Apparel Chair Series - Collaborating with Other Officers

As the Apparel Chair, PR Chair, or Marketing Chair, you’re in charge of the general appearance of the chapter, which includes apparel. However, it’s important to realize that with many of the largest apparel orders you’ll have to work with other officers who are in charge of the event. Make sure to reach out to them in advance so you’re all on the same page! 

Philanthropy
At the beginning of your term, ask your Philanthropy Chair which events she is going to want shirts for. Work with her to plan those around your free orders so you get the most bang for your buck. Some Philanthropy Chairs will only want to do shirts for the large events each semester, but some will want to do optional orders for smaller events like a blood drive, bake sale, or fundraiser. 

Recruitment
Your recruitment chair will be over the moon if you offer to take ordering shirts off of her plate. She has so much to do, so make sure you reach out to her early so she uses the company you want. Set up a meeting to talk about the theme she wants and work with your Campus Rep or Apparel Specialist to mock up some options for her. Make sure to talk to her about budget, since purchasing for recruitment will come down to the last penny. Coming from a former recruitment chair, she’ll be so grateful to have one less thing to do during the craziest time of the year. 

Depending on your chapter, the Recruitment Chair or New Member Educator might be in charge of Bid Day. If it’s the Recruitment Chair, follow the steps above and work with her to get the right theme and shirt. The key is taking as much work away from her as possible. The New Member Educator will probably want to be more involved in the process. After she and the Recruitment Chair have decided the Bid Day theme, chat about what kind of shirts she wants, if the new member and active member shirts should be different colors, and if she wants to add on any new member gifts! Try to line up bid day with Order 5 in the Chapter Rewards so you get can get a little gift to hand out to your new members! 

Formal/Date Party

Once your exec board is elected, reach out to the President and Social Chair to talk about the calendar for the year and see when date parties and formals are going to be. You definitely don’t want to overwhelm your chapter with apparel orders, so check on which will be chapter orders and which individual members will have to buy. About two months before each event, reach out to the Social Chair and see what the theme for the date party is so you can start planning the apparel. Make sure to gather interest from the chapter to determine if a group buy or bulk order is best. The key is staying on top of your timing so another officer doesn’t swoop in and do the order herself! 

-- Sarah Whitman, TSL Community Manager