Creating a SMART Goal to Achieve Your Goalsl

Setting goals may seem easy, however, achieving them may not always be the easiest. This is why setting a SMART goal is the best way to help you achieve these goals! You are probably wondering, “What does a SMART goal even mean?” SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely. Let us break down each category of a SMART goal to help better understand what they mean. 

Setting a specific goal is the first step in planning out your SMART goal. What is the specific thing that you would like to achieve? Make your goal as specific as possible and express it positively. A specific goal should include who, what, when, where, why, and how. Who is involved? What will I be trying to accomplish? When will I be accomplishing this? Where will I be doing this at? Why am I doing this? How am I going to do this? 

Once you pick your specific goal, you’ll need to measure it. Measuring your success is crucial as it will give you a clear look as to how far you have come along with your goal. Measuring your goal is also important because you will need data to evaluate your progress to see if you are working towards your goal. 

Next, you need to make sure that your goal is achievable. Consider whether or not you have the resources to continue working towards your goal. If not, you need to think about if you can gather all materials needed for your goal in time. If your goal is achievable, then it is most likely a realistic goal. Take the time to evaluate whether or not your goal is realistic and achievable within a certain time period. 

Finally, make your goal timely by setting out specific dates. Always have a starting point and an ending point with checkpoint dates in between! This also includes listing out the steps it takes to achieve your goal within the allotted time. 

Always use your resources! Ask your teacher or advisor for help if you are having trouble putting your SMART goal to paper. I recommend using a table or online spreadsheet to organize your thoughts and keep your SMART goal in a place that is easily accessible.
Make sure the goal you choose is something you are passionate about! You will always have a much easier and enjoyable time if you are working towards something you are passionate about. Make sure that you try to accomplish at least one of your goals every few days and reward yourself along the way for your hard work! Creating a SMART goal has personally helped me in any of my ventures in and out of DECA and I recommend creating a SMART goal to anyone who wants to achieve a goal they are passionate about! 

BY: SHELBY KENNEDY

How to be the Best Chapter Officer You Can Be

Serving as an officer for your DECA chapter is an honor and a big responsibility. As an officer, you will be expected to be a representative, leader, and role model in your chapter, but are you #ReadyForIt? In order to be the best chapter officer you can be, here are a few key points to keep in mind.

1. Communicate with your officer team:

Communication is imperative for a functioning officer team. Scheduling regular officer meetings to discuss campaign progress and to plan for chapter meetings is important in ensuring success for your chapter.

2. Communicate with your chapter members:

An effective way of staying in touch with your chapter members is to be active on your chapter’s social media. Posting about meetings and chapter activities on social media platforms, such as Instagram and Twitter, is a great way to communicate with your members and have them engage with your chapter online. Creating a Remind101 to send out reminders about meeting dates and deadlines is another great way to communicate directly with your members.

3. Communicate with your district officers:

Communicating with your district officers allows you to know what is happening in Texas DECA and international DECA. If your district officers are holding monthly president’s council meetings, having a chapter representative present at the meetings is important in making sure your chapter is up to date with what is happening on the district, state, and international level.

4. Encourage your members:

Encourage your members to be active in your chapter by participating in community service and competition. If they have any questions, make sure they know that they can come to you for answers. Strive to provide your members with competition resources, found on the Texas DECA website, to increase your chapter’s competitive success.

5. Be passionate:

Odds are that if you are a DECA officer, it is because you love DECA! Share this passion you have for this amazing organization with your friends and peers so that they might join DECA and develop the same passion! This will boost the overall morale of your chapter because people will be excited to compete and participate in DECA events.

6. Serve as a role model:

As an officer, you are representing your chapter, district, Texas DECA, and DECA in general! Always put forth your best effort in everything you do. Be honest, committed, confident, and responsible.

These were just a few points to consider as a chapter officer, but remember to always go above and beyond to serve your chapter to the best of your abilities! Good luck this year, and may your successes be limitless!

