New Chapter Guide

OFTW First Steps

Topics covered:

  1. Identifying a Co-President
  2. Beginning the school recognition process
  3. Print the “I GIVE ONE %” sign
  4. Getting familiar with the Chapter Leaders Resource
Identifying a Co-President

One of the first and most important steps in starting a One for the World chapter is finding at least one Co-President to build the chapter with you. This is important for many reasons, but the main reasons are 1) having someone to split the work with; 2) having access to more than one social network; and 3) having another perspective and set of skills.

            Some of the criteria that usually make for a good Co-President are:

Ability to execute

Large network on campus

Belief in Effective Altruism / effective giving

Interested in building a new organization

Entrepreneurial

Someone you get along with!

Most founders rely on their social network, which is fine, but the more diverse your leadership team is in terms of year, major, etc. the better! Also, don’t worry too much about their knowledge of extreme poverty or Effective Altruism: your main focus should be finding someone who gets stuff done!
            Also, you can have more than two Co-Presidents! Most chapters stick with 1-3 presidents, but if you can find people that are able to contribute a few hours a week on the OFTW chapter building process and willing to assist in all areas of the chapter operation (Outreach, Marketing, Growth and Strategy, etc.) then, by all means, get them on board!

  1. School recognition process

One of the first steps required to build a OFTW chapter is to get recognized by your school’s administration/school club board. This is important because at most universities, privileges like reserving rooms, tabling, hosting speakers, etc. are contingent on the student group being formally recognized. Unfortunately, the bureaucracy at some schools can be pretty tortuous so the sooner you get this process started the better! Here is a sample OFTW constitution.

Once you are recognized, it is important to apply for school funding to help cover expenses for activities/events. OFTW will agree to cover the budget shortfall, should there be one.

  1. Printing the “I GIVE ONE %” sign

Make sure to get your very own “I GIVE ONE %” sign. This iconic piece of marketing material is extremely valuable as a brand-building tool. One of OFTW’s goals is to have every student become aware of the idea of effective giving before they graduate and the I GIVE ONE % sign is often the first step in that engagement process, both in-person and online! Here is the link to the “I GIVE ONE %” sign instructions. Here are some examples of the “I GIVE ONE %” sign being put to good use by the One for the World chapters at Harvard, Villanova, and Wellesley.

  1. Get familiar with the rest of the Chapter Leaders Resource (this site)

            The CLR is the central location for anything and everything One for the World related. For example:

Next Steps

  1. Ordering stickers

            Stickers (on laptops, phone cases, water bottles, etc.) are an extremely effective way to build the OFTW brand on campus and allow students who’ve taken the pledge to show support. Follow these instructions to order “I GIVE ONE %” stickers for your chapter. OFTW HQ will cover the cost of the stickers. The stickers will usually print and ship within two weeks.

            Also, OFTW marketing material works best when it resonates with your school community. See this example from Villanova of an individualized sticker. If you create an image for your university and upload it to our sticker vendors’ website, you can print and order that instead.

  1. Printing Marketing Materials            

Print the I GIVE ONE % sign  and the standing banner.

  1. Executing a Kick-off Event (KOE)

Once you’ve identified your co-president(s) and started the process of being recognized by your school, your highest priority will be planning a Kick-off Event (KOE). A chapter KOE is usually your first public event and it will act as both (a) an introduction to OFTW for the general student body and (b) as an initial recruiting event for potential Executive Board members and Student Ambassadors.

            The comprehensive OFTW Kick-off Event Guide will help you prepare content, execute the logistics and effectively market the event.

Within the KOE Guide, you will find links to the Kick-off Event Sample Program and the Intro to OFTW Deck. These two resources give you a potential outline of the event. You are not required to follow the sample program or use the slides - they are resources for you to leverage as you see fit.

  1. Recruiting an Executive Board

Once you’ve started planning the KOE, begin to build out your Executive Board. Your Executive Board (EB) is the group of students that will drive the success of the chapter. You will work with the EB to plan, organize, and execute the different OFTW events and initiatives throughout the academic year. They will be the key to your success.

We have noticed that a tendency for chapter leaders to rely on their own social network for initial EB recruitment and we encourage you to broaden your search beyond your immediate network to improve your pipeline of candidates and secure a diverse leadership team. Drawing your EB from a broad cross-section of your school provides a much higher capacity to engage students and raise donations. There are a number of ways to recruit for positions:

  • Talk to your classmates and friends - ask them if they’re interested, and also ask them if they know anyone that might be a good fit
  • Post on class Facebook or Instagram pages
  • Make an announcement before or after one of your classes, with your professor's permission
  • Email like-minded student groups on campus
  • Use mailing lists for other activities you are involved in, such as sports teams
  • Execute a great Kick-off Event!

OFTW Ivey recently went through a successful executive board recruitment process. Their key learnings include; do your research on OFTW, connect with and learn from successful chapter leaders, determine your ideal executive board structure, build a simple website, formalize a recruiting process, review resumes, conduct interviews, get to know your team. Find their entire review here.

Resources for recruiting your Executive Board: