Being Chapter Morim is the lifeline to a chapter, and an incredible responsibility. Using my two terms of experience as MIT Mom, here’s a list of things that will give you the best terms!
This is something that is so important for recruitment! A Morim position is a huge responsibility, with recruitment being a priority. It’s important to avoid burnout; your board is here to support you in recruitment. While it’s important to not push your own work on others, there are so many ways to get your board involved. Things like phonesquads and communication are a great way to lessen the workload and make recruitment a full board effort.
While wanting to meet a specific quota is important, it can be easy to reduce real people into numbers. Remember, each MIT is their own person, and wants to feel like one. Instead of just looking at the numbers of recruitment, make sure everything is personalized to form real connections. It is so important to build real friendships with new members so they feel appreciated by the chapter.
It can be easy for MITs to feel disconnected from older members, or feel left out. There are so many great ways to utilize programming to build friendships between upperclassmen and underclassmen, like bigs and littles. Having these connections is a great way to connect MITs to their chapter.
It’s really important to build a strong bond with MITs and get them involved in BBYO, but be careful not to scare people away. It can be so exciting to get new members, but remember, chapter involvement is completely different for everyone. While some MITs may want to immediately go into a chair and eventually run for board, others might just want to occasionally attend an event. Make sure not to push MITs into more involvement than they’re ready for, or it can actually push them away from BBYO.
With all members in the chapter, it is really important to get people involved! Chairs are a great way to get any age of members involved without the commitment of a board position. They allow everyone to be involved in planning events, and build friendships. It’s also great if someone is considering running for board and wants to see the process of being on board.
Spring Term and Fall term while both are amazing, usually have different priorities. Fall term usually comes with much more recruitment because of the school year and people getting ready to join BBYO. Spring term usually has less recruitment and prioritizes retention rather than recruitment because of things like burnout and the end of the year. Overall, it is so important to treat these terms differently! Focusing on recruitment and retention in both terms is important, but make sure to tailor how you spend your time to the time of the year.
Being a chapter Morim can be exhausting, and combined with things like schoolwork or slump, may make you burn out. It is really important to keep pace with your position to avoid burnout from happening. Set goals and routines to keep you from falling behind. Doing things like spending time outside and staying connected to your chapter is my personal favorite way of avoiding burnout. Overall, keep yourself accountable for your responsibilities and ask others for help if you need it.
Whether you're reaching out for events or have a chapter phone squad system, avoid sending copy-and-paste messages. People can tell when the message is meant for them or being sent to everyone. Instead of immediately jumping into “Are you coming to ______?”, start a genuine conversation. You can ask how their week’s been, or talk about how they were missed at an event they didn't attend. Whether texting prospects or members, the connection can be the difference between them not coming to events or having BBYO be a priority. Make sure to stress to any board member doing outreach to avoid copy and pasting!
One of the most important things to do as MIT Moms is to be friends with everyone in your chapter. Part of that is knowing details about prospects and members that make them seem like your friend, not just another member. A unique way to do this is by accommodating everyone at events. Knowing about who has allergies or food restrictions and making sure food is available to them is one of the most sincere ways to show care for another member. Thinking about the needs of members or prospects and meeting them shows that you know each member and want to help them. Similarly, knowing the interests and hobbies of the people you’re around is a great way to build connections and lasting friendships.
A really common mistake around recruitment is spending too much time around just the people you’re close with. This shows that you’re uninterested in new members and can push people away from your chapter. Instead, talk with your board about splitting up to talk to everyone. No member should be on their phone or alone. Build your time at the event around meeting everyone, getting to know them, and making sure they’re having fun. This is one of the most important things you can do as a Morim and should be the focus at every event!
Chapter Morim is a huge responsibility, but my favorite position holds a special place in my heart. These Do’s and Don’ts are to guide you on your journey as Morim and make your chapter the best it can be.
Charlotte Silcox is a BBG from South Jersey and enjoys creative writing!
All views expressed on content written for The Shofar represent the opinions and thoughts of the individual authors. The author biography represents the author at the time in which they were in BBYO.
