How do we reach out to our communities? How do we let people know about our club? How do we get more people at our events?
Building relationships with other campus clubs (i.e., volunteer clubs, fraternities/sororities, etc.) and off-campus Taekwondo or non-Taekwondo clubs could help people know about your program and bring people to your events- our moto is "more the merrier". Here are some ideas that can help you establish a working relationship with other clubs and non-Taekwondo people:
- Teach Taekwondo to special olympics athletes or create an afterschool Taekwondo program at a local elementary or high school.
- Organize an one-time workshop for a campus fraternity, sorority, or service club; advertise this as a way for their members to get to know eachother and a chance for their members to participate in something new and fun!
- Open one of your practices to Taekwondo gyms in your area as a joint-practice opportunity (Parents usually love this idea because it gives their children a chance to interact with college students).
Conclusion:
Brainstorm among your club members to see with which community they identify or for which project they would have the most passion. From there, you will more easily identify how Taekwondo (and your club) could connect with people who may not have an immediate interest in martial arts.
Summary:
Find what you are passionate about or with which community you identify and then ask the right people (i.e., the president, the cub officer, the principal, etc.)
If you would like more information on ways to build relationships with your communities, please contact us by email at programsupport@ikickonline.com or by phone at 626.590.7565. We would love to hear from you.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
Fundraising
How do we raise some money to cover the cost of participating in tournaments?
The first thing we highly suggest every officer to do is to see how much per person a tournament will cost. Tournament fees usually run between $50 to $100, depending on the scale of the event. If you have to travel, make sure you add in the cost of transportation (i.e., airplane tickets, car rentals, gasoline, etc.) as well as the cost of lodging (i.e., cost per night, how many rooms you need, etc.). Once you come up with a number for cost-per-person, then you have a fundraising goal. It is important to set a fundraising goal so you can estimate how much effort your club will need to spend on raising funds.
One idea is to host a tournament. The advantages are that one tournament with 40-50 people could help you take a 'leap' towards your fundraising goals. The disadvantages are obvious: need money to purchase trophies, need mats, need scoring systems, need referees, need people to attend. We do have resources to help you off-set some of the disadvantages listed above. Contact us for more detailed information: programsupport@ikickonline.com.
Another idea is to start a beginner's section within your club. If you practice twice-a-week for 2-or-more hours each practice, you might think about taking 45-60 minutes out of each practice for a beginner's class. For college students who have no martial arts experience, joining a taekwondo club is not a very attractive option; however, if you advertise your club with a section specifically for beginner's, new members may not feel as self-concious or nervous since they could expect everyone in that section to have very little experience as well. As always, consult with your school administration before moving forward with this idea. The advantages of this idea are that your club becomes a more inclusive Taekwondo club, your club can raise some funds through membership dues, your club becomes a place where people can meet new people...which is after all an opportunity that any college-level club or student group should provide.
Conclusion:
First, decide on a fundraising goal that works for your group. Even if you raise only $1000 an entire year, if you have 10 people who are going to a competition, that is $100 that each person can save on his/her costs of participation in the event!
Summary:
Think outside the box...in this case 'the box' contains ideas you are used to, such as the way your old private studio operated.
Contact us for more detailed fundraising ideas that might be suitable for your college or university club. Email us at programsupport@ikickonline.com or call us at 626.590.7565. We'd love to hear from you!
The first thing we highly suggest every officer to do is to see how much per person a tournament will cost. Tournament fees usually run between $50 to $100, depending on the scale of the event. If you have to travel, make sure you add in the cost of transportation (i.e., airplane tickets, car rentals, gasoline, etc.) as well as the cost of lodging (i.e., cost per night, how many rooms you need, etc.). Once you come up with a number for cost-per-person, then you have a fundraising goal. It is important to set a fundraising goal so you can estimate how much effort your club will need to spend on raising funds.
One idea is to host a tournament. The advantages are that one tournament with 40-50 people could help you take a 'leap' towards your fundraising goals. The disadvantages are obvious: need money to purchase trophies, need mats, need scoring systems, need referees, need people to attend. We do have resources to help you off-set some of the disadvantages listed above. Contact us for more detailed information: programsupport@ikickonline.com.
Another idea is to start a beginner's section within your club. If you practice twice-a-week for 2-or-more hours each practice, you might think about taking 45-60 minutes out of each practice for a beginner's class. For college students who have no martial arts experience, joining a taekwondo club is not a very attractive option; however, if you advertise your club with a section specifically for beginner's, new members may not feel as self-concious or nervous since they could expect everyone in that section to have very little experience as well. As always, consult with your school administration before moving forward with this idea. The advantages of this idea are that your club becomes a more inclusive Taekwondo club, your club can raise some funds through membership dues, your club becomes a place where people can meet new people...which is after all an opportunity that any college-level club or student group should provide.
Conclusion:
First, decide on a fundraising goal that works for your group. Even if you raise only $1000 an entire year, if you have 10 people who are going to a competition, that is $100 that each person can save on his/her costs of participation in the event!
Summary:
Think outside the box...in this case 'the box' contains ideas you are used to, such as the way your old private studio operated.