BY: RUTH SIMPSON

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How DECA Can Help People Outside of Business

While DECA is predominantly a business organization, it helps prepare emerging leaders in all professions. Through DECA, students can learn important skills that they will need regardless of their future profession.

One way that DECA benefits all students is by providing countless opportunities for students to participate in community service, which is mandatory for most high schools and looks great on college applications. Every year, either at the district or state competition, DECA partners with a business or organization to donate time and resources towards an important cause. This provides a great opportunity for students to get involved and get those community service hours they need.

In addition to community service hours, DECA can also prepare students for their future careers by teaching them how to communicate professionally in person and through email. All students competing in any competition will learn how to speak professionally to their judges. They will learn how to correctly introduce themselves and greet their judges in a respectful way, which is an important skill they will utilize regardless of what their future profession is. In addition to this, students will also have the opportunity to interact with local businesses and organizations in their community. They will often have to reach out to these businesses to set up meetings, which in turn gives them experience communicating with professionals through email.

The majority of competitions require working with a partner, which results in the building of teamwork and collaboration skills. In the work field, there is bound to be times where teamwork is required, so DECA students will already be prepared to handle working with other people. They will know how to work with people they may not get along with, or even just people they may not know very well.
Lastly, DECA also teaches students how to dress professionally, which can be useful for job interviews and most careers. With Texas DECA’s regulations on proper attire, students learn what is appropriate for professional settings and what isn’t. Students learn the important tips they may not have considered, such as skirt length, amount of jewelry, makeup, shoes, facial hair, and even how to wear a tie correctly.

All in all, DECA prepares students to become leaders in any profession they are seeking. Competing in DECA is a great way to learn many important skills students will need in the future and network with other future professionals.

BY: KARA LEHNERT

DECA’s Brand

DECA stands for so much more than its face value. Not only what it offers to the members which are part of the organization as students, but as well to the professional and alumni members. The organization spans large distance throughout society and can be influential with its social and volunteering events.

Currently, DECA was founded in 1946, meaning it has been a well-known student organization for almost three generations of High School Students. DECA has a well standing reputation in the community and has been an active part of creating future leaders and entrepreneurs to better society. DECA also spans out internationally reaching out to nearly 10 million students since it was created. Having one of its biggest bases currently in Canada, in the state of Ontario, DECA has become known as a student organization all over the world. This just means DECA can now reach out too many more people which brings together diverse and different people to its conferences. The organization easily stands out in any form of the business world. Having DECA on a college resume to job application shows that you are ready to solve problems and work to help the business improve with the skills you have learned. It is also a tool to help connect with others while you are in High school and in your after-job life. After you finish DECA in High School you can stay connected with DECA as a collegiate member which allows you to compete in the same format but at a more advanced, college level. Advancing from that point you can become a professional or alumni member. Not only does this allows you to just support DECA as an organization, but also gives you a chance to be a judge and parent volunteer at different DECA events. DECA has also strengthened its community image with an annual DECA community service project on the district, state, and national level. By helping the community, a wide network of organizations become involved and get assisted. Causing change in the society has raised awareness about DECA as a whole. The last way DECA established itself was by creating many partnerships with different businesses and organizations. They have well developed relations with nearly 30 companies and universities making them well known giving high school members an advantage overall. DECA provides everyone who is part of the student organization a wide variety of benefits. 

BY: NAQEEB PUNJANI

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How to Give an Elevator Pitch About DECA

We all dread that awkward question “What's DICA?” After correcting them to DECA, what should you say afterward? Whether you are talking to a classmate or a CEO of a company, the importance of a good elevator pitch stands. Thus it is very important to be able to execute a tremendous elevator pitch about DECA. This article will teach you how to do it!

Share some history about DECA!
Considering DECA has been around since 1946, there is a lot of history about DECA. Find your favorite bit of information and share it! Some interesting facts include:
DECA has almost a quarter of a million members.
DECA is a worldwide organization.
DECA has almost 15,000 members in Texas alone.
Texas DECA has the most members! So Texas DECA is the best ; )
Sharing a fact about DECA or Texas DECA will intrigue whoever you are talking to. It will also show then that DECA is a very successful and important organization. As we all know, a strong hook is the best way to get someone excited about what you are talking about.

