Chapter Goal Setting

Goal setting is one of the most important steps leading to long-term chapter success.  The best organizations and companies in the world regularly set, review and revise their goals, and SigEp chapters should be no different.

The best kinds of goals chapters can set are SMART goals.  SMART is an acronym for:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Realistic
• Timely

SMART goals are more likely to be achieved because they are easy to review and track progress.  If a chapter performs poorly in recruitment for a few years, it won’t improve simply by saying, “We need to improve in recruitment.”  The chapter needs a series of specific, attainable goals to move in the right direction.

Chapters should have both long- and short-term goals that are updated regularly.  Three- to five-year strategic goals help provide consistency between executive boards and allow chapters to work toward higher levels of performance.  Chapters should also have 30-, 60- and 90-day goals.  These goals allow a chapter to stay organized within any given semester, while still working toward its long-term strategic goals.

Two things that are particularly important to consider when setting goals are buy-in and accountability.  It is not just the chapter president or the executive board’s responsibility to set goals.  Goals should align with the entire chapter’s vision. 

Alumni-volunteers are critical in holding brothers accountable.  While chapter leadership turns over every year and the total membership changes every four, volunteers stay in place much longer and can help chapters stay focused on their long-term goals.

Headquarters can also be a great resource for goal setting.  In addition to goal setting opportunities at Carlson Leadership Academy, regional directors are specifically trained to facilitate goal setting retreats.