1

INSIGHT

COMPETITION PREP Learn about the many resources available through DECA Images> PAGE 7

ICDC TOURSStart planning your trip to Salt Lake City now by reviewing the official DECA tours> PAGE 2

PROMOTE DECALearn how to advocate for DECA — just in time for CTE Month> PAGE 3

January/February 2012No. 7

JULY 5-21, 2012 • OPPORTUNITY FOR STUDENTS AND ADVISORS

Go to China with DECA this summerThis summer, you and your incoming,

current and potential DECA members have an opportunity of a lifetime — to visit China for a 17-day learning rendezvous from July 5-21, 2012. Partnering with People to People Ambassador Programs, the trip will blend education, adventure, culture and DECA.

The list of experiences that you and your student delegates can enjoy is amazing! Feel the heartbeat of Chinese finance on Shanghai’s Wall Street. Observe traditional businesses like a silk factory and a tea farm. Hear from experts in international business.

Hike along the majestic Great Wall of China. Come face to face with the commanding terra-cotta warriors of Xi’an, and talk with the villager who unearthed them. Pet a panda in the Beijing Zoo. Find new friends and visit schools across the country. Interact with DECA members from across the United States in a new territory!

A special website has been designed to provide you with specific information including the itinerary, cost and other important details. <www.decapeopletopeopletravels.com

QUICK NOTES“Be a Hero” with advisor professional development

Register now to attend the four-day Chapter Advisor Summer Institute in June that will help you make DECA an integral part of your students’ learning experience. Choose your city – Providence or Denver – and register by March 1 for the early bird rate! <www.deca.org/events/institute

Competitive events preparation resource

Check out a publication designed to help student members excel in DECA’s competitive events. Learn role-play techniques, presentation tips and more!<www.deca.org/issues/24

Celebrate CTE Month with DECA’s Advocacy Campaign

Promote the impact of DECA during Career and Technical Education Month in February by participating in DECA’s new Advocacy Campaign.<www.deca.org/events/ctemonth

Regional conference dates and locations for 2012

Western Region Leadership Conference (Seattle, Wa.) — Nov. 15-17

Central Region Leadership Conference (Dearborn, Mi.) — Nov. 16-18

The Ultimate DECA Power Trip for North Atlantic and Southern Regions (Washington, D.C.) — Nov. 16-18

2

LAGOONSATURDAY, APRIL 28 – 10 AM TO 5 PMWith over 50 exhilarating rides and attractions, Lagoon has grown into the largest amusement park in the Mountain West. You’ll be able to enjoy historic Pioneer Village, entertainment, games, food, fun and more! There’s 125 years of unforgettable FUN just waiting for you! The last busses will leave the park at 5:00 PM.

WWW.LAGOONPARK.COM

SALT LAKE CITY BEES vs. RENO ACESSUNDAY, APRIL 29 – 6:35 PMThe Salt Lake City Bees (Triple A team for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) take on the Reno Aces (Triple A team for the Arizona Diamondbacks) during DECA Night at Spring Mobile Ballpark.

DECA PRESENTS THE ELI YOUNG BAND CONCERTMONDAY, APRIL 30 – 8:30 P.M.You won’t want to miss a DECA-clusive concert featuring the Eli Young Band, best known for certified platinum “Crazy Girl,” which was number one on Billboard’s year-end most popular country songs chart.

WWW.ELIYOUNGBAND.COM

DECA DASH WITH THE DIAMONDS 5K RUN/WALKSATURDAY, APRIL 28 – 7:30 AMDECA’s second annual 5K Run/Walk will be even better than the first. Your participation will benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association and DECA’s scholarship fund. Awesome prizes will be awarded to runners and walkers in different categories.

WWW.DECA.ORG/EVENTS/5K

TOUR INFORMATION

PLACE YOUR ORDER ATwww.deca.org/events/icdc

Visit www.deca.org/events/icdc for complete tour information.

All tours are subject to change or cancellation at any time.

