
Club 52!
As one of our 5 Key Elements, recognition is a staple at a number of our Clubs. We are constantly looking for new ways to recognize members and luckily BGCA has shared a a great idea to encourage retention and celebrate members! I can't remember when I first hear this idea, but Club 52 is a recognition program that recognizes members for attending the Club 52 times. This is an average of one time per week. There is also a Club 104 which does the same thing but recognizes memb


Somehow I Manage: Program of the Month Recognition
These posts will share some management tricks I use/have used/will never use again! For as long as I have managed people, I have been told that I am a good leader. I have limited staff turnover in a field where that epidemic is high. Several of my staff tell me I am the best boss they have had, although they know I love a good brown nosing. My staff seem generally happy most of the time. So what's the key to my success? I really don't have an answer. I have things that I do t


Somehow I Manage: YDP of the Month Program
These posts will share some management tricks I use/have used/will never use again! For as long as I have managed people, I have been told that I am a good leader. I have limited staff turnover in a field where that epidemic is high. Several of my staff tell me I am the best boss they have had, although they know I love a good brown nosing. My staff seem generally happy most of the time. So what's the key to my success? I really don't have an answer. I have things that I do t


Teacher of the Month Award Program
A lot of after-school programs exist in schools. And even if they don't, a Teacher of the Month program is an excellent way to build rapport with the schools you serve. Our Teacher of the Month Program does the following: Shows appreciation for teachers. Enables members to share their experiences from school. Builds rapport between schools and Clubs. Here is what a Teacher of the Month Award Program can look like: Each month, have staff members nominate a teacher who has had


Somehow I Manage: The Staffle
These posts will share some management tricks I use/have used/will never use again! For as long as I have managed people, I have been told that I am a good leader. I have limited staff turnover in a field where that epidemic is high. Several of my staff tell me I am the best boss they have had, although they know I love a good brown nosing. My staff seem generally happy most of the time. So what's the key to my success? I really don't have an answer. I have things that I do t


LOVE IS NOT CANDY: 10 SIMPLE WAYS TO RECOGNIZE KIDS
When I was a teacher, I learned about a classroom management philosophy that really changed the way I worked with kids. It was written in 2000 so some people think the ideas are outdated, but when it comes to recognition…I have found this philosophy to be incredibly helpful. Dr. Fred Jones wrote a book called Tools for Teaching and I use it in all of my classroom management trainings. In regards to recognition and incentive, Fred Jones claims that, “incentives answer the ques

CLUB CHALLENGE STARTER PACK
This is one of the best programs I've ever run. When I was a Club Program Manager in Lawrence, Kansas, my good friend and die hard would you rather player, Tristan aka t-drizzle aka fog horn leg horn aka my dear friend introduced me to Color Wars. I have used the past 4 years perfecting this program into a what I call, "A GAME CHANGER!" In recent months, however, we have decided to change the name of this program to: CLUB CHALLENGE! Want to provide fun and uphold healthy life


POWER HOUR REHAB #1
Several months ago, my organization and Professional Association hosted a Boys & Girls Club of America National training event. We had a Power Hour session scheduled and as the session was supposed to begin, we were informed that the trainer was unavailable. I thought to myself, what is the mantra you tell your staff every day? Adapt or Die. So, a fellow director (Amber) and I decided, “Hey, we are cool…we can do this.” This really ended up being one of my favorite sessions.


HOST AN OPEN HOUSE/BACK TO SCHOOL BASH
Every late August or Early September, I host an Open House/Back to School Bash. I like to combine them because usually families are more excited to come do something fun and free rather than come to an informational event. Last August, we hosted a County Fair Open House Event. It was a great way for us to meet families, recruit new members, provide important information (parent handbook, expectations, discipline policy, communications, calendars, etc.), and have a ton of fun!