Effective Leadership in Student Run Clubs to Improve Retention

As club president of the Business Society at Penn State DuBois , one of my goals is to improve the retention rate of club members from the fall semester to the spring semester. As vice president last year, I experienced a lack of turnout of club members at the meetings. This makes it difficult to coordinate events and brainstorm ideas among members. The president was absent in his duties last year so that may have played a role in the organization, however, with a newly elected and committed executive board, I believe that we can effectively create a followership that successfully accomplishes the goals of Business Society. In doing so, it is important to analyze the different aspects of leadership theory that can help guide my efforts. 

 It is also important to note the club’s goals for this year have been identified as continuity and consistency. The executive board has decided that in order for the club to create a continuing legacy of successful events, we need consistent member turnout and participation. Thus, the leaders of the club need a strong followership. 

 

When utilizing the functions of leadership to create club retention and followership, it can be noted that there are some key ways to produce movement. First, a club leader needs to create a vision and set strategies for the year; next is to communicate those goals to the members and seeking commitment through creating event and club subcommittees to allow them to feel included in the movement; and finally empowering the followers to take an active role in the club to push for the change and help satisfy their unmet needs. (Northouse, P. G. (2021) page 17). These steps can help establish clear goals and help align the members towards the purpose of the club. For example, the Business Society is planning on coordinating events and  a few in-club workshops that will benefit both club members and the campus, allowing members to help lead specific tasks for the events and providing feedback will help create an inclusive atmosphere. 

 

Additionally, creating a leader-follower dynamic that allows regular club members to be a part of the leadership process that creates an interaction between the leaders and followers to achieve the desired outcomes. (PSU WC, 2022, L. 3 p.6). Having members be influenced and influence the decisions made by the executive board is an effective way to a balanced relationship that satisfies the needs of the members while providing valuable feedback to the leaders. Creating an open communication is imperative for this to work. Being accessible and open to criticisms will give members power to give their perspective and opinion which is also beneficial for the executive members. 

 

Moreover, an article by the University of Wisconsin noted an acronym that helps with student organization retention: GRAPE. Through growth, recognition, achievement, participation, and enjoyment, clubs can effectively lead the members to achieve goals and motivate them to take an active role. Encouraging growth within the club and within members allows them to reap the rewards based on the challenges posed by the organization. Recognizing individual members creates a rewarding and incentivization of action within the club that motivates them to move to the next step of achieving personal and organizational goals. The growth and recognition will then encourage members to participate in the events that will hopefully lead to enjoyment of the activities. Essentially creating a followership strategy that mutually benefits the executive board as well as the regular club members will be critical for achieving the goals of business society. 

 

Increasing the Business Society’s followership can also be supplemented by utilizing some of the more recent perspectives on followership. Allowing the members to challenge, support, and learn from the executive board can be a great way for them to accomplish the growth aspect which is valuable. (Northouse, P. G. (2021) pages 367-368). Utilizing multiple approaches and the combination of those approaches can help address different needs of different members which helps keep them satisfied and aligned to the goals of the club. As referenced before, allowing feedback from members can help them take ownership of the events, projects, and goals set forth by the club and increase commitment and participation. Creating a sense of belonging will be important to encourage this atmosphere of open communication. This could be created to be welcoming and allow club members to find a role within the club that fits their interests and needs. 

 

After breaking down different aspects of leadership and followership in order to identify different strategies to increase retention, I believe that creating a welcoming environment and forming groups within the club to organize events and run different aspects of the club (i.e. marketing and logistics) will help align new members to the goals and create commitment. Allowing the members to make decisions and challenge or criticize the executive board will create new perspectives that help members feel included and needed to achieve the goals. All of these are key insights that can be taken back to student-run clubs, committees at work, and other organizations that involve retention of members to function optimally. I look forward to taking the lessons learned from this forum and future course material and applying to my leadership roles on campus as well as other potential ones in years to come to become more effective. 

 

References

Northouse, P. G. (2021). Leadership: Theory & Practice (9 ed.). Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications, Inc.

Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2022). PSYCH 485 Lesson 3: Followership. Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2181168/modules/items/35188519 

Student Life. (2018, July 10). Membership Recruitment & Retention. Student Organization Resource & Policy Guide. Retrieved May 21, 2022, from https://guide.cfli.wisc.edu/documents/membership-recruitment-retention/