3

GAIN SUPPORT BY ADVOCATING FOR DECA

Savvy DECA advisors understand that having the support of people outside

their program in the school and in the local community can make their jobs easier and take their program to a higher level. Your chapter’s public relations and advocacy goals should include:• Positioning your program relative to

DECA’s varied target markets• Positioning DECA as a critical co-

curricular aspect of your program spanning four career clusters

• Communicating the value promise within the context of the contemporary education environment

• Developing strategies to communicate the brand promise

With DECA’s rebranding, our new mission statement, guiding

principles and attributes and values are key in communicating our message. They express our mission, what we do and our intended result. However, as an organization, we must use them along with data and metrics to effectively explain the

impact DECA has in preparing emerging leaders and entrepreneurs. To begin, gather data that reflects your chapter and its members. This information may include:• A profile of your members including

their average GPA, attendance, etc.• Competitive events success at all levels,

including data from DECA Transcripts• DECA scholarships earned by

members• Community service outcomes• Wages earned/hours worked through

work-based learning program• Data from DECA’s partnership study

with NRCCUA• Alumni success stories

Be as quantitative as possible with numbers and data as your goal is to show the impact that DECA makes on your students, school and community.

Use this data to create a flyer that promotes your chapter through a series of “pride points” using statistics and data from the previous or current school year. You may also include your chapter’s customized DECA logo, a description of your chapter,

mission statement and chapter activities that support each guiding principle. Be sure to champion the brand and develop a strong message to create a great overall impression and impact. Distribute it regularly and often to all target audiences.

While you are taking steps to build your program internally, don’t forget

to cultivate support within the school community as well as beyond the school. WITHIN THE SCHOOL

There are three groups within the school whose support should be cultivated: administrators, faculty and staff members, and parents.

ADMINISTRATIONOne of your top priorities as a DECA

advisor should be to develop a supportive relationship with your administration, making sure your principal, counselor, superintendent and school board understand that DECA is integral to helping achieve academic and other school

DECA provides the visibility and support your program and profession deserve. As school boards and state agencies cut funding for education, DECA is an important tool in the advocacy of your program and highlighting student achievement and success.

4

goals. Use these tips to help ensure support for your program:• Showhowyourprogramsupportsthe

principal’sgoals.Whether it’s enhancing student achievement, creating a positive school climate, or some other goal, chances are that your DECA program supports what the principal is trying to accomplish in myriad ways. At the start of each school year, develop a short presentation highlighting all the ways your program supports the principal’s goals and together with your chapter leadership team request a meeting to give the presentation. As the year proceeds, be sure to reiterate how the activities and accomplishments of your chapter tie in with the principal’s goals.

• Keepadministratorsinformed. Communicate regularly about your chapter’s activities with administrators, whether through casual conversations or detailed memos highlighting achievements. Keep your program on administrators’ radar screens so they will associate your organization with vibrant, vital activities.

• StressthelinkbetweenDECAparticipationandstudentachievement.

DECA activities provide authentic, experiential learning methods to prepare members for college and careers. Highlight the academic activities of your members and the ways DECA’s curriculum aligns with state and national standards. Point out how DECA activities support and enhance other curriculum areas by providing real-life opportunities for members to practice what they have learned.

• Makepersonalconnections.Invite principals, counselors, the superintendent and school board members to attend your events and involve them whenever possible in such things as judging a competitive event or giving greetings at an event. Let them see members engaged in meaningful activities.

• Focusontheschoolboard. Breathe some fresh air into the routine of school board meetings by putting yourself or your chapter leaders on the speakers’ list to report on DECA activities to the board and those in attendance. Being able to hear the successful stories of students will boost the morale of school board members and ensure that they are aware of the vitality of your program.

THE 5 W’SWHO ARE DECA’S TARGET AUDIENCES?• Students• Parents• Counselors, Administrators,

Faculty• Business Partners• Community and Governmental

Leaders• Alumni• Postsecondary Groups

WHY IS COMMUNICATING YOUR MESSAGE IMPORTANT?• Ensure the longevity of your

program• Demonstrate the value of DECA• Show the importance of your

program• Secure funding and support

WHAT MESSAGES SHOULD YOU BE COMMUNICATING?• Mission Statement • Guiding Principles• Attributes and Values• Tailored messages that support

the goals of each target audience

• Localized impact statements• Personified success stories

WHEN SHOULD YOU BE COMMUNICATING?• Be a brand champion.• Promote at every opportunity. • Be proactive rather than reactive.• Repetition and top-of-mind

awareness are important.

WHERE SHOULD YOU COMMUNICATE YOUR MESSAGE?• Everywhere!• Print Media• Electronic Media• Engage your champions through

events and activities

RESOURCES

DECA ANNUAL REPORT<www.deca.org/about

DECA FACT SHEET<www.deca.org/about

DECA PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT (VIDEO AND AUDIO)<www.deca.org/pages/psa

LET’S TALK ABOUT DECA VIDEO<www.deca.org/pages/partnerAsk your association advisor for a video customized with information specific to your association.

