Budget, Personnel and Signature Events
Most university departments begin their budget planning for the next fiscal year as early as October. It usually takes several “asks” and several meetings to get a commitment from funders for future fiscal years. Begin seeking commitments early, as it will probably take several months to secure a funding commitment.
This means that the green living program (GLP) coordinator should be focusing on securing funds for the following fiscal year as early as October, and working throughout the winter months to secure the funds for the program for the following year. Ideally, you will be able to secure a commitment for longer than one year, so that the coordinator can place his or her time in areas besides just commitment building and fundraising.
Summer Work: Preparing for the Year Ahead
Consider hiring a student intern or, better yet, hiring your incoming GLP captains to help you with analysis over the summer. This will give you the time to create a calendar for the upcoming year and to better plan out events that you want to run. The summertime is often a less crazy time of year—administrators have more time to talk with you and everyone is going at a more laid-back pace. It is also your time to build on what happened last year to ensure an even more successful second year.
Take advantage of the downtime between cycles. Programming downtime allows for reflection and program evaluation, as well as for tasks such as website updates. Find a way to use the cycle of the academic year to your advantage. You may also want to consider piloting a summer GLP if there are summer school students on your campus. Air conditioning and other summer-related activities are a great area to look into and educate students about.
To Rep or Not to Rep...Again?
It is important to continue student involvement from year one to year two. Experienced GLP reps can be leaders for new recruits. Think of incentives to encourage students to be reps again. For example, you could offer any of the following:
- senior rep titles and rewards
- recycled fleece jackets for returning reps
- extra opportunities for returning reps
- higher salary for returning reps
Some students may feel burnt out, especially if it is their first year and they have taken on a lot of extracurricular activities or coursework, or imagined a lot happening in that first year. Others may just want to try other things. Do not be surprised if many of your reps do not come back. Be happy if some do because that means they enjoyed their time! Also know it is okay to get fresh students to be reps. They will bring healthy enthusiasm and a fresh vision and new relationships into your program.
Attracting New Talent
It will be very helpful to attract new talent to the program, including for the GLP coordinator, captain and rep positions. Each new addition will bring a unique insight, experiences and talents to the table. Consider recruiting a graduating senior or a recent graduate to become the GLP coordinator.
Signature Events
Signature events are large, campus-wide, annual events that become activities that are expected from year to year. Try to develop a core of signature events to help institutionalize your efforts. For example, if you run the Annual Waste Audit every fall, everyone will expect it when they come back to campus. If you run the Green Move-Out every spring, everyone will expect it. If you run the Earth Day Celebration every April, everyone will expect it. Expectation on the behalf of the community is helpful to campus greening efforts because your activities will be looked forward to by community members. Creating signature events also helps you to plan future calendars, recognizing what worked and what did not.