MOST OUTSTANDING ORGANIZATION NOMINEE
MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY VIETNAMESE STUDENT ASSOCIATION
What are the purpose and goal(s) of your organization, and how has it met or exceeded those goals?
Our goal was to rebuild our VSA emphasize the motto of our founders. Our previous president left us with less than half of our inventory and without access to most of our resources such as MailChimp and our checking account. We didn't have an E-Board until June, but we communicated well with each other and our advisor. We met over the summer many times to plan how to restock our inventory, revise our finances, recruit new members.
Address how your organization was outstanding in the following areas: recruitment, marketing, outreach to campus community, use of resources, officer training and event planning.
Recruitment: Amy and I bought 500 customized fortune cookies that said to join our VSA and had out IG handle on it.
Marketing: Our PR was more active this year, and we had a set schedule for making posts on social media.
Outreach: A few of our general members are in the International Student Advisory Board, and we collaborated with them a few times. Amy was also a guest speaker at a diversity event, and many local businesses sponsored our savings cards.
Resources: MailChimp, Canva, GroupMe, Discord and sponsorship/donations from local businesses helped us a lot. MailChimp and Canva helped with our online presence. We have three GroupMes: one for announcements, one for general members to talk in, and one for alumni. We also established our Discord server this year, and we have very organized channels for meetings, chats, gaming, studying, and announcements. Local businesses such as T-Yummi have helped us a lot. T-Tummi let us store frozen eggrolls there, and they let us use their deep fryer. They also offer discounts when our members eat there after meetings amd help us sell our discount cards.
Officer training: Only two of our officers were able to attend LR8, but before beginning the academic year, we had meetings discusses the responsibilities and expectations of each officers. We also allow time at each E-Board meeting for questions and constructive feedback.
Event planning: All of our events are scheduled at the beginning of each semester, and large details like location, activities, and finances are finalized at least one month before each event. Every meeting, we discuss the progress of planning and execution and set deadlines for ourselves.
How did the organization work together to maximize strengths and overcome weaknesses?
For all events and tasks, we first asked each individual where they felt like they could be most productive. If there was a surplus of individuals on one committee and a need for individuals on a another, we would suggests some people moving to maximize efficiency. Task delegation and encouragement work well. We try not to burnout our members, and we try to reward them for hard work by feeding them. We got Insomnia Cookies to donate 50 cookies to us, and Amy and I have cooked fried rice for our meetings to thank them. Positive reinforcement, communication, and gratitude go a long way.
Provide specific examples of how the student group demonstrated growth and development in the 2021-2022 academic year.
We've definitely seen a significant growth in member retention this year. We went from having an average of 20 people at meetings to 50, and our members have made a lot of new friendships amongst themselves. We've noticed that many other organizations form cliques, but we feel that in our organization, we've done a good job of encouraging mingling. We don't have an Anh, Chi, Em program, but we make new teams for ice breakers every meeting, and try to mix up groups when we do things like roll eggrolls.