5

FACULTY AND STAFFAnother key group whose support will

help make your job easier is the faculty and staff. Without knowing what DECA is all about, other teachers can become resentful when DECA activities take members out of class or come into conflict with other things on the school calendar. As you do with administrators, take time to ensure that faculty and staff members understand the ways DECA activities support and enhance other curriculum areas and help members achieve academically. Use some of the following tips to cultivate the support of faculty and staff members:• Organizeabreakfastorluncheonfor

teachersandcounselors during one of their in-service days before school starts. Introduce your chapter leadership team and have members set-up for the event, serve the food, and provide clean-up. Give a report about your chapter’s annual business plan for the year, highlighting ways DECA activities support school goals.

• Letfacultymembersknowofchapterplans such as trips for competitions well in advance so they can plan their schedules accordingly.

• Getstaffmembersinvolvedinyourprogram as subject-area resources, judges for events, chaperones, etc.

• Prepareanaudio-visualpresentationhighlighting your chapter’s accomplishments and show it at a faculty meeting.

• Besuretoacknowledgethecontributionsfacultyandstaffmembersmake to your successes with appreciation gestures during DECA Week in October, Teacher Appreciation Week in May and at your chapter’s end-of-year banquet.

PARENTSParents who are aware of DECA and the

opportunities it offers to members can be one of your best recruiting tools. They will want their students to take advantage of what your chapter offers. Once members are involved, parents become one of your main sources of support. Cultivate parental support in these ways:• Prepareanaudio-visualpresentation

highlighting DECA activities and opportunities. Stress the benefits to members of participation. Play it at open house, parents’ nights or at a PTA meeting.

• Tapintoparentaltalents. Conduct a survey of members to find out what their parents are good at and where they work. Which parents have skills and access to resources that could help with DECA projects and presentations? Send a letter to parents asking if they would be willing to share their time and talents and give them options for doing so. Then use the information gathered to get parents to serve as resources for the various projects members are working on.

• Includeinformationinparentnewslettersand on the school’s website about upcoming events and accomplishments of chapter members.

• Recognizeparentcontributions. Be sure to thank parents who have been involved with notes that specify how their contribution helped your project. Small tokens of appreciation and recognition

at PTA and other appropriate meetings also usually are appreciated. A “Parent of the Year” award for the most supportive parent could be awarded at the end-of-year banquet.

BEYOND THE SCHOOLMembers of the community will be

supportive of your chapter when they realize that DECA has prepared its members to be college and career ready and contributing members of the community. The community service activities your members participate in will also build support for your program. Some ways to cultivate awareness of your program and the support of community members include:• Writenewspaperarticles and send media

releases about events.• Deliverapresentation about DECA by

MISSION + GUIDING PRINCIPLESMISSION STATEMENTDECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality and management.

GUIDING PRINCIPLESDECA’S COMPREHENSIVE LEARNING PROGRAM > INTEGRATES INTO CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION An integral component of classroom instruction, DECA activities provide

authentic, experiential learning methods to prepare members for college and careers.

> APPLIES LEARNING DECA members put their knowledge into action through rigorous project-based

activities that require creative solutions with practical outcomes. > CONNECTS TO BUSINESS Partnerships with businesses at local and broader levels provide DECA members

realistic insight into industry and promote meaningful, relevant learning. > PROMOTES COMPETITION As in the global economy, a spark of competition drives DECA members to excel

and improve their performance.

DECA PREPARES THE NEXT GENERATION TO BE > ACADEMICALLY PREPARED DECA members are ambitious, high-achieving leaders equipped to conquer the

challenges of their aspirations. > COMMUNITY ORIENTED Recognizing the benefit of service and responsibility to the community, DECA

members continually impact and improve their local and broader communities. > PROFESSIONALLY RESPONSIBLE DECA members are poised professionals with ethics, integrity and high

standards. > EXPERIENCED LEADERS DECA members are empowered through experience to provide effective

leadership through goal setting, consensus building and project implementation.

6

SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT DECA

A carefully planned public relations program should be an integral part of your plan to build support for your DECA program. Keeping people informed of your chapter activities and member accomplishments builds a positive image within the school and local community, helps make the purpose and role of the chapter more apparent to the public, and brings you well-deserved goodwill, recognition and future opportunities.

