Entry Posture
This is part 2 of a 2-part guide. (Click here for part 1.)
At this point, you should have connected with some faculty members, and you have at least one person in mind to ask to become your Chapter Advisor. This guide is written to help you establish a relationship with a Chapter Advisor that goes beyond simply getting their signature as an advisor. Our hope is that on every campus, each InterVarsity ministry will have a campus member that is partnering with them in the mission!
Preparation
- Learn about what your campus requires for student organizations and advisor involvement. Depending on the type of school, advisors may be required to attend all gatherings. This is important to know as you invite them to make a commitment.
- Think through your own gifts and capacity as well as the strengths and needs of the ministry. What are the gifts you have seen this potential Chapter Advisor use or heard them talk about. Use “Best Practices & Ideas for Chapter Advisors” as a guide, and pick a few possible ways for how this potential Chapter Advisor could bless you and the ministry.
Making the Ask to Become a Chapter Advisor
As you invite a faculty member to become your Chapter Advisor, keep in mind that some advisors may not have time to engage regularly with the whole ministry, but they are happy to serve as a coach to you or the chapter leaders. Other advisors may want to be more involved (or even need to be involved, depending on the school policy). The more direct influence they have with the stuents, the more critical it is for you to have a strong partnership.
- Schedule a time to get together and be clear in your communication that you would like to ask them to consider becoming your Chapter Advisor.
- In the appointment, share with them your vision for the role that a Chapter Advisor could play in the ministry. Highlight for this person why you think they would be a great fit, naming specific gifts and passions that you see in them.
- Share with them a few ideas for their involvement, based on what you've already learned about their availability, gifts, and desired level of involvement. Coming with a couple of ideas can demonstrate that you’ve given thought to the invitation but share these ideas openhandedly more as a place to start the conversation.
- In addition to talking about how they could be involved, also discuss how frequently they would like to connect with you and what the best forms of connecting are for them (e.g., in person, phone, email).
- End the time by thanking them for their time and communicating your next action steps.
Follow Up
- Send a follow up email within a week to thank them for their time and consideration for becoming your Chapter Advisor. Send them the link to "For Chapter Advisors", as a follow up to your conversation.
- If they needed to time to decide, make sure you follow up with them on the agreed upon time frame.
- If they already said yes, then follow through on setting up the next thing for them!
