Attendance is quite low. Our club might lose qualification for an official club.
Introduction
I belong to an accounting club. In the club, we improve knowledge and skill on accounting with other members. Last April, at last, the accounting club got qualified as an official club by university. By being an official club, we have received financial assistance, and it has helped our club activity a lot. But now, we are faced on big problem. We might lose the qualification after next April because of low attendance. Instead of giving qualification as an official club, university requires the club to keep attendance more than fifty percent. We have regular club activity every Thursday. And we count attendance based on attendance to the weekly activity. Since last June, attendance has getting low. If we can not raise attendance, we will lose the qualification.
This is a proposal to our club leader to raise attendance so that our accounting
club will be able to be an official club after next year and receive financial
assistance.
Background
Thanks to effort of you and all members, our club got qualified as an official club by university last April. As it became official club, the university has given us financial assistance since then. It has helped us a lot for enriching our club activity. Before our club qualified as an official club, we couldn't afford to buy good materials which we needed for our deep accounting study as club activity because they are too expensive. Some members bought the materials at their own expense, but others couldn't. Many of us used different materials. It worked, but as a club activity, it was not convenient. To help each other in studying, it is an ideal everyone use common material. So, since last April, as the club got qualified as an official club and began to receive financial assistance, our club has been done without these problems.
Problem
Now, we have a new big problem. Attendance to regular weekly club activity is getting very low. As you know, one of the requirements to keep being an official club is to keep attendance more than fifty percent. The rule, which appears in The Faculty of Economics Official Student Activity Association Rules, says "…it must maintain more than fifty percent of attendance of all registered members on average through a year, or it loses the qualification after the next year." Now, the attendance of this month is forty percent, and the average since last April is fifty four percent. If the attendance keeps getting low, the average will be under fifty percent. In that case, our club is supposed to lose its qualification, and we will not get any financial assistance after next April. We need to manage this situation. We need to act immediately for raising attendance.
What is the reason of this low attendance?
By the way, what is the reason of this low attendance? Before thinking how to raise the attendance, we need to know what the key problem is. To look for the answer to this question, I did some researches. The research was aimed at all registered members of our club, and the way of research was a questionnaire survey which contains following questions.
Q0. Please specify your year and major. (Freshman/Sophomore/Junior/Senior) Major:_______
Q1. Do you usually attend at weekly activity? ( Yes / No )
Q2. (To who answered "No" in Q1) What are the reasons you do not attend at weekly activity?
-The meeting time conflicts with my class
-The meeting time conflicts with my work
-Cannot get enough help in studying accounting
-Not be fun
-Feel hard to become familiar with other members
-Others
Q3. (To who answered "The meeting time conflicts with my class." in Q2.) Now we have the weekly activity on Thursday 4-6pm. What day of a week and time is convenient for you?
Q4. (To who answered "The meeting time conflicts with work." in Q2.) Now we have the weekly activity on Thursday 4-6pm. What day of a week and time is convenient for you?
Q5. (To who answered "Cannot get enough help in studying accounting" in Q2.)
a). Are you going to get any license in accounting field? (If yes, please tell me the detail.)
b). What kind of help do you need?
c). Please give me any comment about the problem you have now.Q6. (To who answered "Not fun.")
a). Do you want to study accounting in this club?
b). Please describe the reason you feel our club activity is not fun?
c). Please give me any comment about the problem you have now.
According to this survey, I found several possible reasons which cause the low
attendance. They are not separate problems, but they are related each other.
First, many members feel our weekly activity is not helpful for accounting study. The number of people who answered "Cannot get enough help in studying accounting" was sixteen. This was the majority among several reasons answered by those who do not attend weekly activity. In addition, almost all people who answered “Cannot get enough help in studying accounting” are going to get any license in accounting field. That is, they have a desire to study accounting, and if we offer enough help, they will attend at weekly activity. As a content of help which they need, many of them answered that they need more individualized help. Now, in the club activity, we choose a few topics based on members’ need, and person who is in charge of explains to all members. People who have question can ask the person or other members. This system had worked, but now, many members need more individual help which reflects their personal need, and for that, they need environment in which they can ask some help more freely.
Second, the meeting schedule for weekly activity is not convenient for some members. The number of people who answered "The meting time conflicts with my class" and "the meeting time conflicts with my work" was nineteen in total. It is half of all members who usually do not attend weekly activity. If the meeting time is convenient for them, they will be able to attend at the weekly activity. Also, this problem is related to another reason why many of members feel they can not get enough help in our activity. Especially, upper division courses in finance and management conflict with our meeting time. In our club, many of members major in finance and management. They have good skill in accounting and they can teach freshman and sophomore who are not familiar to accounting field. If they attend at weekly activity, they would be able to give some help to those who need help.
Third, for a part of members, it is hard to become familiar with other members or our club activity is not fun. The number of people who answered "Not be fun" or "Feel hard to become familiar with other members" was not small. Our club is not a club to have fun, but these people should not be ignored because these two items seems to be deeply related to the first reason, "Cannot get enough help in studying accounting". According to the questionnaire survey, many of the members who answered "Not be fun" or "Feel hard to become familiar with other members" also answered “Cannot get enough help in studying accounting.” That is, not being familiar with other members prevents them from getting enough help in studying accounting. As you know, when we study, it is very important to ask questions for solving problems. But when you are not familiar with other people, it is sometimes hard to talk to them and ask questions. In terms of letting members get enough help, making friendly attitude plays important role.
