Professional Division “How to Kit”
How to …
… Promote the Professional Division
… Recruit Educators, Administrators, & Deans
… Recruit Government Officials
… Recruit Business Professionals
… Recruit Parents/Relatives
… Recruit Former Members
… Retain Members
… Integrate Professional Members With Chapter Activities
… Create a Professional Division Core Group Action Plan
… Utilize Professional Division Members
… Ensure Continued Involvement of Professional Division Members
Promote the Professional Division
The FBLA-PBL Professional Division is for businesspeople, educators,
parents, former members, and anyone who supports the goals of the association. Established
business professionals can help, teach, and encourage the rising generation
of business leaders. Professional members give students the chance
to work one-on-one with experienced leaders.
The Professional Division supports and promotes FBLA-PBL and its goals.
- Service – support the association’s programs and serve as liaisons between the workplace and classroom.
- Education – mentor the members of the association to strengthen leadership abilities and provide career counseling.
- Progress – keep members informed and up to date on current business trends.
Professional Division members …
- Enhance a chapter and its activities
- Serve as a liaison between business and the classroom
- Share real-life experiences at meetings and workshops
- Provide professional development training through workshops
- Arrange tours of local businesses
- Guide members as they prepare for competitive events
- Judge at local, state, and national competitions
- Help chapters with fundraising
- Create internships and job shadowing
- Offer scholarships and other financial support
Other benefits include …
- Receiving The Professional Edge, an exclusive publication for Professional Division Members
- Receiving other national publications like Tomorrow’s Business Leader and the PBL Business Leader, depending on affiliation with FBLA or PBL
- Discounts at: Knight Inn, Alamo, Days Inn, Ramada, Wingate Inn, Travelodge, FranklinCovey
Membership Options
- One-year Membership: $30 ($15 to the national association, $7 to annual scholarship, $8 to WAFBLA)
- Lifetime Membership: $350 ($300 to the national association, $50 to WAFBLA)
Recruit Educators, Administrators, and Deans
Recruitment Talking Points:
- Become an integral part of the local chapter and the development of member’s skills
- Participate in local chapter and state activities
- Judge a competitive event at a district, state, or national competition
- Write an article for a state or national FBLA-PBL publication
- Create internships and job shadowing opportunities
- Help chapters with fundraisers
- Share real-life experiences at meetings and workshops
- Serve on a local chapter or business department advisory council
- Become a member of the FBLA-PBL Speakers Bureau
- Offer scholarships and other financial support
Recruit Government Officials
Recruitment Talking Points:
- Judge a competitive event at a district, state, or national competition
- Be a guest speaker at a local chapter meeting
- Participate in local chapter and state activities
- Share real-life experiences at meetings and workshops
- Serve on a local chapter or business department advisory council
- Become a member of the FBLA-PBL Speakers Bureau
- Create internships and job shadowing opportunities
- Present a workshop at a conference
- Offer scholarships and other financial support
- Write an article for a state or national FBLA-PBL publication
- Participate in career day/fair activities
- Have student advocates available to talk about Career, Business, and Technical Education
- Opportunity to get members involved in the political and voting processes
Recruit Business Professionals
Recruitment Talking Points:
- Present a workshop at a conference
- Judge a competitive event at a district, state, or national competition
- Help with chapter fundraisers
- Be a guest speaker at a local chapter meeting
- Share real-life experiences at meetings and workshops
- Conduct a business tour
- Offer scholarships and other financial support
- Create internships and job shadowing opportunities
- Participate in local chapter and state activities
- Write an article for a state or national FBLA-PBL publication
- Serve on a local chapter or business department advisory council
- Become a member of the FBLA-PBL Speakers Bureau
- Participate in career day/fair activities
Recruit Parents/Relatives
Recruitment Talking Points:
- Judge a competitive event at a district, state, or national competition
- Chaperone members to a conference or business tour
- Help with chapter fundraisers
- Participate in local chapter and state activities
- Be a guest speaker at a local chapter meeting
- Become a member of the FBLA-PBL Speakers Bureau
- Offer other financial support
- Share real-life experiences at meetings and workshops
Recruit Former Members
Recruitment Talking Points:
- Judge a competitive event at a district, state, or national competition
- Present a workshop at a conference
- Participate in local chapter and state activities
- Write an article for a state or national FBLA-PBL publication
- Be a guest speaker at a local chapter meeting
- Share real-life experiences at meetings and workshops
- Chaperone members to a conference or business tour
- Help with chapter fundraisers
- Create internships and job shadowing opportunities
- Offer scholarships and other financial support
- Become a member of the FBLA-PBL Speakers Bureau
Retain Members
Retention Talking Points:
- At the beginning of the year, request a copy of Professional Division members designated to your chapter from the FBLA-PBL National Center
- The FBLA-PBL National Center sends renewal letters at the beginning of the membership year
- Provide one-on-one contact with Professional Division members – the personal contact goes far when asking members to renew.
