1 Best Practices Guide

Ideas to help your chapter!email president@cafbla.org for questions

Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) is the largest student-run business organization. CA alone is the largest chapter in the Western Region. These ideas are to help grow your chapter!

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Table of ContentsContent Page #

Fundraising 2

Membership Recruitment 4

Business Development 6

Socials 6

Community Service 7

Contributors 8

2 Best Practices Guide

Rose Gram FundraiserHold a Rose Gram Fundraiser during Valentine’s Day! You can sell pink and red roses,possibly for about $2.50 for one or $12 for a dozen, with a card and deliver the roses onValentines Day. This is a great way to make money and also provide students with a convenient way to purchase something for their loved ones.

San Francisco Fleet Week SalesMembers can volunteer to spend a day or two in San Francisco during the time of the FleetWe e k w e e k e n d , w h i c h f e a t u re s a e r i a l performances by the Blue Angels. FBLA members can partner with vendors to sell food and drinks for those watching the show. In return the vendors give a certain percentage of the sales directly to your local chapter.

Graduation Day LeisMany parents purchase leis for their graduates ahead of time. If you publicize this event tothe parents early enough, in newsletters from the school or through flyers, you can try to get parents to pre-order them from FBLA. This is a low-risk fundraiser. Try to find a good wholesale florist in your area.

Benefit ConcertHosting a benefit concert involves finding a venue, booking amazing talents (preferably ones people have heard of), and a whole lot of publicity. Planning a benefit concert takes a lot of work, but it is so much fun and can raise a large amount of funds, making the profit well worth the planning, as it is possible to even raise $2000. To raise additional funds, you can sell food and drinks and merchandise, like buttons and t-shirts. Many restaurants and local businesses are willing to donate food and drinks for a good cause. Also, since it requires so much publicizing, you can also really get the word out on campus about FBLA. Students will know that FBLA is "that one organization that did that awesome benefit concert" and it might just spark their interest to join. This makes your benefit concert not only a fundraiser and a social, but a recruitment tool as well.

Off-Campus Candy SalesBuy large amounts of candy at wholesale stores and sell them before school and after

school. While many schools may have health restrictions, not allowing you to sell the candy on campus, it is possible to sell it outside of school hours. Another option is to go door-to- door with candy sales. This fundraiser is very easy to do and engages members, giving them the opportunity to help fundraise for your FBLA chapter.

Car WashTo execute a successful car wash, all you need to do is find a good venue, such as your high school or a local grocery store parking lot, advertise beforehand, and have many FBLA members to help out as volunteers! You can charge a price per car or ask for donations.

Coupon CardsBy talking to local fast food places and small restaurants, you can create a coupon bookletfor your FBLA chapters. Members can then go to students, parents, teachers, and neighbors and ask them to purchase a coupon booklet for a specified fee. This allows them to get food for a cheaper price and allows your FBLA chapter to receive 100% of the profits.

Entertainment BooksBy looking online, you can find entertainment books. Entertainment books typically haveabout $200 of savings, but only cost about $20. Have your members sell the entertainment books for $30 to individuals. This allows the customers to save money and allows your FBLA chapter to make money.

Rummage SaleHave chapter members donate items from home that they no longer need or use. Theseitems can be gathered together and sold during a rummage sale for a good amount of money for your chapter. Additionally, it can serve as a bonding activity for your members!

T-Shirt SalesHave someone in your FBLA chapter design a personalized FBLA t-shirt for your chapter and then sell these to members. Members can pre-order t-shirts to ensure that you do not buy more shirts than the number you sell. This is an easy way to make money and also strengthen your FBLA chapter’s brand and public image.

FundraisingIdeas to help your local chapter raise funds

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3 Best Practices Guide

Student StoreYou can try to have your business department partner with your FBLA chapter in order tocreate a Student Store. For this Student Store, you can sell school supplies, food, and anyother essentials. This store can be made online or can be in person, operating during lunch once a week.

Club DayIf your school has a Club Day, make sure you participate! Bring food to sell during lunchtimeto members. Choose something that is very popular, but also fairly cheap, so that you can mark up the price more to make more money.

Dance CompetitionsDance competitions can be held during FBLA chapter socials. Members and non-members can be charged a fee to enter the competition as a participant. Additionally, a fee can be charged to those interested in watching the dance competition.

