Student Organization Officer Transition Guide
Too often, the Office of Student Involvement has seen student organization leaders dedicate themselves to successfully leading their groups for an academic year and at the end of their terms, leave the positions without time spent making sure the incoming officers have the opportunity to be trained. When that happens, all the information regarding the previous year’s lessons learned are not passed on to the incoming officers, thus slowing down their progress. Without taking the time to effectively transition incoming officers, organizations lose the opportunity to continue momentum gained in the previous year. Time that could be used moving the organizations forward and accomplishing new goals is spent catching up.
This information is designed to help all officers and student organization leaders have the tools to successfully transition outgoing and incoming officers. The forms in this packet are meant to empower students to have intentional conversations with one another to minimize the effects of turnover within student organizations, increase organizations’ success, and continue momentum accomplished by groups during the previous year.
Outgoing Officer To Do List
In addition to gathering information for the new officers, the outgoing officer should tie up any loose ends in their position. Please check this list to ensure all necessary items have been completed.
Make sure to send your advisor the list of new officers. Be sure to include the officer’s name, title, phone number, and email.
Send the new officers contact information to involvement@uni.edu.
Make sure space is reserved for all annual events, and get a copy of these reservations. All forms are completed online at https://union.uni.edu/reserve-space
Organize all organizational information (whether online or paper)
Finish all necessary correspondence (letters, e-mail, phone calls).
Prepare a year-end report and evaluation, if necessary.
Develop an action plan and time-line for new officer transition, including but not limited to:
Necessary meetings attended and conducted by officer
Important tasks
Sharing tasks and duties with other group members
Introductions to key people/Relationship building
One on one meetings and training
Financial Information
Leadership training
Schedule a joint retreat between outgoing and incoming officers
Make sure all contracts, bills, invoices, and outstanding balances have been properly completed and processed and all necessary payments have been made. If any are in process at the time of transition, write a memo to the new officer noting what is complete/what needs to be done with them
Make sure to tell the new President that they need to re-register the student organization for the upcoming academic year and attend the fall mandatory registration meeting
Allow incoming officers to shadow outgoing officers if time permits
Create an officer transition binder, and share any documents with the new team members that were not included in the transition binder/officer handbook