Advice From a Fellow Club Officer
Hello all! My name is Marc Weinstein and my transition from club member to officer was a rather difficult one. My first year in club was the first year that my YMCA (South Tampa) had a Leaders’ Club, and as part of the first group I had the unique opportunity to serve as the president of our club. My entire first year as an officer was a learning experience. We made many mistakes and worked hard to develop a structure for our club, and for our meetings and events. Without a doubt the hardest thing for me as a new club officer was having to learn how to lead groups, run meetings, develop meeting plans, and represent my club in a professional way.
If I could offer any advice to a new member of the executive board it would be this: use your resources. You most likely have older members of the club that might have gone through this before. Ask them questions, learn from them, and work with them to help develop you into a more prepared officer. Additionally, work with your advisor to make sure you stay on track and are spending your time preparing and developing your club. If you are a first-year club officer, don’t be afraid to ask other clubs for help. Send them an email asking if you can sit down with them and see what their structure is and take pointers from their board.
At the end of the day, a new executive board is going to make mistakes. Learn from these mistakes, and always remember: you aren’t defined by the mistakes you make, instead you are defined by the ways that you overcome them.
-Marc Weinstein
South Tampa YMCA