Goals of leadership transitions:
- Establish continuity from year to year
- Build or maintain a strong organizational foundation
- Enable ongoing growth and long-term success for your organization
- Identify emerging leaders, prepare incoming leaders, recognize the work of outgoing leaders
Key elements of successful student group leadership transitions:
- Create a plan and timeline for transition at the beginning of your term as an officer
- Keep all records in one established location accessible to all officers and your advisor
- Actively manage your bank account and financial records
- Actively manage your registration with the university
- Communicate proactively and intentionally
Create a plan and timeline for transition at the beginning of your term as an officer:
- Note: It is recommended that Student Council facilitate the coordination of club election dates so that elections are spaced out over a reasonable amount of time. It is also helpful when Student Council can compile into one place a listing of available officer positions across all clubs (ahead of elections) so that students interested in seeking officer positions can have a comprehensive look at all available roles they could pursue.
- Soon after taking office establish your election process, timeline, and dates for the year
- Is the election schedule or process part of your constitution? If not, should it be?
- Remember that OPT IIIs are studying for boards from January through mid-March, account for this in your election timeline
- Evaluate if it might be useful for your group to add “elect” positions to your executive board (such as President-Elect or Treasurer-Elect):
- “Elect” positions allow for a year of learning before assuming the role
- Check your constitution to see if it outlines a process for adding new positions to your board
- Be sure to update your constitution if you make a change to the leadership structure of your group
- Determine how you will identify emerging leaders throughout the year who could become future board members
Keep all records in one established location accessible to all officers and your advisor:
- Online document sharing (google docs, Microsoft onedrive, etc.) can make this easy!
- Documents, materials, and information to consider storing, passing along and/or updating as part of your transition process:
- Your constitution
- Position descriptions for each role (if not included in your constitution)
- A timeline/summary of the year’s events, trips, activities, etc.
- Program and event planning info (to-do lists, contacts, resources, budgets, etc.)
- Funding sources (the college’s annual funding process, fundraisers, corporate partners, student activities programming funds, etc.)
- Bank statements and bank account information, checks, debit cards
- Tax information, past tax returns, contact info of tax preparer (if applicable)
Office of Student Services - Important contacts (advisor, contact info for outgoing officers, other important people that help the club function)
- Usernames/passwords
- Keys and locations of any storage spaces
- Mailbox location (329 fry hall)
- Locker location and combo
- Location of any other physical supplies, materials, artifacts, etc. that need to be passed down
- Other important records (awards given/received, etc.)
Actively manage your bank account and financial records:
- If you do nothing else, please make sure to transition bank account access in a timely fashion
- Your organization can fall out of good standing with the university if your bank account is not properly transitioned
- Starting fall of 2022, Jen will not distribute college funding to any groups that have not properly transitioned bank account access until the transition is complete
- Adding your advisor to your bank account may not be the answer to bank account access continuity. The university discourages (but does not prohibit) advisors from being listed on student organization bank accounts. If they are on your account, they can be personally liable for financial related risks. Your advisor may not be willing to assume this responsibility.
- Actively and regularly monitor bank account statements
- Store financial statements and records in a shared location that the executive board and advisor can access
- Pass down checks, debit cards, etc. – know who is in possession of these items at all times
- Do not carry these items around with you unless you are using them, keep them in a safe, locked location
- Keep an eye out for fraudulent activity, address fraudulent activity right away (notify your bank who can advise you on steps to take, contact your advisor, report to police when advised to do so)
Actively manage your registration with the university:
- Be sure your new officers know when your registration window occurs (fall or spring)
- When new officers are elected, update your group leaders in the student organization management system so that they have access to complete the yearly registration process
- Make sure new officers are aware of the registration process and required President, Treasurer and Advisor trainings
Communicate proactively and intentionally:
- Have a transition meeting
- Go over the description of the officer roles as written in a position description or your constitution
- Go over all records and documents described in the previous section above
- Share your reflections and advice
- You may want to invite your advisor as well
- Make sure new officers know who they can go to with questions (if you don’t know who to ask, contact Jen ).
- Make sure new officers know that Jen will host a training for them in the summer
Office of Student Services
- Set a date and time to transition bank account access
- Discuss all items listed above related to bank account transition
This guide was compiled by Jen Bennett, Director of Student Services. Feel free to contact Jen with any questions or advice related to leadership transitions, bennett.1075@osu.edu
Last update: February 2022