Council Programming

51st College Councils Conference

September 30 – October 2, 2016

Introductions

• Christiaan van Nispen, PGK• George Washington University Council 13242 (DC)

• Senior; B.S. Biology / B.S.-M.D. Program

• cvannispen9@gwu.edu

• Michael White, PGK• Trustee, University of St. Thomas Council 13940 (TX)

• Junior; General Business

• captainmichaeltx@gmail.com

Structure of Presentation

• The Columbian and Star Council Awards

• Leadership in Programming

• The “Life Cycle” of an Event• Getting an Event Idea

• Planning and Scheduling

• Marketing and Promotion

• Logistics

• Conclusion

The Columbian Award

• Pinnacle recognition of programming

• Indicative of a broad, robust programming throughout the fraternal year

• To be a Star Council, your council must achieve the Columbian Award in conjunction with membership and insurance goals(Submit Survey of Fraternal Activity, SP7, audits, election of officers report)

www.kofc.org/forms

Star Council

❑Meet membership and insurance quotas by June 30

❑ All financial obligations satisfied by June 30

❑ Annual survey of fraternal activity (1728) by 1/31

❑ Officers Report by June 30; Program Personnel Report by 8/15

Can be satisfied using Member Management

❑ Columbian Award Application (SP7) by 6/30

❑ Audits completed 2/15 and 8/15

Leadership of Programming

• Don’t do it alone!

• The GK may appoint program officers to assist him in planning and executing the programming year

• Use of committees

• Establish point person for every event

Culture of Life Chairman

Church Director

Community Director

Program Director

GK

Youth Director

Family Director

Council Director

Life Cycle of an Event

Idea

Planning

LogisticsPromotion

Recap

How do I get ideas?Remember the Pillars and the Program Areas!

• Church

• Community

• Council

• Culture of Life

• Family

• Youth

• Charity

• Unity

• Fraternity

• Patriotism

*Not every event is large in scale!

Ideas

• Incorporating normal activities into regular events (mass, rosary, etc)

• Sporting events (campus or intramural or within council)• Dinner (made by council or group of guys go to restaurant)• Ask your chaplain

Plan Early

• Long term planning starts with a successful business meeting at the end and beginning of each school year.– Create a goal/vision for the year

– Approve a council budget, which should include a programming budget

– GK and Program Director plan during summer

– Set deadlines and follow up

Plan Often

• Committees should be used to plan individual events.– Assign someone in charge of the events early

– If it is a frequent/weekly event, planning should continue…refine and improve!

– If it is a one time big event, establish committee and receive updates leading up to it.

Three Events a Month Strategy

• Start by planning three events per month:

– Faith

– Charitable

– Fraternal

• Start simply, events will grow and repeat

• Highly successful councils grow to have 1-2 events weekly

THE KEY TO A SUCCESSFUL YEAR IS A HEALTHY BLEND OF WELL-PLANNED AND WELL-EXECUTED

LARGE- AND SMALL-SCALE EVENTS!

Event Logistics

• Get volunteers to sign up

– Setup, Event, Cleanup

• Plan for worst case scenarios

– If outdoor event, what’s plan for rain/snow?

• Permissions for event (ex. university, Catholic student center, parish)

Food

• Is there a fee/cost, or is permission required to bring food in?• Does the space have the capacity to cook, and or serve the

meal you want?• If not what will you need?

Event Space

• Reserve the right space for the right event (i.e. Newman Center or space on campus)

• Make sure those attending event can find the space (signs pointing to the event help)

• Double, triple, check room reservations

Finances

• Be sure to have enough money budgeted before approving event (costs include ads, food, prizes, income from tix sales)

• Consult council by-laws regarding necessary prior council approvals (e.g. council vote or simple GK approval)

• Seek outside funding before using council treasury (University cosponsorship or allocation, Catholic Center, etc.)

Promotion

• Event dictates type and frequency

– Is RSVP required

• Personal invites more successful, but quality mass media is also important (e.g. MailChimp)

• Don’t forget social media

• Posters, school newspaper

ListServ Promotion

CAUTION: Excessive listserv emails lead to unsubscribers!

Social Media Promotion

Commenting (more so than liking) drives up Facebook viewership!

Postering for Promotion

• Hang in clearly visible areas around campus

• Use clearly visible fonts(Serif, Sans Serif, Calibri, Cambria; use 1-2 font types maximum)

• Consider background color vs. font color(Keep font to one color)

• Be sure to follow university guidelines

• www.canva.com - free account and free designs

Some Knights Posters

Microsoft Word Template Canva

Bad Poster Designs

Event Recap

• How can event be improved in future

• What went well/what went poorly

• Participant/Attendee Surveys

• Plan for growth next time

Event Example

2016 Texas Knights Of Columbus College Conference

Smaller Event Planning Example

Columbus Day BBQ1.Event idea and purpose2.Establish budget 3.Establish committee4.Seek out funding sources5.Reserve space and materials; purchase food6.Proper promotion

Conclusion

• Effective council programming is necessary to achieve Columbian and Star Council awards

• Your events should be both large and small

• Advance planning and delegation – important

• Turnout requires promotion

• Back-up plans for worst-case scenario

• Seek future improvement

Questions?

college@kofc.org(203) 752-4671

cvannispen9@gwu.educaptainmichaeltx@gmail.com