The First Registration

And the envelope goes to... Georgetown Prep First of all, I'm very excited that registration has already begun.  It means the process is working, schools are getting the information, and we are working towards our goal.  However, as LSC, the question I must ask is -- what is it that Prep gets that perhaps other schools don't?  What about the HOBY message got them to buy in that they registered so quickly?  We didn't even get a chance to give them a phone call -- that's how much they bought in.  If I could just bottle up that thought and message and distribute it to the 350 schools across the state, my job would be easy.  I know my own love and passion for HOBY, but it's not that.  It's creating that love and passion in our participants so they go back to...

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The Balance of Information

Late last week I had to participate in one of HOBY's regional conference calls.  As LSC, I'm practically obligated to be on every one of these calls I can.  I know the schedule in advance, and I try to block off the time so that there aren't items that interfere.  I won't say I make them 100%, but I do my best. The conference calls are one thing though where it makes me question about where the balance of information lies with my volunteers.  It doesn't make sense to ask my entire team to be on these calls -- the agenda isn't relevant for most of them -- but occasionally I've suggested to my Corporate Board or my key volunteer positions, such as the Director of Recruitment per se, that they join in.  They never have.  On the call has typically only been myself...

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Working with the University: Opportunity Knocks

For about the last 8 years, HOBY Maryland has been having our annual seminar at Mount St. Mary's University.  As any large event would, we sign a contract that makes sure we agree to pay for services that in the broadest sense fall under either usage of facilities or reimbursement for meals.  It's a simple agreement and certainly, every year we've honored it and intend to continue to do so. However, one of the things that has always struck me, clearly with my own bias towards what HOBY accomplishes, is how the university (and this isn't just necessarily MSM, but any host site) treats us as just another group.  From my perspective, we bring 200 outstanding high school sophomores to their campus from all over the state representing diverse interests and backgrounds.  It...

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Recruitment

Recruitment is arguably one of the two biggest challenges HOBY faces as an organization (next to perhaps only fundraising).  It comes with it's own incentive based goals, and in many ways can set the structure for everything else we do. For the last two years, and in all likelihood this year, our goal for recruitment has been to get 201 sophomores to the seminar in May.  Two years ago, we met this goal "unofficially" by at least getting that many students to sign up, but were disappointed when about 10 percent of those students didn't actually show.  Last year, the number who signed up was much closer to the number who showed, however, in some ways, this is arguably no better for us. In every element we plan from dormitories on the campus, to facilitation groups, to busses...

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Call for Volunteers

As we begin each seminar year, one of the first challenges that is faced is the "Call for Volunteers."  It is not that there aren't a lot of people out there who aren't willing to help HOBY, its a matter of getting them to recognize they can contribute, and helping them find the best opportunity for their skill set combined with their interest. Often, our young, particularly first-year, alumni are the most enthusiastic about helping out the seminar.  Unfortunately, their interest is counter-balanced by their lack of understanding about just how challenging a seminar is to put together.  On the other side, our veteran staff have a deep seated love for the organization, but are often hesitant to get overly involved because of their other commitments in their lives.  I understand...

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Why a blog?

I've tried personal blogs before.  I never have found them extremely successful because the personal things I might want to write down were exactly that:  personal.  At the same time, you want people to read and give you feedback.  This is a difficult line to tow between both agendas.  I also have attempted at such times to write because it felt relevant and necessary, but this state of emotion only lasts for so long.  Continuing a blog beyond that often falls out of habit. Instead, I look at what HOBY represents as an organization and within my own life, and I see this as an opportunity for insight and transparency.  There is nothing that I would necessarily hide, and yet, even long time volunteers with our organization are not necessarily aware of all...

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Welcome

Recently, a number of things have been happening in the HOBY world that represent change and progress for our organization. At the same time, we are seeing new challenges that are as strong as the old. I am beginning this blog to be a speaking point to the things our organization is dealing with. I will attempt to make updates as frequently as I can during the year, while also giving insights in to the process of putting together a successful seminar and what is happening with HOBY at an international level. You can hopefully expect a number of brief entries in the next few days, and then regular, periodic updates.I do also want to give some credit to HOBY Washington in this first entry. They started their own blog recently by the LSC, and while I had been playing with the idea for...

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