Like many organizations at the University, the Global Development Organization is a contracted independent organization which prior to this semester had no formal membership. Interested students chose to attend events which appealed to their passions without any formal obligation to the organization. However, students can now take their commitment to the next level by becoming “gold members.”
The original organization of the club consisted of an eight-member Executive Board. Other than these student leaders, there was no way for GDO to measure involvement among its members. This, along with the retention of students, is a common problem among other large CIOs that don’t have a way to keep track of active members.
Fourth-year College student and GDO President Rachel Carle said she wanted to change the organization to give enthusiastic members an opportunity to contribute more to the CIO. Thus, the idea for the gold membership was born.
“We really like being [an open organization], and we like that anyone can come to a GDO event,” Carle said. “But we also wanted to build a stronger sense of community.”
The gold membership allows accepted members to contribute to GDO’s mission and activities on a weekly basis in a formal manner. Students have the opportunity to offer their ideas for events and initiatives and may even plan an event of their own.
“We’re hoping the members will help shape what [gold membership] looks like, and we can adapt to what seems to be working and what seems to not be working,” Carle said.
The gold membership is an opportunity to reward students who have been active participants in GDO events, Carle said. Prior to this option, it was difficult for students to state their involvement with the organization in a professional setting.
In order to be a gold member, students submit a short application to help them prepare for roles as “brain-stormers and active members,” Carle said. Applicants provide brief information about themselves, including year and major or intended major and some ideas about what they want to see in GDO.
The gold membership is open to students in every academic year and program to provide diversity within the organization. Carle expects GDO to reach their goal of approximately 20 gold members to pilot the program.
“We’ve had a very positive response,” Carle said. “We’ve been impressed with the types of ideas people have put into their applications. They’re very thoughtful.”
First-year College student Neeka Nazari decided to apply to the gold membership program to increase her involvement in the organization and develop her passion for global work.
“As a first-year at the activities fair, I was extremely overwhelmed,” Nazari said. “But GDO caught my eye. [This] gives me a chance to be more vocal, get to meet more people interested in global studies or other areas and be more hands-on with alumni and other members of the community.”
The gold membership program will give members like Nazari access to the type of community Carle hopes to foster — a diverse group of students to learn from.
“I think it’s hard to know what to expect [from the gold membership program] at this point,” Carle said. “I think at the very least, I expect to have met a dozen or so really wonderful people that I wouldn’t have met otherwise. That has been a real goal for the program.”
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