Kick off FBLA-PBL Week with the National President’s Forum! All three division national presidents (FBLA PBL, and Professional Division) will host a live Google Hangout on Monday, February 11, 8:00 pm EST.
Another great way to start the week is with Business Achievement Awards (BAA). BAA is an aggressive, self-directed, results-based business and leadership program designed to compliment academics, while accelerating a student’s leadership skills. Promoting and participating in the Business Achievement Awards is an excellent way to begin FBLA-PBL Week and begin your Fight to the Finish.
The BAA is a great way for you to:
hone your business and leadership skills, from basic (Future level) to expert (America level)
showcase your talents and skills through integrated academic work and project-based activities
receive recognition at the local, state and national level
You can also compete in the ”Fight to the Finish” contest recognizes the top 10 states with the most Business Achievement Awards completed. Using a weighted scale of awards completed (1 for Future and 4 for America level), the top 10 states will receive recognition at the National Leadership Conference Regional meetings. Points are based on state-level membership, so every state earns points based on awards completed, regardless of state membership size.
Do you have questions about the Business Achievement Awards? Speak to your adviser and start earning points for your state today, and don’t forget check out this BAA Tutorial.
The final day of FBLA-PBL Week to dedicate solely to community service!
There are tons of service activities in which your chapter can participate. Some activities include: working with the March of Dimes, volunteering at a homeless shelter, conducting a blood drive, developing community improvement projects, or developing a project with any other service organization.
Serving the community is part of FBLA-PBL’s creed. Serving others,
helps members learn about real-world issues, concerns, and needs;
matches members’ strengths with community needs;
provides practical experience in planning and organizing;
Nadine Goldberg, 2012 FBLA National Parliamentarian
You may only know them as the shortest members at our conferences, but with over 20,000 members, the Middle Level is FBLA’s fastest growing division, and a force to be reckoned with.
I interviewed Steven Tessler, Florida-FBLA Region 5 Vice President from Olympic Heights Community High School, about the many benefits that his local chapter reaps from a partnership with their local Middle Level chapter.
Steven Tessler at the Florida State Capitol
Why did your FBLA chapter decide to get involved with your local ML chapter?
“My chapter decided to help charter/get involved with our local ML chapter because, when I looked back, I realized that I could have been so much more active in FBLA at an earlier age if I had the opportunity to join FBLA at the Middle Level. Therefore, I decided to talk to my chapter about helping our local feeder school to start a ML chapter and offer some of their kids the opportunity I didn’t have in middle school.”
What kinds of things do your chapters do together?
“Our chapters do a few things together. In the beginning, we would head over to their school after our school let out and help them conduct their first few meetings and interview for officer positions. After that, we would visit them to discuss registering for competitive events and how to prepare for district and state competition. We even had a little holiday party together before we let out for Winter Break. At the State Leadership Conference, we will be helping their attendees get acclimated to the SLC environment and show them what it’s like to attend the best leadership conference in the state! In the future, we hope to be able to increase their membership and involvement to rival some of the powerhouse ML chapters of District XX in FLorida FBLA-PBL.”
How has the partnership benefited your chapter? How do you think it might affect your membership in the future?
“I think our partnership with our local ML chapter has benefited our chapter in numerous ways. For starters, it gave some of our officers a real life situation to practice their leadership skills when talking to these middle school students about the numerous benefits FBLA offers to them. Additionally, it provided us with the rewarding feeling that accompanies giving back to where we came from, and providing others with opportunities that you weren’t able to have at that age. Lastly, I think it will have a positive effect on our future membership, as many students from that middle school go on to attend our high school, where they will be more likely to join FBLA and make impacting contributions to our chapter in the future.”
If your chapter has ever teamed up with your local ML chapter, I’d love to hear about it! Send your stories and pictures to FBLAparl@FBLA.org, and you may just be featured in a future blog post!
Without bridges, the best built roads lead nowhere, the most important visions remain invisible, and the best-laid plans fail.