To develop your PR plan, consider the key audiences you want to reach and identify the channels you can utilize to reach them. You likely don’t have the time or resources to influence everyone, so determine the people whom you most need to inform and influence to create better understanding of and support for your chapter. Prioritize your list of key audiences and select a few to target. Some possibilities for reaching various groups include:• Schedule regular meetings with administrators for your chapter leadership team

to give updates about the chapter’s work. • Send media alerts or press releases to local media outlets and the school

newspaper. Be sure to let them know in advance of events your chapter is sponsoring, but if they don’t attend the event, write an article detailing the highlights and accomplishments and send it with photos within a few days of the event.

• Keep your page on the school website up-to-date. Instead of generic wording on the school website about what your organization does, why not post a calendar of upcoming activities and recent news with photos?

• Include DECA articles in parent newsletters. Provide whoever does your school’s parent newsletter with information about your program and articles about student accomplishments at competitions.

• Keep local government officials informed. Local leaders such as mayors and aldermen love to hear good news about students. Get in touch with them whenever you have a victory to share and ask if they can give a mention of it on their website or perhaps issue a courtesy resolution to congratulate the students on a job well done.

• Update community groups. If you worked with a particular charity, group, or business on an activity, be sure to send them an update on the success of the project and offer to deliver a presentation at a meeting so their members can see the benefits of the involvement. Write a short article that they can include in their member newsletters or on their website.

• Use social media to broadcast your successes. Blog, tweet, post, or share about your positive DECA experiences. You’ll reach a whole new audience of people who can help continue sharing the good news about your DECA chapter.

• Don’t overlook the school yearbook. Be sure to provide the yearbook staff with information about your organization’s highlights and accomplishments so they can include some specifics about your year in their copy.

the chapter leadership team at a business or community meeting.

• Seekexhibitspaceat local malls or other businesses to inform the general public of your activities and accomplishments.

• Participateinalocalparade with a DECA float or decorated car.

• Conductaletterwritingcampaign where your chapter members write letters to the editor or elected officials explaining DECA and how they have benefited from their participation in it.

• Asklocalbusinessestodisplaysupportivemessageson their marquees and outdoor billboards wishing members well before competitions or congratulating them on their accomplishments afterwards.

• Partnerwithadultserviceorganizations such as Kiwanis or Optimists whose goals include supporting the youth of the community. By offering these groups a chance to support a project designed by members, they fulfill their group’s mission without having to create their own activity or worry that a project they plan will not attract local youth.

• Organizeacommunityserviceactivitysuch as a blood drive, a food drive, or a park clean-up and call it “DECA Serve Day.”

• Getseniorcitizensintotheschool and interacting with members by sponsoring a senior citizens prom or a computer class taught by members where they can learn how to use e-mail and the Internet.

• Invitemembersofthecommunitytoserveasjudges for competitive events.

• Utilizelocalcableaccess to broadcast videos about your program and highlights from activities and competitions.

• Conduct a letter writing campaign to local policy makers explaining DECA and the impact it makes in your school and community.

BUSINESS CONNECTIONSBusinesspeople in your community can

play a crucial role in the success of your chapter. They provide real-life resources and perspective through opportunities for members to test their knowledge and projects against real industry standards. Business partners can read projects as they evolve, spotting weaknesses and pointing members in more useful directions. They can be classroom speakers and sources for work-based learning, employment, internships, job shadowing, and mentoring—and much more!

Copyright ©2012 by DECA Inc.

7

FOR MORE INFORMATIONEMAIL US | DECA_IMAGES@DECA.ORGGIVE US A CALL | 703-860-5006

COMPETITION PREP

BELL RINGER ACTIVITIESBusiness Administration Career Cluster BRAB $25.00Finance Career Cluster BRAF $25.00Hospitality Career Cluster BRAH $25.00Marketing Career Cluster BRAM $25.00

COMPETITION BELL RINGER ACTIVITIES

DSCBR $25.00

COMPETITION FLASH CARDSDSCFC $25.00

VOCABULARY FLASH CARDSDSVFC $25.00

EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT THE PRINCIPLES OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION EVENTS, AN INSTRUCTOR’S GUIDEPBAIG $19.95

EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT TEAM DECISION MAKING EVENTS, AN INSTRUCTOR’S GUIDETDMIG $19.95

EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT INDIVIDUAL SERIES

EVENTS AN INSTRUCTOR’S GUIDE | NEW!

ISEIG $19.95

Jan-Feb Ad.indd 1 12/8/11 2:43 PM

8