Leadership Webinar Series Part 1Campus Recruitment : Moving Beyond the Meeting

with Drew Stromberg and Devon Tackels SSDP Outreach Coordinators

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Who is SSDP? • We are the only international network of students dedicated to ending the war on

drugs. At heart, SSDP is a grassroots organization, led by a student-run board of directors. We create change by bringing young people together and creating safe spaces for students of all political and ideological stripes to have honest conversations about drugs and drug policy.

• Founded in 1998, SSDP comprises thousands of members at hundreds of campuses in countries around the globe

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SSDP’s US Chapter Network

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Roles of SSDP National • Board of Directors: The board of directors represents SSDP’s chapters at the

national level and crafts strategy for the organization. They also hire and oversee SSDP’s executive director.

• SSDP’s international staff is based in Washington, DC and in Mexico City and is employed to serve, represent, and grow SSDP’s chapter network.

Aaron Houston | Executive DirectorDevon Tackels | Regional Outreach CoordinatorDrew Stromberg | Regional Outreach CoordinatorEdward Spriggs | Office AdministratorSaul Fougnier | Graphic DesignerStacia Cosner | Associate DirectorZara Snapp | International Liaison

Aaron Houston

Stacia Cosner

Drew Stromberg Devon Tackels

Edward Spriggs

Zara Snapp

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Staying Connected• SSDPtalk: this is our national internal google group discussion list of over 700

active SSDP chapter leaders, members, alumni and other supporters. (http://groups.google.com/group/ssdptalk)

• Chapter Leaders Facebook Group: (https://www.facebook.com/groups/SSDPchapterleaders/), it has over 500 members who are all currently leading or starting SSDP chapters at their schools, and it really helps to be able to discuss things and ask questions of students who have been exactly where you are now.

• Dare Generation Diary blog ssdp.org/news/blog

• SSDP National Staff Contact Info: http://ssdp.org/about/staff

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Why Recruit?

• The most important thing your chapter needs is members and supporters.

• Chapter membership in most SSDP chapters ranges from two to five core organizers to 20 or more members. Regardless of your current or ideal membership, you should always make an effort to reach out to like-minded students on your campus.

• Having more members allows for more efficient organizing and support.

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8 Ways to Recruit New Members on Campus

• Tabling

• Hosting Events

• Utilizing Professors and Advisors

• Posters, Flyers, and More!

• Campus Collaboration

• Getting Personal

• Freshman Orientation and Student Organization Fairs

• Online Social Networking

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Tabling

• Tabling is essential to recruiting new members and promoting your chapter’s meetings, events, campaigns and presence on campus.

• Secure a table and find a high traffic location on campus to set up. You should be able to reserve a table and space through your school. Table at events like club fairs, orientation days and during concerts.

• Display literature and materials from SSDP and other organizations such as stickers, buttons, leaflets, and booklets. If you have one, wear an SSDP t-shirt while tabling.

• Build your email list by having an Action Alert Sheet available at the table.

• Invest in a sturdy vinyl banner with SSDP’s name, logo, and website. Try applying for funding through your school to pay for a banner. Cover your table with a tablecloth whenever possible. This will make your table look professional.

Example Table Set-Up

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Tabling Continued

•Find talking points on drug policy issues on the SSDP website.

•Talk about current events and news regarding SSDP and drug policy.

•Ask “What drug policy issues are important to you?”

•Sound enthusiastic about being involved with SSDP and encourage other students to join.

USC SSDP Members tabling

KSU SSDP Members Tabling

Following Up

•After a day of tabling, make sure you take a few minutes to follow up with the people you talked to. Take all email addresses and add them to your chapter’s email list or Google Group immediately.

•Send invites to join your chapter’s Facebook Group

•Ask “What drug policy issues are important to you?”

•If you had a great conversation with someone it’s a good idea to send them an email and let them know about the next meeting.

What Do I Talk About?

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Hosting Chapter Events• Organizing an event is an easy and fun way to draw in new

members.

• For many people, an event is more appealing than going to a meeting for a group they are unfamiliar with.

• An event, like a movie screening or keynote speaker, draws people in and they’re able to learn more about drug policy reform and SSDP.