Business CardsFBLA members in charge of fundraising and public relations can make business cards to sell to parents, teachers, and students. Make sure you look online and ensure that yourbusiness cards are cheaper than business cards made by other companies.

Baby-Sitting ServiceFBLA members can hold a baby-sitting service on the nights of school events, such asParent Night. This gives parents a safe place they can leave their children and gives FBLAmembers a chance to interact with youth.

FBLA DanceYour FBLA chapter can hold a dance that is not school-affiliated and charge a fee forentrance. This is similar to the March of Dimes Dances at the Leadership Development Institutes and at the State Leadership Conference. The best location for this would be a community center.

Teacher DaresTalk to teachers about participating in Teacher Dares. Then, create a competition where you set up buckets in the quad or in a classroom. The

teacher who ends up with the most money in his or her bucket will have to perform a dare in front of the school.

Clean SweepSince the budget cuts, school cannot afford to keep custodians and thus have only been cleaning the rooms of teachers about once a week. Your FBLA chapter can start a cleaning service through which teachers would be willing to pay members to clean their room once or twice a week.

Mini CarnivalsHold a mini carnival at the park or in your school one day after school. At the carnival, youcan have FBLA members partner to host different booths ranging from games to bounce houses to dunk tanks to sumo wrestling. Make sure to charge an entrance fee!

Movie NightsYour FBLA chapter can host a movie night social and charge an entrance fee. In addition,your chapter can sell food for attendees to eat, making additional money. You can even consider opening this movie night to the entire school in order to have more attendees and make more money.

FundraisingIdeas to help your local chapter raise funds

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4 Best Practices Guide

Tug-of-WarAnyone can come to relieve some stress through a match of Tug-of-War! This activity canbe held in the quad or in any open space at school during brunch or lunch. This activity can reach out to the entire student body with minimal effort and helps spread the word about FBLA through an interactive game.

Business CardsYou should create business cards for your chapter in order to hand out to prospectivemembers—it is something unique and it looks impressive! You can use sites such as vistaprint.com to create business cards for your chapter that look professional yet are still relatively cheap. Or, if you want to save even more money, you can just make your own by creating a design and printing on nice paper.

Posters for PeopleCarry around gigantic posters for the first couple of weeks and approach groups oncampus with your posters. Using a poster as a jumping off point, talk about FBLA, when the meetings are and what you get out of your experience in the organization. Also, try to get not just officers, but returning members to carry around posters as well. If they are large enough, people may even ask about FBLA while you are in class.

Targeting the Member InterestsStart random conversations with members about their interests and then tie in FBLA. That really makes FBLA personally relevant to each student interested in joining by showing them how well-rounded FBLA really is.

Scavenger HuntPlan a school-wide scavenger hunt or a scavenger hunt for the first FBLA meeting. Splitstudents into groups with officers and members. This way, these individuals can bond over the competitive experience and already have some people they feel close to in FBLA.

WebsiteEnsure that there is a website set up for your FBLA chapter, even if it is a very basic one.Websites are an important portal into FBLA. A professional and impressive website made with

multimedia and dynamic content will attract people. At the same time, though, even a basic website allows members to receive more information about the organization. Alwayskeep your content relevant and updated.

Phone TreesCollect the contact information for every single student who attends the first meeting. Then, have the officer team make personalized phone calls to all of these prospective members in order to answer questions and form a personal bond with them, therefore encouraging them to join FBLA.

Club DayTake advantage of Club Day by making yourself professional, organized, and unique. Set up a booth to recruit members. Make sure you have a display board, plaques, brochures,flyers, and enthusiastic officers who are excited to tell their members about FBLA.

Early SocialHave a social early in the year to retain members. This early connection and “fun factor”really catches people and will keep them interested in FBLA throughout the year.

FBLA Formal AttireIf you wear formal attire everywhere, even on normal school days, students will approachyou in curiosity, which will give you the perfect opportunity to talk about FBLA!

Classroom PresentationsOfficers go into the freshmen and sophomore classes in a specific department (preferably business classes) and give a short speech on why the students should join FBLA. They can also do a Q&A session to answer any questions to those who have never heard of it.Officers should also talk about FBLA at Back to School night to parents in either their adviser’s room or the business classes. Focus on benefits of the students, but direct it to the parents so they can encourage their sons and daughters to join.

