Officer Transitioning

If you want your organization to remain strong from year to year, you must remember to provide the succeeding officers with the necessary information. There should be a time of officer overlap before the current officer leaves. This will provide an opportunity for some training to occur.

Regardless of how extensive the training, a comprehensive notebook of each position should be kept and updated so that each succeeding officer may retain and learn from it. This notebook should include: a complete position description, schedule of events from the year, end of the year report, budgetary concerns and any incidentals (copy codes, how to reserve space for meetings, where to get supplies, who to contact for questions, etc.) that should be retained. The point of this notebook is to provide information to as many questions as the person may ask throughout the course of the year. A key point to remember is that you should always leave things better than you found them. If you came into the position with a lot of questions because someone did not leave you with necessary information, remember your frustration, and keep good notes throughout the year to pass along to the next person.

Please remind the succeeding officers of the need to register with the Student Organization Office each year and contact SOO with any information regarding a new contact person.

For more information, contact the Student Leadership Program, slp@odos.wisc.edu.