Officer Transition
Workshop
CHRIS RINDOSH
Purpose of this workshop

Help organizations set themselves up for a successful next year

Not making your next set of officers start over from square one

Collecting/imparting important organization documents from one
executive board to the next

Encourage a meeting between incoming/outgoing officers to
discuss transition (and a framework for that conversation)

Building confidence of current members to take on leadership roles
Five Critical Steps for ensuring a
successful transition

Identifying potential leaders

Encouraging those students

Giving them the tools to succeed

Having a successful election

Remaining a resource throughout the transition process
What are the qualities you
would look for in someone
trying to take over your
position when you leave?
IDENTIFYING POTENTIAL LEADERS
Encouragement

Plan A:

Make it known well in advance that you want the organization to succeed after you
are gone

Tell members early in the semester to start thinking about if they would be interested in
stepping up

Plan B:

Approach members early

Express your confidence in them


Get them connected


Projects/Events
Building a personal relationship


Having someone believe in you
Take them out to lunch
Make sure this is something that THEY want
A word of caution…

The person you want to take on the position may not win the
election

Your role is to prepare potential leaders, not pick the next one

Remember that the goal is to ensure that the organization succeeds
Tools to Succeed

Shadowing

Exposure to executive board meeting(s)

1:1 Conversations

Tiger Stripes/Budgeting information

Transition Binder
Transition Binder – Things to include

Major job responsibilities of the position

Reflections on your personal experience with the position


What are the hardest parts?

What are things you wish you knew when you first started?
Any important documents for the past year/next year

IE: Budget information, marketing documents, etc.

Any important contact information for vendors, campus administrators, etc…
that your club works with who they should know

Timelines/resources for any major recurring events your organization plans

Past meeting agendas/minutes

Digitize/SAVE everything (preferably e-mailed directly to them AND saved on
Involved@TU under your group’s documents section)

This will make it easy for whoever comes after you to update/edit instead of starting
from scratch
Transition Binder (Example)
Transition Binder (Continued)
Who feels their predecessor did
a great job in training you for
your position? What were some
of the things they said/did that
were helpful?
Elections

Start early – Figure out dates with your exec board now

Advertise dates to members well in advance

Encourage students to run

Check your group’s constitution

Give an opportunity for students to express why they would be good
candidates

Have a plan for how the vote is going to happen


Paper Ballot

Involved@TU
Have someone neutral administer the election
After the election… hold a
transition meeting

Meeting between outgoing officers, incoming officers and advisor

Talk about major challenges the organization faced over the past
year

Goals that you completed

Things left unfinished

Answering questions

Going through transition materials

Assuaging fears/anxiety

Goal setting

Advisor
Start thinking about…

What was one goal you had for your position this year that never
materialized that you would still like to see happen in the future of
your organization?

What was one program or idea that really worked well for your
organization this year that you would like to see repeated or
expanded upon in the future? Do you have any specific
suggestions how your successor can expand this program?

What is the most challenging part of your position and what would
you recommend to your successor in confronting that challenge?

How do you feel your organization has grown this year (has it?)?
Where do you see this group moving in the future?
Past workshop question guide

Outgoing e-board members – What was one goal you had for your position this year
that never materialized that you would still like to see happen in the future of your
organization?

Incoming e-board members – What is one thing coming into this position that you
would like to accomplish either for yourself or the organization over the next year?

Outgoing e-board members – What was one program or idea that really worked well
for your organization this year that you would like to see repeated or expanded upon
in the future? Do you have any specific suggestions how your successor can expand
this program?

Incoming e-board members – What did you think went really well within the
organization this past year? How do you see yourself picking up where the outgoing
members left off?

Outgoing e-board members – What is the most challenging part of your position and
what would you recommend to your successor in confronting that challenge?

Incoming e-board members – What are you most nervous about in taking up this
position?

(For both outgoing/incoming) How do you feel your organization has grown this year
(has it?)? Where do you see this group moving in the future?
Advisor

Can play a critical role in continuity of an organization from year to
year

Keeper of transition materials

Provide guidance to new executive board members while they are
“finding their footing”

Encourage new exec members to set expectations with advisor

Advisor checklist
Involved@TU

Switch over primary contact information to new president

Ensures they are getting important updates related to student
organizations



Tiger Stripes/Budgeting/Involvement Fair registration etc…
Get’s you out of receiving messages after you graduate
Reregistration will open at the end of this semester, but you do not
need to wait

At any point you can change this information as the current primary
contact for the group
Remaining a resource for your
group

Provide your contact information

The first few months are the hardest

Clutch transition binder

Phone calls when difficulties arise

Personal advisor/mentor

After a while…

All a part of the student organization circle of life
Questions?