UNA-USA Campus Chapters: Leadership Positions

UNA-USA CAMPUS CHAPTERS: LEADERSHIP POSITIONS

Need a little help organizing your brand-new UNA-USA Campus Chapter? Or, do you want to create more leadership opportunities in your current chapter? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Check out the sample leadership position descriptions and application questions we’ve created for you.

Don’t feel that you need to fill each of these positions! Choose which positions make the most sense for achieving your chapter’s goals, and the capacity of your members. These are just a few examples. As a best practice, be sure to fill the leadership positions with students from multiple class years to ensure a pipeline of leadership that can take over the chapter when seniors graduate.

Wondering how to recruit new chapter leaders?

• A great way to sort through leadership applications is to create a google form that you send out to your entire chapter. The google form can have some basic questions regarding a member’s interest in the positions and their qualifications.

See this Sample Leadership Application Form.

Position Descriptions:

Chapter President

• Preside over all chapter meetings and official events.
• Primary spokesperson of chapter; representing the chapter on campus, in the local community, and within the national UNA-USA network.
• Ensure completion of all required reporting (such as submission of semester reports and annual budgets to UNA-USA).

Vice President of Internal Affairs

• Oversee the Executive Board and its meetings.
• Schedule regular Executive Board and General Body meetings.
• Work with President and Director of Finance to create tentative annual calendar.

Vice President of External Affairs

• Ensure a positive relationship with other organizations on campus, particularly those involved in nonprofit and community work, to promote UNA-USA.
• Establish and maintain communication with the UNA-USA national chapter and local UNA campus and community chapters.
• Ensure board members and committee members are actively involved in chapter/ event promotion, and create social media posting schedules for members.

Vice President of Operations

• Manage the day to day operations of the organization.
• Help manage the logistics and ensure smooth running of all events.
• Act as the secondary line of communication should the primary (president) be pre-occupied.

Director of Membership

• Responsible for recruiting new members into campus chapter.
• Provide membership information at ALL chapter events, such as UN Day, Human Rights Day, and International Women’s Day. Have a sign-in sheet so you can follow up with a membership ask.

Director of Alumni Relations

• Maintain a relationship with campus chapter alumnae, updating them on chapter developments.
• Work with the Director of Advocacy to create a database of all fellowships and internships offered by the UN Foundation and assist members interested in these programs.

Director of Social Events

• Organize and oversee chapter events, such as member socials, volunteer events, and UN Celebration Days.
• Set up a tentative event calendar under the guidance of the President and the Internal Vice President.

Director of Advocacy

• Lead the advocacy efforts of the organization both at campus and in the outlying community.
• Raise awareness of UNA-USA, the United Nations, and Sustainable Development Goals.
• Work with other campus groups to advocate for a better relationship between the United States of America and the United Nations.

Director of Service

• Responsible for making chapter members aware of outside service projects and encouraging broader community engagement.
• Oversee the planning of at least one service event per semester.

Director of Communications

• Be responsible for maintaining the organization’s social media presence and website.
• Design marketing material for the organization’s events, including, flyers and social media posts.

Chapter Secretary

• Record notes and attendance from each chapter meeting.
• Email meeting notes to chapter members.
• Assists with confirming room reservations for meetings and events.

Director of Finance

• Handle all financial affairs and budgeting of the chapter.
• Create a database of all funding sources available through the University and be responsible for applying to appropriate sources for events hosted by the organization.
• Be responsible for fundraising for the organization both on campus and off campus.

Sub-Committees:

A great way to get more members involved is to create sub-committees of 3-6 members. These sub-committees should be led by chapter officers and meet regularly to carry out their objectives.

• Events
  • Responsible for planning events such as the annual UN Day in October and other UN Celebration Days that your chapter chooses.
• Service
  • Plan and host at least one campus service event each semester.
  • Responsible for researching new service opportunities in and around campus.
• Global Goals Ambassadors
  • Educate chapter and broader campus community about the Sustainable Development Goals.
  • Appoint chapter members to become a Global Goals Ambassadors for one or more of the SDGs.
• Member Engagement
  • Responsible for member retention by facilitating chapter member bonding.
  • Engage new members with older members through planned events.
    • Ideas include: monthly pairings of older and newer members.