In life, in school, and in FBLA-PBL, connection is everything. Active members can build the bridges and make the connection to ensure that underclassmen who may not be members not only want to join, but want to become even more active earlier next year. Continuing to recruit and retain good members is as critical to your chapter’s long-term success and health.
Because FBLA-PBL members who are committed to and involved in your chapter are more likely to maintain their membership, involving prospective members and all current members in activities is a successful recruitment and retention tool. A successful recruitment and retention plan can be summed up in three words: Motivate, Educate, and Involve.
North Salem High School, Nebraska
Motivate
Prospective members who see that your chapter has plenty of activities for members to participate in are much more likely to join, and current members who are motivated are much more productive. Prepare posters or sponsor a Meet and Greet March Madness Recruitment Booth. Find a place on campus that has a great amount of foot traffic and set up an FBLA-PBL recruitment booth. This is an opportunity for you to meet and greet potential members—focus on those underclassmen to begin building a strong membership base for years to come. When preparing your booth, here are some tips to keep in mind:
Being organized determines whether or not your booth will be successful. It is important to prepare sign up sheets so that you can contact and follow-up on all of your visitors. Also, have applications and a receipt book available for people who want to become members and pay their dues. Finally, make a schedule, making officers and members responsible for being present at the booth and to greet with a smile!
As potential members walk by your booth, make sure you have the “arrows” pointing in your direction. You can attract them with giveaways such as candy, food, and/or a raffle ticket for signing up (be sure to check with your schools guidelines regarding the distributions of these items).
Also, make your booth attractive by having a BIG sign, bright T-shirts, and themed decorations. Don’t forget to have brochures or informational sheets available so that they can “fill up” their minds with FBLA-PBL information. Show them the sights and sounds of FBLA-PBL by incorprating conference videos, chapter scrapbooks, awards, and plaques.
Be a step ahead. After making a stop at your booth, where is their next destination? Use this booth as an opportunity to promote an upcoming event where they can experience the benefits of FBLA-PBL such as an upcoming chapter meeting or event.
Don’t forget about your current members. Members who are motivated are much more productive. Promote the March Madness campaign by sharing the March Madness PSA.
Many chapters sponsor an end-of-the-year banquet, install the new local officers, and present each active member with an FBLA lapel pin. Induct the most outstanding members from each grade into the local FBLA Chapter Wall of Fame. Each nominee could provide a resume and photo that could be laminated onto poster board to be displayed every year. Award each new recipient with a trophy. Make sure to invite school administrators, faculty, parents, and the local newspaper.
As an extra motivator, offer half price dues to all current members who sign up for the next membership year before this year ends.
Educate
Some members don’t rejoin FBLA because they feel uninformed or uninvolved. It’s important communicate frequently with your members. Many reporters produce a newsletter for all members either monthly or quarterly. Even better (and easier), create a Facebook page for your chapter and connect to a Twitter account!
Bring in exciting guest speakers from area businesses to meetings so that your members can see the connection between FBLA and the business world. Now is the perfect time to have members approach local businesses about the possibility of providing discounts to your members for the next school year. This is an excellent project for members, looks great on a resume, and discounts at popular businesses are good membership benefits.
Get your members involved in March for Babies and the FBLA Eco Chapter Project.
Icebreakers are a great way for members to interact and feel like they belong.
Involve
Involve all of your chapter members in committees, fund-raisers, and social activities. It is unfortunate to hear from former members that they didn’t join the chapter again because they didn’t feel a “part” of the group. Assign experienced members to mentor prospective members and introduce them to the many opportunities that FBLA provides. Some chapters have created a “commencement” program, where FBLA members who join in the same year work together on a project or meet for a special occasion. Work on leadership skills by sponsoring icebreakers at meeting where members can interact with one another. Click here for sample icebreakers.
Start planning now to retain your members for the next school year so your members see the connection that FBLA-PBL provides to the future.
The Department of Education is inviting students to develop an innovative solution to an education problem and design a blueprint for a new company or organization – a startup – to deliver that solution.