Share what DECA can do for you!
DECA has so many outlets that all of our members can express themselves through. Some of these can be professional, such as competing in written or roleplay events, applying for scholarships, networking, or running for an officer position! However, we all know DECA is also fun. Consider sharing the fun side of DECA... like that friend you met at ICDC or how your competition team bonded very well. Or tell them about your DECA pin collection from different states!

Share what you have done, and plan to do in DECA!
Is public speaking your thing? Tell them about how DECA got you to that position being comfortable speaking in front of others. Are you more of a one-on-one speaker? Tell them about how you competed in a role play for your first time this year. This is a great way to get them interested in what DECA can do before you deliver the final phase that is explained next.

Ask if they would like to help DECA!
To wrap up, ask if they would like to become a member! If they are a student and already have a DECA chapter, tell them to talk to their advisor and get signed up. If their school does not have a DECA chapter, tell them all about how to create a chapter. (Direct them to this). And if they are an adult, ask if they would like to become a professional member (For more information about professional members, click this).

Additional Tips!
If you know the mission statement by heart, consider using a little bit of it. But do make sure not to make it sound like you are repeating a phrase you have said over and over because that can sound a little bit robotic. Take time to practice before you are in the situation where you need to deliver your fantastic elevator pitch about DECA.

BY: LOGAN LASHOMBE

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Five Fantastic Fundraising Ideas for Your Chapter

It’s the middle of summer and you are used to sleeping in. You go to bed late. You find yourself flipping through the channels looking for something good to watch. Most of the time you have a lot of free time on your hands, so why not use it wisely? MAKE IT COUNT this summer and use your time to better your local chapter!

DECA members know that just because school is out for summer, that does not mean you should forget about your chapter. Once school starts, everyone, including your advisor, will be swamped with homework, tests, and various other activities. So use this time to get together with your DECA members, officers, and advisors to begin planning ahead of time so you can start the DECA year right! If you don’t know where to begin, don’t worry! Here are 5 effective and easy fundraising ideas to help you get started!

1. “DECA Night” at Local Restaurants

Many restaurants are willing to donate a part of their profits of a selected day to a desired organization if you book them in advanced! Simply go to the restaurant, ask to talk to a manager and book them for “DECA Night”. Make sure to spread the word to ensure that there are many people present!

2. Car Washes

This is an extremely easy and fun way to raise funds! All that’s needed is a sunny day, water, soap, and customers! Gather your chapter, select a high traffic street, and make plenty of signs. Next, wait for customers to show up to your car wash!

3. Yard Sales

Everyone knows that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure! Get rid of the things around your house that you are no longer using (but are in good condition) and have a yard sale! This can include antiques, books, and electronics. Your entire chapter will have a great number of quality things that different people will be interested in buying.

4. BBQ Plates

Make BBQ plates (or find a local restaurant to make them for you) and sell them for a profit. Many people enjoy BBQ plates and not having to cook or eat fast food every once in a while. It’s easy and brings in a lot of profit!

5. DECA Fashion Show

This is a unique way to fundraise and gets many people involved! Many different stores such as Sears, Kohl’s, and Cavender’s, are willing to lend their clothes out for a day so that you can use at your chapter’s fashion show. Have tryouts to find your models, although, many can be your very own DECA members! Lastly, sell tickets, have a great MC, and play fun, upbeat music!

Make sure to promote these fundraisers the right way! Use social media, flyers, and local newspapers to spread the word! Also, don’t forget to let Texas DECA know about your fundraisers. We want to know what our members are up to! Good luck fundraising!

BY VETERANS MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL

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Three Ways to Get your DECA Chapter in the Holiday Spirit

What better way is there to spend the holiday season than with your DECA chapter? December opens up a multitude of opportunities for your chapter to either grow together as a group, outreach to the community, or host fundraisers to earn money for upcoming competitions! Here are a few ideas from the Magnolia West DECA chapter for your DECA chapter to do as well!

