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Going the Distance: Leveraging Technology Over the Summer It's summer. The sun is shining, the beach beckons, and students are likely spread across distances as they begin to organize their calendars for fall recruitment and chapter events. Help students make the most of this last month before returning to campus by encouraging collaboration electronically to plan out their upcoming semester and academic year of programming.
Tools for Conversing & Communicating - Google Hangouts: Too far away from each other for a full e-board meeting? Google Hangouts allows for up to ten individuals to connect in face to face real time conversation. This free service works on all mobile devices and seamlessly in conjunction to the other google suite of web based applications.
- Skype: For those who need to chat one on one with another individual, Skype is another free client known for video chatting. If you have an officer abroad this summer and need to have a quick phone conversation, this client can also assist in that department.
- FreeConferenceCall.com: If you've got more than 10 officers on your executive team, or want to have a full cabinet meeting, video clients may not support that many individual connections. FreeConferenceCall has put the power of professional, multi-line conference calls at your fingertips and allows for free recording of conversations so minutes can be taken and shared at a later date with chapter or council members or among the group to boost productivity.
Tools for File Sharing & Collaboration - Dropbox: Gathering photos from your members for this year's recruitment slide show or YouTube video? Maybe you want to provide the council with goal setting documents to help with academic success next semester? You can create a free chapter Dropbox account and share the link to files, or share a folder for members to "drop" their information.
- Google Docs & Calendar: Easily share spreadsheets, presentations, and word documents via this online document sharing tool. The documents update in real time, and allow for more than one editor to work on the same document at the same time. Google Calendar can help chapter or council officers select dates for workshops, committee meetings, and large events in advance so as to avoid over scheduling the chapter and creating a balanced semester and year.
Vision & Project Boards - Trello: Planning your fall philanthropy or recruitment events? Trello allows for list making and note entry. Create lists for items to be done weeks, months, or days in advance, share with your committee, and watch productivity bloom. This free web based app is great for tracking chapter or council goal progress and saving notes for those year-end reports!
- Pinterest's Communal Boards: A quick and easy way to gain input from your chapter members, create a communal Pinterest board and invite chapter members to add their ideas for an upcoming event, or use it as a virtual brotherhood/sisterhood event to share favorite things, fun facts, or individual goals and dreams so you can get to know your chapter better!
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| Has your campus hired a new Fraternity and Sorority Life Professional over the summer? NGLA would love to give them a warm welcome (or welcome back!) in our upcoming "back to school" newsletter. Please submit their name and information at the form below so we know all about their new position! |
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Volunteer of the Month: Ben Pendry Ben Pendry has been serving as the chair of the Advisor Academy Workgroup since it's inception in 2013. Ben has demonstrated outstanding leadership and vision that resulted in a competitive RFP process, creation of highly regarded curriculum, and delivery of an acclaimed program that launched in Pittsburgh, PA in February 2014. Ben then went a step further and secured additional sponsorship funding for the 2014 program. Ben continues to lead the Advisor Academy Workgroup in developing a long-term strategy for the Academy's delivery throughout the northeast region. Though Ben neither works, nor lives in the northeast, he has been a tireless supporter of the work of NGLA and we are grateful for his volunteerism. |
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Call for Programs Now Open The 2015 NGLA Call for Programs is now live. Please submit an educational program that supports the mission and vision of NGLA and that will enhance the educational experience of conference attendees. We are interested in keynote, featured speaker, and general session programs that support values alignment and leadership development as well as those that provide specific officer training.
The Call for Programs will be live until August 31, 2014. Please note that this date is a slightly earlier submission date than in past years.
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Tackling the Summer To-Do List Ahhh summer! The students have (mostly) departed campus for home, internships, or other learning experiences and you finally are going to cross off some of those major items on your long term to-do list.
And then you're asked to join a search committee or work on a new initiative. You have to file your year-end report, and there's the vacation that you had planned with your friends and family months ago. Blink, and before you know it, it's the Fourth of July. Suddenly the endless time that had presented itself in May after commencement is fading away and that to-do list you'd excitedly penned two months ago still hasn't been completed. What to do? - Pen to Paper (or Tablet): In today's tech savvy world, some of us keep our to-do lists and ideas on an electronic device, while some of us are still using the tried-and-true pen and paper method. It's easy to have ideas and goals in multiple locations. Choose one and make a list with a plan.
- Prioritize: What's the most pressing or the number one thing you want to be sure to accomplish between now and the end of August? Being aware of what has to get done and ensuring that it's given top priority will ensure that your biggest goal is met, but you can balance it out with the "fun" things you want to get done to keep yourself motivated.
- Plan it Out: Depending on your institution's calendar, there's about a month left between now and when students move back in. Break your major goals down to smaller tasks and make a schedule for yourself, being realistic about how much time between now and move in day you can devote to achieving your goals.
- Phone a Friend: Do you have someone that can keep you on task? Give them a call and tell them the goals you are setting for the month. Speaking it out loud to someone increases your potential for success, and they can motivate you and check-in with you to keep you on task.
Best of luck getting those goals met and remember to take some time for YOU this summer as well!
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Brag Board Convention season is upon us! Have the undergraduates at your institution been recognized for the work they do within their organizations? Share their successes with us so we can celebrate with you in next month's issue!
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