Start a Middle LevelGet a head start on the competition on the high

Membership RecruitmentIncrease membership in your chapter

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5 Best Practices Guide

school campus by exposing middle schoolstudents to FBLA. This way they have a better idea of what our organization is all about and feel more inclined to join it. Besides just generating publicity and good image, a middle level will feed members into the high school chapter. Focus your efforts on schools that typically feed into your high school.

Ask Me About FBLAWear t-shirts that say, "Ask me about FBLA." People will be curious and be impressed bythe initiative that FBLA is taking to recruit them. It will earn FBLA credibility at school as well as recruit some new members for your chapter.

Targeting the ParentsAt your school's annual Parent Night or Welcome Back night, have officers and willingmembers dress up in their business attire and hand out flyers about your chapter to everyone, especially parents. This will leave a great impression on the entire school and many parents will also "force" their children to check out the organization. Although the students might not want to join at first, they will love it once they get to know it! This is especially helpful for chapters that cannot seem to recruit members no matter what they try.

Making the First Meeting CountHave an incentive for students to go to meetings, at least for the first meeting, in order todraw people in! We had ordered 20 pizzas and in just the first meeting had people pay and write down their names for membership AND the mailing list. In a way it is "buying" your members, but after awhile the members become genuinely interested in FBLA and soon, they will come voluntarily!

Ice Cream SocialOrganize an ice cream social and be sure to publicize it well (school announcements,posters on campus, etc.) Have each student who attends pay a small predetermined price to cover the cost of the food. Everyone who pays is welcome. Take this opportunity to have your chapter officers pitch FBLA to the students who come for the ice cream.

FBLA ReplayGo around to classes at different periods (i.e. English classes, 1st-6th periods) and show a quick video or powerpoint about FBLA and then talk about it some, then answer some student questions. This lets the students get a slight idea of what FBLA is about and may get them interested in joining, whereas they might not have ever even heard of FBLA otherwise. Try showing recaps of events such as LDI or State. This could also be done on video announcements if your school has that. Another great video that will work is the promotional video from the FBLA National Office.

Membership RecruitmentIncrease membership in your chapter

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6 Best Practices Guide

Business DevelopmentBusiness TourHold tours to give members the opportunity to see the application of the business skillsthat they learn from FBLA. For convenience, choose a business that is already a contact,owned by an alumni or has an established business tour program. Also, try to schedule the tour so that students do not have to miss any school.

Advertising SponsorsTalk to local businesses to get advertising deals such as free chapter t-shirts that also havethe company's logo on them. The best choices for companies to target are driving schools, SAT tutoring companies, or any other business where teens make up the majority of the customer base. Don’t contact companies with inappropriate products such as alcohol.

Fundraising ContactsIf you do fundraisers with any businesses such as restaurants, talk to the managers abouttours and guest speakers. Members always love the integration of food and business!

Music Is A Business, TooTalk to local bands or student businesses to find out how they earn a profit. Have them beguest speakers to encourage members to start their own business.

Socials

Go Green Movie SocialYou can complete a requirement for the Go Green Chapter Project while hosting an easy,cheap, and effective social. Screen a movie related to the environment (Wall-E, etc.) and provide popcorn and drinks. It increases chapter bonding through a shared experience.

Member InductionHolding a social at the beginning of the year that includes member induction/installation isa great way to "formally" induct members into FBLA and give new members a chance

to network with officers. This should be held around October/November and can be very cost efficient in a member’s home or a local park.

Cook-OffThis is great activity for a smaller group of people. Have your chapter members meet at ahouse with a big kitchen. Before the social, prepare 2-4 pizza crusts (can purchasepre-made ones) and a variety of toppings. On the day of the event, split the group into two and have them compete to create the most delicious pizza. This makes for a great bonding experience and awesome lunch.

Slushie SocialGive out Slushies or Shaved Ice to paid members on a planned day at lunch. This can bring members together, as well as encourage new members to join and pay their dues.

Competitions Pizza SocialInvite your members to a pizza lunch social during school where each member contributesa predetermined amount of money to help pay for the food. At the social, you can have booths where the Competitions Vice President and experienced competitors talk to members about competitions.

Cocoa/Cola and CramOrganize a cram session at your school right before finals. Enlist the help of teachers andstudents to tutor. Make sure to publicize the event to all parents and students at the school. You can sell cocoa or Cola, depending on the season.