Contact us for more detailed fundraising ideas that might be suitable for your college or university club. Email us at programsupport@ikickonline.com or call us at 626.590.7565. We'd love to hear from you!
Monday, January 25, 2010
Finding People to Join Your Club
We have a class/club, how do we get more people to join?
Before you enroll new members into your class or club, one of the things you want to consider is what are your overall goals. Are you looking for people with whom you will participate in tournaments? Are you looking for beginners? Are you looking for more advanced practitioners? Are you looking for people to simply kick around once or twice a week. Make sure you know what it is you want so that you can find the people that will fit your club.
If we have set goals, wouldn't that deter people from joining?
If your goal is to compete at local tournaments, you might deter people who are just looking to kick around as an exercise or learn basic self-defense skills. When starting out, it is (in our experience) better to start small and then expand. If your goal as the leader of the group is for the group to (eventually) compete in tournaments, then opening the club to those who do not wish to compete would give you more things than you can handle . Besides, once you have an established entity, you can always set aside some time for the various subgroups (e.g., beginners, competition team, etc.) within your group.
Remember: see your members by the amount of effort they put in or the quality of their athleticism. In our experience, belt color has negligible correlation with ability or effort.
Conclusion:
We know how exciting it is to start a new club and think about all the possibilities. Don't use up all your enthusiasm to fulfill everyone's needs. Maintain a constant effort and find people who share your enthusiasm.
Summary:
- Start with one or two club goals.
- Find people with similar intentions (as you).
For more detailed information on ways to recruit more members, please contact us at: programsupport@ikickonline.com.
Before you enroll new members into your class or club, one of the things you want to consider is what are your overall goals. Are you looking for people with whom you will participate in tournaments? Are you looking for beginners? Are you looking for more advanced practitioners? Are you looking for people to simply kick around once or twice a week. Make sure you know what it is you want so that you can find the people that will fit your club.
If we have set goals, wouldn't that deter people from joining?
If your goal is to compete at local tournaments, you might deter people who are just looking to kick around as an exercise or learn basic self-defense skills. When starting out, it is (in our experience) better to start small and then expand. If your goal as the leader of the group is for the group to (eventually) compete in tournaments, then opening the club to those who do not wish to compete would give you more things than you can handle . Besides, once you have an established entity, you can always set aside some time for the various subgroups (e.g., beginners, competition team, etc.) within your group.
Remember: see your members by the amount of effort they put in or the quality of their athleticism. In our experience, belt color has negligible correlation with ability or effort.
Conclusion:
We know how exciting it is to start a new club and think about all the possibilities. Don't use up all your enthusiasm to fulfill everyone's needs. Maintain a constant effort and find people who share your enthusiasm.
Summary:
- Start with one or two club goals.
- Find people with similar intentions (as you).
For more detailed information on ways to recruit more members, please contact us at: programsupport@ikickonline.com.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Getting Started
I want a Taekwondo program at my school, where do I start?
To bring Taekwondo to your school, you will first need to have the right people: friends, roommates, classmates, or schoolmates who have an interest in Taekwondo or in a martial arts related to Taekwondo (i.e., Muay Thai, kickboxing, etc.). Also, see if there are any faculty (e.g., professors, lecturers, post-doctoral students, etc.) who might be interested in being your adviser.
Where do I go to start a club or class?
To find information on what you need to establish an official Taekwondo club, a good place to start is an on-campus department that overlooks recreational activities. If you are at a major university or college, there is usually a recreation department that manages the types of programming offered on campus. The offices of these departments are usually located within the vicinity of the on-campus gym or you can always ask an employee of the gym.
Conclusion:
Whether you start out as a student group, a club team, or class will depend on a few factors such as your school's policies, your level of experience in Taekwondo, and your goals. Any kind of a start is a good start =)
Summary:
- Find people who want to practice Taekwondo with you.
- Collect information on how to become an official entity (e.g., as a club or class) on your campus.
For more detailed information on ways to get started, please contact us at: programsupport@ikickonline.com.
To bring Taekwondo to your school, you will first need to have the right people: friends, roommates, classmates, or schoolmates who have an interest in Taekwondo or in a martial arts related to Taekwondo (i.e., Muay Thai, kickboxing, etc.). Also, see if there are any faculty (e.g., professors, lecturers, post-doctoral students, etc.) who might be interested in being your adviser.
Where do I go to start a club or class?
To find information on what you need to establish an official Taekwondo club, a good place to start is an on-campus department that overlooks recreational activities. If you are at a major university or college, there is usually a recreation department that manages the types of programming offered on campus. The offices of these departments are usually located within the vicinity of the on-campus gym or you can always ask an employee of the gym.
Conclusion:
Whether you start out as a student group, a club team, or class will depend on a few factors such as your school's policies, your level of experience in Taekwondo, and your goals. Any kind of a start is a good start =)
Summary:
- Find people who want to practice Taekwondo with you.
- Collect information on how to become an official entity (e.g., as a club or class) on your campus.
For more detailed information on ways to get started, please contact us at: programsupport@ikickonline.com.
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