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Young Members - Workshops
What are they and why might you want to run one?
The Federation is made up of many and varied groups of women. The Young
Members group in Otago realised that weekly meetings weren't for everyone,
yet there was still a strong desire among the membership to network effectively
and learn at the same time.
The first workshop was held in 2001 and revolved around Postdoctoral
Fellowships. It attracted about 30 postgraduate women and generated several
new members - an added bonus of from the workshops. Another workshop was
held in 2002 - "Women and Career Management" - and this attracted
about 50 women.
The Otago members recognised that other branches may want to implement
the workshops in their areas, so they have put together an outline of
how they go about it.
Benefits of workshops include:
- Increased profile for Federation;
- Networking opportunities for all who attend;
- A learning experience - for participants and organisers, and often
speakers;
- New memberships;
- Generation of energy and excitement about Federation and women in
general.
How to Run a Workshop
| 1) |
Contact members asking for ideas for workshops. Select one that
is particularly good and gauge the interest via either email or a
meeting. If you haven't got at least 10 people interested at this
point, be realistic about how many people the workshop may attract. |
| 2) |
We recommend using three people to organise a workshop: one to organise
the speakers, another to organise the venue and food, another for
the logistics of money and name tags. Ask for volunteers from the
general membership so that it's not the same old people doing it. |
| 3) |
Give yourself at least a month to organise, preferably six weeks. |
| 4) |
In the planning stages, aim to break even financially, but with
the bonus of hopefully attracting new members. Do you want the workshop
to be on a weeknight evening, a Saturday morning, or a whole Saturday?
Be realistic about the time your speakers can afford. |
| 5) |
Speaker organiser: Get to work early so you get high-calibre speakers.
Speak to them over the phone first and follow the call up with written
material. Have a back-up in case someone falls sick, or make sure
the workshop can accommodate a no-show. You need to phone the speakers
again a week or so before the workshop. Ensure they have a map or
clear directions and are clear on the time it begins. Do any of the
speakers require any specific equipment for their presentation?
You also need to arrange a gift for the speakers - nothing huge but
a recognition of their time.
Arrange for a welcomer and thanker. |
| 6) |
Venue/food organisers: As part of the planning, estimate how
many people you are likely to attract and select an appropriate
venue. It is fine to cap the number attending, but obviously it
is better if you can accommodate everybody. Sometimes you can find
a venue which has a selection of rooms and, if numbers are up or
down on your estimates, you may be able to swap rooms. It is essential
there is a cut off for bookings to the workshop, so you can order
food and confirm the booking.
Talk to the caterer early in the piece and find out the minimum
number of days they need to know final numbers by. That then needs
to be your final cut off for registrations. If it is a full-day
workshop, lunch will be required; if it is a morning or evening,
supper or morning tea will be sufficient.
Ensure any specific equipment required by the speakers can be supplied
by the venue.
What is the cost of the venue? This needs to be worked into the
cost of registration. Most universities or polytechnics will do
a good deal for Fed functions. |
| 7) |
Logistics: Advertising is critical. Check out the local "free"
papers for cheaper advertising rates, but also look at the main
papers, if your budget can stretch to it. Make use of internal staff
newsletters at your local tertiary education providers. The student
newspaper is another option. If your speaker/s are impressive, the
newspaper may run a small article about the workshop, so a press
release is a good idea (keep it short and to the point).
Decide on a per head price for Fed members that accounts for the
cost of food, venue, advertising and any other overheads (gifts,
etc). For non-members, add on about $10 but say on the registration
form that, if people wish to join Federation either at the workshop
or before, they need only pay the members' price.
You will need a float from the local committee - recommend about
$300-500 depending on anticipated size of workshop.
Registrations will come in to you. Keep a list of names and prepare
name tags to be handed out on arrival.
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Ideas for Workshops
- Women and career management
- Managing your student loan
- Postdoctoral fellowships - what you need to know
- Returning to study as a mature student
- How to get more women on boards
- Postgraduate study - all you need to know
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