DECA Team Bonding

Competitions are coming up, so use the time between now and competition to build up your DECA chapter! One of the traditions we have at Magnolia West is having a big movie night at someone’s house, where we eat food, watch tons of movies, and just get to know each other better! This is an even better event to do during December because it is chilly outside, and you can enjoy blankets, hot chocolate, and movies with your other chapter members!

Community Outreach

The holiday season opens up a multitude of different opportunities to help out the community around you, and doing this with your DECA chapter is also a great way to build friendships! Start a food drive, a toy drive, a clothing drive, adopt a family to buy Christmas gifts for, package food for families, package and hand out snowman soup to holiday workers, the possibilities are endless!

Fundraisers

Competitions are coming up quickly and you need to make sure your chapter has enough funds to send everyone to competition!  In the past, we’ve hosted movie nights.

The holiday seasons are awesome, make sure you utilize all the opportunities you have to grow as a chapter!

BY: MERRITT COLEMAN

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Social Media Is Good For More Than Just Rants

Most Americans - students, parents, DECA members, potential DECA members, and people in general - use their social media profiles for personal pictures and rants of some sort. In general, people don’t realize the true effect and power social media has on today’s generation. Literally “everyone” has some form of social media, so why not use that as an outlet to reach out to your chapter?

If your chapter doesn’t already have one, create a chapter Twitter and/or Facebook account to share current news. Tweet about your socials and meetings to gain membership and keep your returning members engaged. You could post something similar to this chapter’s tweet:

“Naaman Forest’s DECA chapter is going to Group Dynamix for a leadership and group bonding experience! If you join, you can join us!”

Share information to social media about DECA and what it truly means. It’s guaranteed that at least one person will become interested in the chapter and what DECA has to offer. Finally, share important meeting information more than that one time. Just because you tweeted last week about next week’s meeting doesn’t mean you can’t share the information again. Social media is an incredibly valuable outlet to promote membership and support from the school. Don’t underestimate the power of your favorite app.

BY: FELICE JOHNSON

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Student Financing for Chapters

In the realm of public education of the United States, funding for organizations on campus is not of priority as core curriculum expenditures. Because of this situation, many DECA chapters are required to self-finance chapter expenses such as shirts and workshops.

Self-Financing the chapter can be undertaken through a variety a ways. For example, Wakeland High School in Frisco, TX sold t-shirts. The gray shirts had a simple “W” on the front and the football slogan on the back. Nothing elaborate, the shirts became the official shirt of the student section of Football games for the 2016 season. In addition, all chapter members were required to sell at least 5 shirts.

This forces students in the chapter to exercise their entrepreneurship abilities and brings the world of business to the microsystem of the high school campus and student him or herself. The student gets unparalleled insight into the world of selling and understands, through trial and error, how to market an object.

Because of this tactic the chapter gets to raise money for more materials and events, students also participating understand the dynamic of selling and the underlying theme of the current business world is thus directly vexed upon the students themselves.

Student financing brings in other elements of the business world into the chapter ecosystem. Elements such as creativity, collaboration, marketing, and a bare understanding of financing also come into play. Instead of learning about these elements from a textbook, students understand about these terms from actual field experience and as a result get a whole other dimension of understanding for whatever it may be.

Student financing also creates a sense accountability between the student and the chapter. Because the student is forced to spend time and thought into the well being of the chapter, a sense of personal pride is created for the chapter. Possessiveness for the chapter, while sounds intense, is a healthy emotion to have because it forces students to compete and act to the highest standard when representing the DECA chapter.

In comparison to schools with chapters that have full financial backing from the school or school district, self-financing looks like a complete burden. However, there are infinite opportunities for self-growth and exploration of the true world of business when self-financing is undertaken and that raw exposure can prove to be extremely beneficial when the student must, once again, create an opportunity for him or herself.