• At the event, you can pass around an email signup sheet to gather campus supporters and announce when your next meeting will take place. This is a great way to get higher attendance at meetings.

Urban Crime Fighters: How Our Drug Laws Effect Your City

Law Enforcement Against Prohibition: Why Cops Want to Legalize Drugs The War on Drugs is a War on Women

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Common Chapter Events

• Hosting a Speaker or Panel Discussion

• Documentary Film Screening

• Hold a Debate

• Host Rally, Speak Out, or Protest

• Reality Based Drug Education Event

• Educational Seminar

• Roundtable Discussion Series

• Hemp Ice Cream Social

• Fundraising Events

• Resource: http://ssdp.org/resources/chapter-event-tips/

Chapter Roundtable

Marijuana Law Reform in the Midwest: Legalize or Decriminalize?

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Taking Advantage of Professors and Advisors

• What’s a great way to get students to attend your meeting or event? Ask any professors or your chapter’s faculty advisor if you can make an announcement in class about SSDP, why you’re getting involved and what you want the chapter to work on.

• You can also make announcements in your classes and pass out some materials and an email signup sheet for any interested students.

• Often students get professors to offer extra credit to students who attend events. Ask your professor if they will offer extra credit to attend your SSDP event.

• Professors are great resources. Have them come speak to your chapter about the drug war.

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Posters, Flyers, and More! • Posters are vital to helping you get noticed on

campus. You should be making flyers for every meeting, event, or action you take part in

• You’ll find posters already made and available to download on the SSDP website but don’t be afraid to make your own if you’ve got time.

• Be creative and include shocking facts about drug policy that students on campus might not know about.

• Always include information on your weekly meetings and an email address for interested students to contact you with any questions.

• Mix it up! Put up a new poster with different facts each week.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Campus Collaboration

• Attend the meetings of other groups on campus and let them know about your SSDP chapter.

• Contact them in advance of their meeting to ask if you can give a short presentation, hand out materials and collect emails.

• Reach out to any political groups (College Democrats, Young Republicans, Students for Liberty), social justice groups (Amnesty International), ethnic groups (black student alliances, Latino groups) and environmental groups (eco-club, Greenpeace). These groups partner with SSDP chapters all the time!

• The war on drugs effects everyone and you’re likely to find allies and new members if you can effectively convey this.

• Be sure to ask what your chapter can do to help them in their efforts as well.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Getting Personal

• Reach out to friends personally and tell your members to do the same.

• If 5 people come to your first meeting and express interest in returning, ask them to bring a friend to the next meeting. If they each do that, you’ll double your membership!

• Challenge yourself and your members to bring a new person every week.

• Use your social networking channels to invite friends to events and meetings.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Freshman Orientation and Student Club Fairs

• Be sure to mark the dates of freshman orientation down on your calendar.

• Make sure you order a tabling care package from SSDP National: http://ssdp.org/resources/care-packages

• Often times, your school will schedule a “club fair” during the orientation days so incoming freshman can learn about the different clubs and organizations on campus.

• This is a great opportunity to set up a table and interested students will come flocking to you!

• Freshman students are often some of the most active SSDPers because they have ample time to volunteer.

• This is also a great time to network with other student organizations for campus collaboration!

Kennesaw State SSDPers Tabling

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Online Social Networking• Make sure to utilize online social networking sites like Facebook and

Twitter.

• Creating a Facebook group should be a first step for every chapter.

• Facebook groups allow you to easily keep your chapter membership updated on meetings, events, current news and more.

• You can upload photos and utilize the discussion boards. Friends can be invited through your list of friends or by email addresses. Think of a Facebook group as your chapter’s own interactive (and free) website. Ask your outreach director about a custom redirecting URL for your group so that it’s easier for people to remember, ex: www.ssdp.org/facebook/vcu

• Events: Once you have created a group, you will be able to make event pages hosted by your group. Every event your chapter hosts should have a Facebook event to allow for an easy place where people can find the time, location and description of the event. This also helps to give you an idea of how many people will be attending and makes it easy to send out reminders.

• Status Updates: Use status updates to share details about upcoming events, campaign information, promote your weekly meeting or to share a news story relevant to your chapter’s work.

• Sharing: See a story that you think will inspire your chapter members? Share the link on the wall of your chapter’s group.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012