Hello again Florida DECA! 
This vlog encompasses various chapter activities that many chapters do after ICDC.  One of the activities being to hold a banquet.  A banquet is always a good way to commemorate your chapter's year by celebrating successes, reflecting on memories made together throughout the year, and many more.  Another activity that many chapters do is to elect their Chapter Officers or 'Executive Board'. These consist of positions such as President, Vice President, Secretary etc.; and the group can meet and work over the summer to make plans for the upcoming year.
 
     Now get out there and... Chapter Activate?

Hello Florida DECA! Today I am going to cover a topic that is relevant to every chapter because they all have to fundraise! Fundraising is an imperative part of any organization and in order for anything to get done there needs to be some money involved. For example, if you want to have any type of social there needs to be some money in the club in order to get those resources to have that social even if the members are paying it back or they may not be. 
 
Here are some suggestions on ways to fundraise for your chapter! My first suggestion is to try and involve your members in what you do. If your chapter can do a bake sale or a car wash, anything that can keep your members apart of it, so they are not just giving their money to the organization. This is a great way to get members involved and networking while fundraising.
 
An amazing way to fundraise and advocate DECA at the same time is by using fundraising platforms such as Snap Raise where your chapter can create a DECA video and have your members spread it to people they know. Another easy way to fundraise is through fundraising nights at any happening restaurants. A common fundraiser is having your members sell a candy or some sort of food through a candy box where they sell it on the spot or through a magazine where they get the order mailed to them. 
 
Lastly, SBEs are great ways to fundraise year-round. Find something that sells within your chapter and run with it! Hopefully your chapter having more money will help them hold more events, lower the price for competition, and benefit your chapter. Contact me at laura@fldeca.org if I can be of any help! 

Tips on Officer Training 
  Hello Florida DECA! This is your VP Bianca here to talk about officer training. Congratulations to newly elected officers and to those who are still waiting the in process I will you all good luck.
  Tip 1: Communication
I want to stress that communicating with make your life so much easier. By communicating with your officer team and advisors, your term sails smoothly. Communicating takes away confusion, misinformation, and misunderstandings. You want your team to be on the same page to work as a unit and make impactful decisions. I recommend having meetings either weekly, through Skype or Google Hangouts, at lunch, or a least once a month. You want to go over progress made in between meetings. EX: did you reach a goal, is everyone pulling their weight, what are you doing in order to reach a goal, etc. These meetings make communicating easy as you are all in one place disscussing what needs to be said. Record the contents of these meetings and keep track of plans made or changes to a previous plan. 
   Tip 2: Plan 
Like communicating, planning takes the stress and overwhelment out of your life. As I said previously, take the time to plan in your meetings, but the most important time to plan is at the end of the year. Sit down with your team and have a brainstorming session. Talk about fundraising, community service, competition preperarion events, that is realistic and attainable for your chapter in the upcoming year. If you plan now and choose an event you would like to do, it is much more likely to become a reality, rather than come up with ideas and plan as you go. The saying “failing to plan is planing to fail” is so true. Have a set plan of events for the upcoming year takes out the guess work and makes it that much easier to have a great year. 
   Tip 3: Be Knowlegeable 
Know basic information about DECA, in order to answer questions from your members, especially new members. Going on DECA’s website and the Florida DECA website will provide you with information on the organization and our association. I also recommend DECA Direct for articles on anything and everything DECA. If you have a question most likely there will be an answer on DECA Direct, and these articles are student submitted, so they are easy to understand and provide you with answers and recommendations from experience. 

Please take the time to look at the links I have listed and to read the mission statement and values of DECA. 

DECA Website: https://www.deca.org

DECA Direct: http://www.decadirect.org

DECA Mission Statement and Values: https://www.deca.org/about/brand/

Hey Florida DECA!
 
     This short 2-minute video is to give you all some ideas to bring back to your chapter to help recruit members!  I shared one of the ways that my chapter recruits its members, which is through our school’s open house and is explained throughout the video.  Another great way to recruit members in your chapter is to advertise.  Set up a meeting before or after school for any students who are interested in the business and marketing world, and post flyers around your school or make announcements advertising your meeting and talk about all the benefits they can gain through DECA. (INCLUDE REFRESHMENTS! J)
     And remember, you can always just simply ask someone and start a conversation with them to see if they’re interested; there’s no harm in asking!
 
     Now get out there and GAIN those members!

​Hey FL DECA, 
Welcome to Vlog #2, this one is about ICDC. 

It is April 21st-24th in Atlanta, Georgia. There will be a whopping 18,000 people there! 18k people who love DECA just as much as you do. Something really fun to do at ICDC is trade pins. Your goal is to get your hands on as many pins from the other states and countries in exchange for the Florida DECA pins that you will receive at the conference. Next, Andy Grammer will be performing! Check out his music now so you can sing along at the concert! 

GET HYPE FOR FLORIDA DECA NIGHT:
This year it will be held at Andretti's on Sunday the 22nd, which is an indoor go karting place that also features a huge arcade, zip line, rope courses, and much more. At the end of the vlog you can find a list of all of the attractions they have there. Also, all of the new florida DECA officers will be there to meet all of you!!

Competition Tips:
Role Play:
1. Hit your performance indicators in the order and words that they were given to you, so that it is easy for your judge to follow.
2. Know your stuff! Your school can buy the competitive edge here: http://www.customresources.com/the-competitive-edge/
3. Psych out your competition! Don’t act nervous and it will make your competition nervous.

Written Events:
1. Memorize your presentation, and don’t use note cards so that you look more professional.
2. Smile and look exited throughout your whole presentation!
3. Leave a lasting impression on your judges with a great conclusion and a handshake.
4. Leave them a nice business card!
Good luck everyone!