Students from across the country have until May 1st to submit a business plan and a video pitch for a for-profit or non-profit startup that includes an innovative strategy, product or service designed to address one of these four topics:
Middle Grades Matter
Helping middle school students transition to high school and stay on track to graduate.
Skills, Skills, Skills
Providing students in rural, urban, and/or high-poverty communities with opportunities for internships or other work-based learning experiences that help them develop skills for success in postsecondary education, 21st century careers, and civic life.
Education Pays
Making it easier for students and families to make informed decisions about postsecondary education based on affordability and value, to choose colleges best suited to their needs, priced affordably, and consistent with their education and career goals.
Finish Faster
Increasing the likelihood that postsecondary students complete their degrees, and decreasing the time it takes them to finish, such as by improving and speeding up remedial education.
Submissions will be judged by a panel of prominent educators and entrepreneurs. Awards will be made in four categories:
6th – 8th grade students
9th – 12th grade students
Undergraduate students
Out of school youth
Winning students will be celebrated by senior White House and Department of Education officials, and may qualify for additional recognition opportunities.
For more information on this challenge click here. If you have questions regarding the National Education Startup Challenge, email: EDStartupChallenge@ed.gov
Many years ago, FBLA-PBL’s founder, Dr. Hamden L. Forkner said, “Leadership is not the ability to lead others. Leadership is the ability to get others to lead themselves.”
Texas FBLA members display their pride at the National Leadership Conference
Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda is rich in tradition: from our blue and gold official colors, to our navy blue blazers, to our spirit always on display at FBLA-PBL National Leadership Conferences.
The crest, which includes the words Service, Education, and Progress, emphasizes the values that are the cornerstone of FBLA-PBL’s to mission to prepare members to make a difference in their careers, their communities, and the world.
Why is FBLA-PBL so popular? It’s simple. We have developed a unique value program that motivates students, faculty and administrators, and business professionals to make an impact in the world of business.
Don’t be afraid to call upon your state and national officers for help, to ask questions, or just to talk. These members are here to help you and your chapter Ignite Innovation!
Miami Sunset Senior High School FBLA synchronize their pride with matching sweatshirts
Need some ideas to celebrate FBLA-PBL Pride?
1. Show Your True Colors. If your members are wearing FBLA-PBL colors, blue and gold, put their names in a drawing for a prize to reward them for showing their FBLA-PBL spirit.
3. Celebrate with Food. Have a special FBLA-PBL meeting with food to end the school week. Your officers could present the FBLA-PBL emblem ceremony or pass out the materials and have them review it. They could either present it at a future meeting or video tape it to use for special occasions.
Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda is one of the few associations that can truly call itself a lifetime association. You can join FBLA-PBL in middle school and continue your involvement throughout your professional career.
By now, most of you are familiar with our three student divisions: FBLA-Middle Level for junior high/middle school students, FBLA for high school students, and PBL for postsecondary students. Our fourth division is the FBLA-PBL Professional Division, designed for working professionals.
The Professional Division offers established business people the opportunity to teach and mentor the next generation of business leaders. Professional Division members include alumni, educators, administrators, counselors, business professionals, parents, and government officials. These people are ready and willing to work with you and your members at the local level.
Many Professional Division members mentor FBLA-PBL members through career counseling, job shadowing opportunities, workshops presentations and speeches on current business trends such as business ethics, how to obtain summer internships, and how to dress and prepare for job interviews.
Here are some tips on how you can get involved with your Professional Division and begin working with your professional members and community leaders – which is the purpose of Career Awareness Day.
1. Reach out to local businesses. Contact your local professional members to arrange business tours or ask them for suggestions on businesses to visit. Don’t forget to publicize your visit by posing for a photo, preparing a news release, and posting it to your social networks.
Seminole State College PBL Chapter members visiting a local fire station to present a donation.
2. Recruit speakers and workshop presenters. Whether it’s your state conference or a regular chapter meeting, make sure you invite professional members and other business and community leaders to speak at a local chapter meeting about hot-button business topics.