BY: ROHIT BOLLA

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Tips and Tricks for Officer Meetings

With the new school year starting, so is DECA. This means your chapter officers will begin to plan so much for your chapter to have a Limitless year! So here are a few tips and tricks as chapter officers to get the most out of your officer meetings and your year.

1. Have an officer group chat

If you don’t already, get an officer group chat started. That way you can plan your meetings easily and efficiently while also keeping an open line of communication. A group chat is also a great way to bond with your fellow officers outside of a stressful environment. A good app to use for group chats that need to include both iPhone and Android users is GroupMe.

2. Make an agenda

Create an agenda for your meetings. This will keep your officer team organized and ensure your meetings are purposeful and have a goal to them. Whoever is responsible for creating these meeting agendas should send them out to the officer team a couple days in advance so all officers are aware of what will be discussed.

3. Plan a small social event after your officer meetings

If you are planning your meetings to be after school or during the weekend, then plan a small outing together afterwards. This can be as simple as going out to dinner. This way, all your officers have something to look forward to after the meeting and can feel rewarded and relaxed after their hard work at the meeting.

BY: SHARIKA MENON

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Creating an Effective Meeting Agenda

One of the most important aspects of hosting an effective meeting is being organized and prepared. The best way to do this is to create a meeting agenda. Whether you are hosting your meeting online or in-person, things will run much smoother if you have a plan of action to follow. Below are three tips on how to create and utilize the perfect meeting agenda.

First, you should brainstorm what you want to talk about and write down all of your ideas. Next, you will want to organize your ideas in the most coherent way to ensure that the meeting flows well and each topic leads into the next. When creating the agenda, try to limit each line to 2-3 words that convey the topic of the section for easy readability.

Another important reason to create an agenda is to get an estimate of how long the meeting will run. In order to be best prepared for the meeting, try to estimate the time it will take to complete each section and denote that next to each topic. A good way to do this is by thinking about what you might say as you plan the presentation.

Additionally, having an agenda can be beneficial for you as well as your audience members. If you send out the agenda beforehand, this gives participants the ability to prepare for any parts where they need to contribute. This will also provide audience members with an estimate of how long the meeting will run and the topics that will be discussed in case they have any questions.

Agendas are essential when hosting any type of meeting because they benefit not only the speaker, but the audience as well. For an example of a meeting agenda, click below.

BY: LUCIOUS MCDANIEL IV

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Chapter Social Ideas

School has started for most of us, which also means that a new DECA season is beginning, as well! One of the most effective ways to increase membership is by hosting socials. Events like these encourage new members to get involved and meet others in your chapter. Teamwork events can also help your chapter grow together as a whole. Below are five social ideas to help your DECA chapter kick off this season:

1) Kickball Social - Everyone’s favorite elementary school game has made a comeback! Find a local park or field and gather your DECA chapter for a day of fun. Ask members to bring refreshments such as cookies and lemonade. Form teams and face off within your own chapter or even ask a nearby school’s DECA chapter to join in.

2) Reverse Scavenger Hunt - This twist to a common game is sure to be a hit! Prior to the event, create a list of 20-25 common things that everyone has or can easily access. These can be items like coins, scissors, sticky notes, etc. Split your DECA chapter into random groups based on something like color or birthday month. Give the teams 30 minutes to locate each item on the list. To help increase the incentive to win, provide a prize for the winning team. `

3) Ice Cream Social - Everyone loves ice-cream! Those who don’t are lying. There is a reason this method is used often: it works. Purchase ice cream sandwiches or cones from your local grocery store. This can be done after a DECA meeting or on a separate day. You can also try hosting the social at a local park so your chapter can take advantage of the additional recreational facilities available there.

4) Color Wars - Who doesn’t love to get messy? You can easily purchase pigmented powder at a low cost from trustworthy online distributors. Pick a date and invite your DECA chapter out for a day of colorful fun.

5) Build Your Own Taco - Fact: Tacos taste good. You can easily buy basic taco ingredients from your local grocery store. The possibilities are endless! While chapter members are making their tacos, you can have a movie or music playing in the background. I’m getting hungry just thinking about the amazing tacos your chapter will make.

