stakeholders for feedback on how to improve the events AND increase the value to stakeholders.