3. Get career coaching. Have your members work on resumes and ask your professional members or business leaders to critique them. Take it a step further by arranging mock interview sessions between FBLA-PBL members and professional members. Another career-boosting activity is to arrange a job shadow day. These could even turn into summer internships or part-time jobs — you never know!
Sutter Union High School FBLA Chatper — Job Shadow
4. Prepare for Competitive Events. Ask business leaders and professional members to mentor members as they prepare for competitive events. Whether it is a speaking event, an interview event, a written event, or a chapter project/report event, professional division members have “been there, done that.”
Bonus idea: Western Wayne High School in Pennsylvania came up with a unique project: They researched Fortune 500 companies, made paper t-shirts with company logos and hung them in the classroom on a mock clothesline. A great project to learn about leading businesses!
Wayne High School FBLA Chapter with a business clothesline
Your involvement in FBLA-PBL’s educational programs, social and networking events, and conferences, gives you a taste of what the business world has to offer.
Professionalism is an essential skill that will have a major impact on your success in business, whether you are continuing your education or moving to the work world. Professional interactions and interpersonal relationships are vitally important in business settings.
At the National Leadership Conference, all members follow the FBLA-PBL Dress Code, which is designed to help members look like the business leaders they aspire to become. The dress code is in place during all conference functions, such as Opening Session, workshops, competitive events, and the Awards of Excellence Ceremony.
Today is Professional Attire Day, where FBLA-PBL members are encouraged to dress in their best business attire and show off their professionalism. From impressive knots to polished shoes, you know how to look great! Throughout the day, post your sharp-dressed photos on Twitter (with the hashtag #FBLA-PBLWeek) and on the FBLA-PBL National Center Facebook page. At the end of the day, get your chapter together for a group photo to show off your chapter spirit!
Adviser Appreciation Day
Today is also Adviser Appreciation Day. We salute all of our local chapter advisers who make success a reality for FBLA, FBLA-ML, and PBL members. Our advisers
Florida International University PBL Chapter members thank adviser Yanyn San Luis for her hard work throughout the year
teach, lead, and, more than any other profession, mentor our members to become successful future business leaders. Thank you advisers!
Here are some tips for today’s activities:
1. Prepare elevator speeches. Since your officers are already in professional attire, have them record a brief introduction to FBLA-PBL. Post it on your social media accounts and include it with e-mails as you seek local sponsorships.
2. Write a news release about FBLA-PBL Week. Your release will get more attention if you include a picture, so pose for a chapter photo and include it with your release. And don’t forget: upload it to the FBLA-PBL National Center Facebook page.
3. Get Up to (Dress) Code. Encourage your local chapter officers to dress up for local chapter meetings or plan a future meeting that meets the dress code.
5. Say “Thank You.” FBLA-PBL members, don’t forget to thank your local chapter adviser today. Why not send them an e-mail about how much you appreciate them, make a card, or update your status with a big “thanks.” You could even say “thank you” in person.
FBLA-PBL Week is the perfect opportunity to grow your local FBLA-PBL chapter.
The most successful recruiting method is really very simple . . . Just Ask!
Still, many prospective members need a little more encouragement to take the first step toward membership. “Each One Reach One” day is an opportunity to talk to the people you encounter on campus – and interact with on social media – and let them know about your personal experiences with FBLA-PBL. And, of course, ask them to join!
All you need to do is “replace” yourself with one new member on “Each One Reach One” day, and your chapter will be that much stronger.
Start by reminding prospective members of the countless opportunities FBLA-PBL offers:
challenging competitive events;
exciting conferences in fun destinations all over the country;
scholarships and recognition programs;
networking opportunities with almost a quarter million other young leaders and dedicated alumni.
And don’t forget to mention the countless community service, fundraising, and social activities your chapter organizes.
As an incentive to recruit, chapters that recruit five new members will receive the Membership Madness Award, while those that recruit ten new members will receive the Membership Mania Award. These awards include certificates of recognition, which are powerful additions to scholarship applications or job portfolios.