Business ToursSometimes, it gets very difficult to keep the excitement for FBLA going strong, especiallybetween LDI in the beginning of the year and the section conference around March.Holding socials and business tours is a great way to keep the members involved throughoutthe entire year. Just contacting a local entrepreneur to come in as a guest speaker during a lunchtime meeting or holding a two hour business tour is all it takes to keep those members wanting to come back for more FBLA!

Business Development & SocialsGet your local business and chapter involved!

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7 Best Practices Guide

Tree PlantingMany tree nurseries encourage high school students to provide volunteer service inplanting and maintaining young trees. This fulfills a requirement for the Go Green Project(both chapter and individual) so it benefits both the chapter and the members who attend.

Holiday ProjectOrganize a faire before Christmas (or any holiday) in the school cafeteria or any othervenue. Invite low-income children in the area to attend. Have a toy drive and try to get enough so that you can give each attendee a toy. In addition, on the day of the event, organize arts and crafts for the children to participate in. This helps you share the joy of the holidays with other youth in the community.

Make a Child SmileMakeachildsmile.org features children who are very ill. Organize a chapter meeting aroundmaking cards for one child. Pitch in some money for a gift and bundle everything together to send out so that you can make a child smile.

Benefit WalkResearch local community activities such as "Walk for Cancer" or other such benefit walks. Contact the organization to ask if they need volunteers to help at the event. This is a great way for members to get involved in community service, to gain insight into theorganization of a large-scale event, and increase FBLA's public image.

Easter Egg HuntSet up an activity in a local community youth center for children to have fun makingbaskets, coloring, and collecting Easter eggs. It is great fun for both the members and kids.

Canned Food DriveOrganize a canned food drive, potentially with Second Harvest Food Bank. Set up bags in allclassrooms and create a competition between the “homeroom” classes, where the class that collects the highest number of cans receives a prize. Additionally, you can make this a class competition.

GivologyHave members donate small increments of money through Givology.org to providestudents and communities in developing worlds with education support. Members can even form personalized relationships with the students they donate to!

Community ServiceMake a difference in your local community!

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8 Best Practices Guide

Member Contributors

• Alex Chen, Arcadia High School • Christina Huang, Rancho Cucamonga • Delia Li, Monta Vista High School • Ginny Wu, Centennial High School • Jane Huang, Temple City High School • Jessica Yi, Homestead High School • Kathy Sun, Homestead High School • Kayoung Lee, Lynbrook High School • Laura Yang, Monta Vista High School • Minghui Gu, Monta Vista High School • Nami Mottaghi, Rancho Cucamonga • Priyal Bhatt, Monta Vista High School • Richard Yu, Monta Vista High School • Roger Sanchez, Live Oak High School • Ryan Chui, Monta Vista High School• Shelina Noorali, Monache High School• Susan Gao, Los Altos High School• William Nguyen, Independence

Created by 2009-2010 State Team

• Kavya Shankar, State PresidentLynbrook High School• Alissa Song, State VP (Bay)Homestead High School• Imran Noorali, State VP (Central) Monache High School• Devang Sampat, State VP (Gold Coast) Charter Oak High School• Linxi Wu, State VP (Inland) Los Osos High School• Miguel Puentes, State VP (Northern) Williams High School• Erik Nguyen, State VP (Southern) Oxford Academy

• Panos Kanellakopoulos, State Sec-TreasMonta Vista High School• David Mao, State Public Relations OfficerLos Osos High School• Cathy Xu, State ParliamentarianLynbrook High School

Updated by the 2012-2013 State TeamCameron KhansariniaState President Centennial High School 

Eric Xu Bay Section State Vice President Lynbrook High School 

Helen ChauCentral Section State Vice President Redwood High School 

Jane Chen Gold Coast Section State Vice President Westlake High School 

Yvonne Lee Inland Section State Vice President  Ruben S. Ayala High School 

Taylor DaviesNorthern Section State Vice President Colusa High School 

Alice LiuSouthern Section State Vice President Sage Hill School 

Yadanar Oo Mission Valley Section State Vice PresidentSan Gabriel High School 

Nancy Liao State Secretary-Treasurer Homestead High School 

Nikhil MallipeddiState Public Relations Officer Monta Vista High School

Kathy DongState Parliamentarian Lynbrook High School 

Nikitas KanellakopoulosEx-Officio Officer Monta Vista High School 

ContributorsThank you to those who have contributed in the past. Email president@cafbla.org for new ideas to add in this packet. Thank you!

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