BY: SARAH JOSHI

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Increasing Your Professional Membership

Professionals in our school, community and state sometimes may not be as tech savvy as those of us in high school. When seeking out to possible professional members, you should tell them ways that they can benefit from becoming a professional member. Having events specifically for your professional members is a great to make them feel special and be more than excited to join the next year!

Many professional members can consist of business owners, meaning they need to know how to market to those who use the most powerful marketing weapon—social media. Hosting “Social Media Training” for these professional members can make them excited that you can teach them something you’re a professional at. Teaching them about ads on social media platforms, custom filters on snapchat, when the perfect time to post on social media and websites such as Hootsuite.

Inviting professional members to your District CDC helps them understand what DECA is about and experience the passion many students have for this organization. Professional members could judge at your District CDC or just help with checking people into their event. If they decide to help in any way, make sure to give them a thank you note or a nice little gift.

If your chapter does partnerships or sponsorships with different businesses in your area you can sign them up as professional members as part of that benefit so that they get DECA Direct articles and find out more about the organization.

REMEMBER: Professional members can be anyone; moms, dads, teachers or any adult that would like to be a part of DECA. It is important that we keep professional membership in mind to reach 15 by the 15th for 15K!

BY: DAISY PORTILLO

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Fun Fall Fundraising

Does your chapter need some extra funding to do more activities together while in Dallas for State CDC? If so, here are a few fall fundraising ideas to help you get a head start!

Set up a booth at a local fall festival! If your town hosts a fall festival, see if your chapter can rent some booths to make some easy money. At the booths, you can sell fall-themed treats, have fun games, or even hold a photo booth, and at each of the activities you can charge a dollar or two.

There is nothing more enticing than some sweet treats! Some bite-sized, fall themed treats that you could sell at your booth may include, candy apples, bags of popcorn wrapped in green tissue paper made to look like ears of corn, or even harvest hash chex mix. All of these options are yummy snacks that have shown to be successful sellers!  

Thinking about going the game route for your booth? One idea is a fun family friendly game named “The Trick-or-Treat Wheel”. This game requires two bowls, one bowl labeled “Trick” (which will have easy challenges written on slips of paper), the other labeled “Treat” (which will be filled with candy). If the player lands on treat they receive a piece candy. But, If they land on trick, they will have to pick their challenge; if they complete the task correctly and entirely, they’ll get a piece of candy too!

Lastly, a photo booth is a super fun way to attract a crowd, and it is so simple to set up! To set up the booth, all you need to do is design a backdrop; hang fall garlands, add a leaf or two, and have some props that you can either buy, make, or get donated, and watch the participants do the rest! With a photo booth you’ll be the talk of the festival

If your town doesn’t have a fall festival, then you can always make and sell items, Homecoming is around the corner and your chapter could make mums and garters; your chapter could also make and sell fall themed deco mesh wreaths (these are fast, easy, and fun to make with your chapter) Lastly you can always host a pumpkin carving contest where participants purchase the pumpkin from you and at the event they compete with others to carve the best pumpkin- and the winner would get a prize! The opportunities are endless when it comes to fundraising. Now it's your turn to go out and put the fun in fundraising!

BY: ALEXIS WESTERN

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Five Chapter Bonding Ideas

Bonding is a great way to grow as a family. Arranging social time doesn’t have to be overly complicated or extravagant. Applying these strategies and ideas to your own chapter will truly pay off. So, what are you waiting for? This year help your chapter become a team!

1) Meet & Greet - There are two parts to this plan. First, your own officers should know most your members, if not, make it a priority to get to know them! This helps with adding that personal touch, and letting your members feel involved. Next, a more elaborate plan would be to get to know your neighbors, DECA neighbors. Bring the whole family and have a pizza party!

2) Breakfast Feast – “The way to someone’s heart is their stomach”. This activity is all about having a delicious potluck! Have everyone bring a dish or drinks of their desire. Remember just mingle and make some new friends!

