​When you hear the word Thrive, what do you think of? If you’re like me I think of someone or something that’s doing their very best, whether it be an athlete at the peak of his career or a company that’s flourishing. A great way for your chapter to thrive is to complete the THRIVE campaigns.
There are five different THRIVE campaigns which all cover different aspects of what many successful chapters do. The five campaigns are Membership, Global Entrepreneurship Week, Promotional, Community Service, and Advocacy. If you really want to THRIVE, you should complete them all!
          The Membership campaign’s focus is pretty straightforward: membership! The three requirements it has are to increase student membership by 20, to have 20 alumni members, and to have 20 professional members. If your chapter completes one of these requirements, you will earn achievement level and receive a pennant and certificate. If you complete two (or three) of these requirements, your chapter will earn THRIVE level and earn a pennant, plaque, flag and three allocations to attend the THRIVE Academy at ICDC. By completing this campaign, your chapter will be able to strengthen their membership with past and present members, as well as their relationship with members of the community.
          The Global Entrepreneurship Week campaign, this year, takes place November 14-20. The three requirements are to submit 3 ideas for the DECA Idea Challenge, to hear 3 success stories of alumni entrepreneurs, and to have 3 school/community outreach activities. Keep in mind to be recognized for this campaign (as well as the next three), you must complete ALL of the requirements. By completing this campaign, your chapter members will be more knowledgeable about entrepreneurship, and be able to develop their entrepreneurial abilities.
          The Promotional campaign works to promote DECA within your school and community. The three requirements for this campaign are to complete 3 school outreach activities, to have 3 alumni present their success stories, and to have 3 community outreach activities. By promoting DECA in these different areas, your chapter can garner a huge amount of support and truly fulfill the Community Oriented principle of DECA.
          The Community Service campaign is another excellent way to be a Community Oriented chapter. The requirements for this campaign are to complete 1 community service activity, with 75% or more participation of your members, and 1 form of publicity or promotion.
          To be recognized for the three above campaigns (Global Entrepreneurship Week, Promotional, and Community Service), you must complete all three of the requirements of the campaign. If you complete one of these three campaigns, your chapter will receive a pennant and certificate. If you complete two of these campaigns, your chapter will receive a pennant, plaque, flag and three allocations to the THRIVE Academy at ICDC.
          The fifth and final campaign is Advocacy. To complete this campaign, you must complete three school outreach activities, reach out to 3 public policy makers, and complete three community outreach activities. All of this must be done in February, and if you complete it successfully, your chapter will receive a pennant, a special plaque, and a letter of recognition. It is important to remember that the Membership, Global Entrepreneurship Week, Promotional, and Community Service Campaigns are all due December 1st, so be sure to SUBMIT them by that date. The Advocacy campaign is due March 1st, and must be submitted by that date.
The THRIVE campaigns are excellent ways for your chapter to gain recognition and spots in the THRIVE Academy at ICDC. By completing these campaigns, your chapter will thrive, and I think it is one of the best things you can do. An excellent graphic to help you out is this.