- Take examples of publications and exclusive local chapter benefits to Professional Division members.
- Create a “buzz” and be able to answer the question, “Why should I join?”
- Follow up – get them involved and keep them involved.
Integrate Professional Members With Chapter Activities
Organizational Steps to Get Started:
- Identify potential members. Begin with three to five interested alumni as the nucleus.
- Call a meeting of these “nucleus” members.
- Discuss FBLA/PBL and the steps for organizing a local Professional Division chapter.
- Discuss membership eligibility. (List Professional Division membership criteria.)
- Review suggested bylaws, using national or state Professional Division bylaws as a guideline.
- Appoint a chair to assign duties.
- Make a list of potential members (by category) and divide the responsibility of contacting each prospect. Categories can include: alumni, teachers, administrators, parents, community leaders, local small business people, local representatives of large business, state education agency career and technical education staff, local union administrators, etc. The options are endless, but concentrate on core prospects.
- Publicize organizational meetings, which are open to the public stating information about the organization, goals and objectives, et al. through news releases, posters, and signs.
- Have FBLA/PBL members send handwritten invitations to alumni, school personnel, and community leaders.
- Contact potential members in person or by telephone. Ask people to spread the word to at least five other people.
- Conduct the organizational meeting.
- State the purpose of the meeting.
- Use Professional Division promotional materials.
- Invite state or national Professional Division members to assist in presenting the purpose and objectives of the Professional Division.
- Temporary chair asks for a motion to form a local Professional Division chapter.
- Distribute and vote on proposed bylaws and constitution.
- Elect Professional Division officers.
- Establish local dues structure, keeping in mind state and national dues.
- Set date for next meeting.
Create a Professional Division Core Group Action Plan
Download this chart and use it as a guide to create a Professional Division core group action plan. This will help your FBLA/PBL chapter build a network of Professional Division members.
Utilize Professional Division Members
Professional Division members can do the following for students, advisers, and schools:
- Help establish a good partnership/relationship with the local Board of Education and community by serving as ambassadors and advocates.
- Provide career guidance advice.
- Assist teachers in updating/designing curriculum to ensure courses are timely and current.
- Assist teachers in updating/selecting classroom equipment to meet current and future needs of technology.
Ensure Continued Involvement of Professional Division Members
- Send letter to Professional Division member (at work address) thanking them for joining the Professional Division and stating that the chapter looks forward to a long and rewarding partnership for both. (Sample Appreciation Letter to Professional Division Member)
- Send a letter of appreciation (sample letter included) to the Professional Division member after every major activity that they help to complete.
- After a year (or 6-9 months) of involvement with the chapter, send a letter of appreciation (sample letter included) to the Professional Division member’s superior/employer that mentions all of the work/time the Professional Division member has donated to the students/adviser/chapter. Discuss the accomplishments of the Professional Division member as they relate to the chapter (e.g., Professional Division member helped raise or donate funds so the chapter can attend a conference; the Professional Division member helped students get ready for competitive events which lead to awards; the Professional Division member assisted the adviser aligning FBLA-PBL activities aligned with the state’s skill standards, etc.). (Sample Appreciation Letter to Professional Member’s Employer)
Chapter Involvement Opportunities:
- Promote Professional Division members in local chapter and state newsletters and Web sites
- Celebrate American Enterprise Day on November 15 with Professional Division members.
- Serve on a panel discussion focusing on current business topics, trends, and issues.
- Serve on a local chapter or business department advisory council.
- Recognize Professional Division members during FBLA-PBL Week.
- Invite Professional members
- to be a guest speaker during a local chapter meeting
- to judge a competitive event at a district, state, or national competition
- to participate in local chapter and state activities
- to participate in career day/fair activities
- to chaperone members to conference
- to help with chapter fundraisers
- to present a workshop at a conference