3) #DECAHalloween – This contest is for those who enjoy competition and love a twisted traditional pumpkin carving. Here’s the plan, have everyone bring their own Pumpkin, meet up at the local park (or the place of your choosing) and carve on! Link to the official carving contest and registration: http://www.decadirect.org/2017/09/29/2017-deca-pumpkin-contest/

4) Sharing is Caring – Getting community service hours with your friends? Yes, please! It’s up to your chapter to find a place, volunteer, receive hours, and at the same time work with each other to reach the same goals. It’s all about putting yourselves out there!

5) Anytime, Anywhere – If you want to take a more relaxed approach to an planning an event: here is the way to go! Meet up at your local coffee shop for lattes, or go for a slice of pizza down the street. The possibilities are endless!

The purposes of chapter socials are to have fun, make new friends, inspire one another, and to attack this year as a team! Be Limitless with your chapter socials this year!

BY: JESSICA GALLARDO

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Fall Community Service Activities

The new DECA season is now beginning! As fall begins and Thanksgiving approaches, it's a great time to participate in some community service with your chapter. Here are five Fall Community Service Activities:

1) Thanksgiving Food Drive - Many families aren't able to afford wholesome meals on Thanksgiving. Host a food drive at your school and rally your DECA chapter to help collect various canned goods to help families who need it.

2) Hurricane Help Silent Auction - Hurricanes have devastated our country during the past month. Talk to various clubs within your school and ask people to donate items for a silent auction raffle.

3) Book & Toy Drive - As the holiday season approaches, there are many kids who could use an extra smile. Everyone has old toys and books lying around. Host a book and toy drive at your school by leaving collection boxes around your school and asking people to donate.

4) Blanket Drive - Making blankets is always a good way to bring a little joy to the lives of those who need it. Project Linus is an organization dedicated to helping children in hospitals feel safer and more comfortable. Purchase low-priced fabric from any craft store and challenge your DECA chapter to see who can make the most blankets!

5) Sock Drive - I love socks. Everyone loves socks. Where would we be without them? There are many people who have never felt the joy of fuzzy socks. Ask friends, family, and people at school to donate socks. It can even be a part of your chapter's community service campaign! Let everyone feel the joy of fuzzy socks.

BY: SARAH JOSHI

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Marketing Your Next Chapter Meeting

School is back in session, and so is DECA. Our main focus is to obtain new members. Being that meetings are where new members can get information, we need to inform students where to learn about DECA. Here are some ways to market your chapter meetings:

• Announcements and Flyers: this is an old school way of doing things, but it works. If your school does announcements, send in a script to the school office. When writing the script it should be quick and to the point, like "Don't forget to come to room #001 and discover all of the opportunities DECA can offer you!" When using this tactic be sure to have an announcement every day the week before the meeting. Flyers are a great option as well because students can read them while waiting in lines or walking in the hallway.

• Social Media is a fun and interactive way to publicize your next chapter meeting. Using social media such as Instagram, Twitter, or Snapchat can set you apart from other chapters because you get to create the design however you would like. If you want to make an eye catching design you could use Canva to make all sorts of designs for Instagram or Twitter, as well as Snapchat geofilters. When posting on Twitter or Instagram you should tell about the meeting three or four days ahead of the date and the day before. Snapchat, on the other hand, needs to be done the night before and the morning of the meeting.

Have fun marketing your next meeting!

BY: ALEXIS WESTERN

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5 Easy Ways to Fundraise for your Chapter

Do you want to go somewhere fun while in Dallas for State CDC or do you want to do extra activities while in Orlando for ICDC? If so, you might need some extra money for your chapter and one way to do all of the extra activities is to fundraise. Here are five easy and effective ways to fundraise for your chapter.

1. Movie Night - Organize a viewing of a movie that everyone can enjoy either at your school in the gym, where your school’s theater department performs, or you can team up with a local cinema and get a discounted rate for your students. If your chapter hosts this event at the school your chapter can also run the concession stand to sell candy, drinks, and popcorn.