Are you ready to double your membership? Here are five recruitment ideas you can use for “Each One Reach One” day:
FBLA-PBL members get ready to Ignite Innovation
1. Have members create posters to hang in the hallway or around campus. Snap photos and post them to Facebook and Twitter, including the FBLA-PBL National Center Facebook page.
2. Watch the “$tart $mart – Your Guide to Second Semester Recruitment” webinar. It’s a great refresher on how to recruit in the spring semester
4. Bring a friend, who is a non-member, to a chapter activity or social event. Prospective members are the lifeblood of a strong chapter, and you’ll want them to meet the other great members in your chapter.
5. Sponsor a Meet-and-Greet Recruitment Booth. Find a place at your school with dense foot traffic and set up an FBLA-PBL Recruitment Booth. Attract potential members with giveaways (candy always works). Go interactive and loop the FBLA-PBL membership videos.
PBL members from Southeast Missouri State University at their recruitment booth
Need more ideas? Visit the FBLA-PBL National Center Facebook page “Recruitment Ideas for ‘Each One Reach One’ Day” photo album to see more samples from FBLA-PBL members around the country.
Remember, by recruiting new members you are benefitting your local, state, and national organization far more that you can imagine: you’re providing new members with the opportunity to run for an office, network with students from across the nation and receive some of the best leadership training available.
FBLA members and advisers, welcome to FBLA-PBL Week. The most important resource that any chapter has is its membership. The more enthusiastic your members are, the more that you can accomplish. Here are five quick ideas that you can use to get your members pumped up for FBLA-PBL Week.
1. Show – and Share – the FBLA-PBL Week Welcome Videos from National FBLA President Taylor Sarman and National PBL President Jake Barreau
2. Take Advantage of Free Advertising – Courtesy of Your Members. Unleash the creativity of your members and have them create posters, images, blogs and Facebook posts that publicize FBLA-PBL week and your local chapter activities. And make sure you post them on the FBLA-PBL National Center Facebook page.
3. Design a Chapter T-shirt. Sponsor a T-shirt contest and give your members until Friday to create a design. Choose the best design as the official T-shirt for your chapter members. You can order affordable custom T-shirts through the FBLA MarketPlace.
5. Don’t Forget to Recruit. Show members and prospects the official FBLA-PBL membership videos. Remind your members: It’s never too late to recruit!
Need more ideas? Here are example activities for each level; make sure you share your tips and ideas in the comments below.
FBLA
Master the Business Achievement Awards
Are you getting the most out of the Business Achievement Awards (BAA)? Here are a few more ways to use the BAA to get the recognition you deserve… as a chapter and as an individual.
Advisers and Local Officers, make sure you check out the Business Achievement Awards Preview Activities. During this session, you can register students for the first level of the BAA, if you have not done so already. Then your students are ready to begin working on the BAA.
TIP:Get involved with the NEW FBLA-PBL Week Trivia Contest. Each day look for a new PSA recording that you can play prior to the day’s activities. At the end of the week, FBLA members can complete a crossword puzzle. Add some excitement and make it a competition for members and award a prize or incentive to the winners in your chapter.
FBLA-Middle Level
Night/Day of the Body Snatcher. Award a prize to the member that brings in the most prospects (“snatches bodies”) to a particular meeting. Announce this contest today and schedule a special meeting for Friday, where you Award prizes or certificates of recognition to the winners.
Locker Signs. Place FBLA-ML signs (you could use the FBLA-PBL crest) on the lockers of members with candy on them. Use a catchy phrase such as “You STAR in FBLA-ML” and give away starburst candies.
PBL
Use this presentation to familiarize yourself with the CMAP, and share it with your members and on your social networks. It explains the different levels and activities.
Advisers and Local Officers, make sure you check out the Business Achievement Awards Preview Activities. During this session, you can register students for the first level of the BAA, if you have not done so already. Then your students are ready to begin working on the BAA.