How to raise attendance?
There are some possible solutions to raise attendance. For instance, we can
get serious members, who are supposed to attend at every weekly club activity,
afresh. If we could get such serious members a lot, it will contribute to raise
attendance. But getting new members is not easy, and even if we could do that,
it is not sure if the new members attend weekly club activity regularly. We
have other options. If we give penalty to those who do not attend at weekly
activity, attendance might rise because there is no one who likes penalty. But
it will not work. If people, who do not attend at club activity for any reason,
learn they might get penalty, they will leave our club instead of attending
club activity. Also, this club activity is not for presence but for improving
each member’s knowledge and skills in accounting field. In terms of purpose
of our club, this is not proper, either.
Then, how should we solve this big problem? It’s clear. What we need is to solve problems which cause this low attendance. As I described based on the research, there are several possible reasons which cause the low attendance. Among those several reasons, the biggest one is “Cannot get enough help in studying accounting,” and other reasons are deeply related to this reason. That is, the fact that many members can not get enough help is a key problem, and for solving the key problem, we need to solve other related problems. I believe that it is the most steady and effective way.
Proposal
To raise attendance, I propose following plan. Each plan is all for achieving one purpose, to letting members get enough help in weekly activity.
1. Shift meeting time from Thursday 4-6 pm to Wednesday 12:15-2:15 pm.
2. Make study buddies.
3. Have a big free party this month.* Each execution of this plan should be done in this month.
[Details]
1. Now, we have weekly club activity on Thursday 4-6 pm, but as I mentioned earlier, for many members, the schedule is not convenient. Unfortunately, there is no day of a week which is convenient for all members after 4 pm. According to a research which I did after the questionnaire survey, almost all members don’t have any class on Wednesday 1 pm to 2:20 pm. If we start the activity at lunch time, we can secure enough time, 2 hours. By starting 12:15 pm, members can finish eating their lunch by the time. But as we do now, members also can eat during the club activity. By finishing 2:15 pm, members can make it on time for the next class.
2. To help members in studying accounting more effectively, I strongly suggest we have study buddies. Although just becoming familiar each other will work for making them feel free to join the activity and ask questions, if we have study buddies, members will be able to get more effective help which reflects more individual need. To realize this, we need to make small groups. Each group have 3 to 4 buddies and one of them is a person who have enough knowledge in accounting field and can teach other buddies.
3. The purpose of this party is letting members feel easy to get along with
other members. Some of our members feel hard to become familiar to other members
now. This is thought as one of causes that many of members feel that they can't
get enough help in our activity. Our club activity is based on helping each
other. So, to be familiar with other members is very important.
Actually we had big party in April, but, at that time, the number of members
was only 11 people. Rest of them registered after that. So we should have another
opportunity to get to know each other among all club members without regular
club activity as a study.
Budget is almost 70,000 yen, when we assume all members join the party. Nonchan
serves nice food and drink at very reasonable price, so if we choose the place,
70,000 yen is enough. We have 48,000 yen in our second saving account which
we saved before our club became an official club. Also, the university permits
us to use up to 20 % of financial assistance for social activity. It means we
can use up to 24,000 yen for this party. So it covers the rest of expense. About
48,000 yen in second saving account, I have already talked to our accounting
manager, and made it sure that we can use it beside our financial assistance
from university. But in case we execute this plan, we had better to ask every
member.
Benefits
As I mentioned again and again, this plan’s purpose is to make our club activity effective so that members can get enough help in studying accounting. The fact that many of our club members think they can not get enough help is the key problem which cause the low attendance mainly, and it is what we do need to solve for raising attendance. These three steps are all for solve the key problem, and by solving the key problem, we will realize the main purpose, to raise attendance. This is the most steady and effective way.
By executing this plan, our club will be able to get higher attendance than
now, and will be able to exist as an official club after next April, too. As
I mentioned earlier, and as you know, the biggest merit to be an official club
is that we can receive financial assistance for our club activity from university.
Thanks to the financial assistance, we can enrich our club activity now. By
realizing this plan and raising attendance, we will be able to get the financial
assistance after next April, too.
This plan has another merit. We will be able to improve our club activity itself. Of course, the primary purpose of this plan is raising attendance, but on the process, we are supposed to solve fundamental problems which we have now in our club activity. Even if we do not have this problem, the low attendance, this plan is what should be done for improving our club activity. Facing on this big problem, to solve problems are all for raising attendance, but as a result, we will also be able to improve our club activity itself.
Conclusion
To keep our club being an official club, I strongly suggest you to execute this plan I presented earlier.
As one of the members, who think a great deal of this club, I
want to keep our club being official club. And as a fellow who tried hard to
make our club an official club with you, I want you to consider this proposal
carefully. I will be your side whenever you need any help.
December 3, 2003
Written by Yuko Saito
saitoyuko1@mail.utexas.edu
RHE 306 Q - Proposal Argument