2. Teacher Challenge - Would you enjoy throwing a pie at your favorite teacher’s face? What about taping them to a wall? With this event ask some teachers, or even the principal, if they would be willing to help your chapter raise money and charge students one dollar for a pie or a strip of tape.

3. Dress Up Days - Do you enjoy wearing your PJs or hat? Well if so ask to host days where students can pay a dollar to wear PJs or their hats at school. Also, this event is very fun in December because your chapter can change it into an ugly Christmas sweater or hat contest.

4. Candy Grams - Want to send your friend some candy and a message? You can charge students a small fee to send out a personalized note and a piece of candy to one of their friends. Students can send as many candy grams as they want. Even teachers can join in on the fundraiser by sending grams to their students or fellow teachers. Also, this activity can be customized to fit holidays like Christmas and Valentine’s Day.

5. DECA Donuts - Who doesn’t like a good sugar packed donut to start their day off? Go to your local donut shop and tell them what you are doing and ask if there is any way that you could purchase in the donuts in bulk at a lower rate. Then have your chapter set up a table in the front of the school and sell donuts to students as they walk in, charging them about a dollar per donut.

BY: ALEXIS WESTERN

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Chapter Campaigns Explained

Always perusing growth within your chapter is the key to success. This fundamental of "always perusing growth" creates a strong backbone to keep your chapter growing and reaching new heights. For these reasons are why DECA makes it a priority to recognize and reward these chapters who practice these principles and successfully carry out these goals. DECA rewards these chapters in multiple ways. DECA awards certificates, pennants, plaques, and flags for proving that your chapter has shown outstanding growth and determination. Chapters can also be provided three spots to attend ICDC's Thrive Level Academy.

Sometimes, a few of us might get carried away in the individualistic competition aspect of DECA and forget to view your chapter as a team instead of your competitors. Chapter campaigns allow chapters to work together and each a common goal. It creates a sense of unity and teamwork. All of these campaigns rely on group effort and team coordination. For example, in the community service campaign, at least 75% of your chapter are required to participate in a single community service activity in order to receive this award. In another example, the promotional campaign requires that your chapter coordinate outreach activities to show your passion for DECA and to get your name out to the community, showing all that DECA is good for. This requires members to truly express and demonstrate the impact they have made on the community and how it has impact them.

Altogether, chapter campaigns will bring your chapter closer together, increase the presence of DECA in your community, and provide to be recognized and rewarded for your hard work and achievements. I strongly recommend that you encourage your chapter to participate in chapter campaigns for limitless opportunities for your chapter to grow and develop into a stronger and positive influence.

BY: KAITLYN SMITH

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How To Make A Great Bulletin Board

Do you have an empty bulletin board in your school? Well if you do, fill it with the latest DECA news! Using a bulletin board will benefit you chapter by drawing more attention towards DECA. Here is how to make an awesome bulletin board to grab everyone’s attention.

Creating a bulletin board can be a lot of fun, but don’t forget the two main components! First, it needs to be, eye-catching; An eye-catching bulletin board will spark interest in every individual. Bulletin boards are a marketing technique that introduce new concepts in an exciting way. These displays appeal to the visual side of learning, they spark curiosity that will cause students to more likely to pay attention to the information being relayed. To begin creating a great bulletin board, start by getting butcher art paper for your background. I suggest white, blue, black, or red. Then get unique with how you choose to decorate the board, as well as what important information you want to get out to your school.

To make the board “eye-catching”, put photos of your chapter having fun time at conferences or at meetings, a shape made out of bulletin board paper, or have large letters that say the bullet points about DECA such as, traveling, competitions, and or business.

When arranging the photos, make them into shapes: the DECA diamond or spell out DECA. When deciding what information to put on your bulletin board keep it sweet and simple. You could put the date and time your chapter’s next meeting is, the location of our district, state, and international conferences, as well as where and who to talk to if someone is interested in joining DECA.

BY: ALEXIS WESTERN