Introduction
We aim to inspire more business students to take action within their universities and be active agents of positive change. Student organizations are a key component of bringing change to business schools. We hope to see one in each of Canada’s business schools in the next three years.
If you are starting a new organization related to sustainable business, you will first need to clearly define what you are aiming to achieve. If you are part of an already existing organization, you can revise your mission and scope after reading the ideas below or just read through the other sections to learn about best practices.
Here is an overview of general missions that most of the organizations in our network share…
Educate
Formal education failed youth on many topics within sustainable business. However, our best hope to mainstream sustainable business practices and ensure a faster transition is to work on changing what we are being taught in universities. Youth are key to this change!
Business schools are creating some of tomorrow’s leaders, but they often are not equipping them enough with the adequate knowledge of how much sustainability is already being integrated in business, how it will grow significantly over the next few years, and how we can concretely help this transition. Your organization can help educate the next generation through two complementary types of initiatives:
- Events which allow the transfer of knowledge from leaders to the next generation of changemakers, and train the latter.
- Advocating for more education on sustainability through courses by working directly with professors and faculty leadership.
Both types of initiatives should not only have the aim to educate, but also get students to think critically by questioning paradigms and challenging complex issues.
Inspire
We need to inspire the next generation of visionary business leaders to envision sustainability as both an opportunity and a responsibility. Two significant barriers which seem to prevent business students from taking the “sustainability mindset” is the lack of awareness of career paths in this field and the lack of promotion of job opportunities. You can find plenty of concrete ways to tackle these two issues throughout our resources.
Another ultimate objective is to inspire students to take a more proactive role within different environments to bring awareness of sustainability challenges and opportunities. This can translate into individual and collective actions in the students’ personal, school and professional life.
Connect
Connections are known to make all the difference, whether it is at the individual or organizational level. Your event initiatives could connect various groups of people, such as:
- Students to students: to create a community of passionate people who stimulate and support each other, both within your business school and with other faculties to promote cross-disciplinary knowledge and collaboration.
- Students to alumni: to showcase how relatively recent alumni were able to translate their convictions into concrete career paths.
- Students to industry leaders: to provide students with opportunities to learn and also to advance their career and network.
- Student organizations to each other: to ensure that your organization benefits from other impact-driven organizations, and that they benefit from your work as well. Building bridges to avoid silos is the best way to ensure a large and collective impact.
Any resources or insights we missed? Please send them to us through this form!
Join our Slack community to meet other student leaders.
Team management
You cannot create change through an organization without a strong team working towards a collective goal. In order to foster a positive and productive environment, you will need to take careful considerations when planning your team structures, recruiting members and executives and helping them develop throughout their time in the organization. Your people are what drive your organization, bring diverse perspectives and carry out the planned initiatives. You therefore need to ensure that they are taken care of and happy with their experience before anything else. Remind yourself and your team that being part of a youth organization allows you to have fun, be creative, gain experience and work towards your passions within a supportive community. This is especially true for those in a student organization taking action on sustainability, since there are few relevant resources and communities in our business schools today. You will face challenges but it’s all worth it when your team can collectively take action towards your sustainability mission and create change in your school!
Recruitment
Recruitment is a crucial part of any organization. It is essential to know how to reach students who could potentially be applicants as well as assess and select those who are best suited to each position, especially when it comes to sustainability efforts. You will need to prepare in advance and create a well thought-out recruitment plan. This guide discusses various methods and tips for hiring both executives and general members, including planning, promotions and assessments.
Click here to learn more through our short PDF guide.
Team transitions
Having a strong transition for both executives and general members is essential in order to ensure continuity of your organization and projects. It is important to plan ahead and have everything you need before onboarding into new positions. This guide contains information on when to start, what types of information to cover and how to go about the successions. There is also a brief overview of common challenges and how to mitigate them.
Click here to learn more through our short PDF guide.
Leadership
Not only will you need to guide your organization as a student leader, but you will need to support and encourage your team to develop their leadership skills as well. This is important for engaging your members and ensuring that they feel fulfilled throughout their experience, which can give them the confidence to apply to higher positions within the organization. Developing leadership skills in all of your members will also ensure that they can take charge of their responsibilities during events and initiatives and represent the organization well in any situation.
Click here to learn more through our short PDF guide.
Any resources or insights we missed? Please send them to us through this form!
Join our Slack community to meet other student leaders.
Portfolio management
Youth organizations operate in many forms and there is no one way to structure your teams. Your organization may be divided into portfolios with specific functions which need a certain skill set such as marketing, or into groups focused on a specific event or initiative. These portfolios may be further divided into subgroups within or a flat team of individuals who work closely together. How you choose to organize your teams depends on your mission, goals and capacity of leaders. Make sure that you have systems and resources in place for your executive team to manage these portfolios and their respective tasks. This is how you will actively support the achievement of your mission and goals!
Overview of portfolios
The structure of your organization depends on your leadership capacity and what you want to plan and achieve. You may start out with a smaller team and less initiatives, and then expand over time. Since there is plenty to talk about regarding marketing and sponsorship, these topics have their own guides below. For other portfolios related to more specific areas, refer to the Events & Initiatives page for important tips and resources.
Click here to learn more through our short PDF guide.
Marketing
Marketing is an area that concerns every portfolio of your club and your marketing and/or design teams should be in close contact with everyone to ensure there is cohesion. There are various methods of marketing your initiatives and opportunities through digital and more traditional means. This guide includes information regarding general marketing, marketing for events, blogs, common challenges and branding.
Click here to learn more through our short PDF guide.
Sponsorship
Sponsorship can be vital for the delivery of your initiatives, especially if it is an event such as a large conference. You will need to ensure that you set targets and track your progress, as well as understand and communicate your value proposition to potential sponsors. Be sure to approach targets prepared and have a sponsorship package ready!
Click here to learn more through our short PDF guide.
Any resources or insights we missed? Please send them to us through this form!
Join our Slack community to meet other student leaders.
Events and initiatives
Your events and initiatives are how you will deliver what you set out to do after building your teams and portfolios. Each type of initiative can be very different so it is important to prepare for this and use the various strengths of your members to compliment each other. Similar to the team size of your organization, you may want to start out by focusing on one or very few at a time and add more as your capacity grows. You can also consider creating an annual “flagship” event that you can become known for over time and gain considerable recognition from. This is how you will achieve your mission and goals, and connect your community to take action on business sustainability!
Overview of Initiatives
Inspire, educate and connect your community through various events and initiatives that contribute to your sustainability mission! Inspire students (within business and also in other faculties) to explore and discover sustainability initiatives and careers, encouraging them to take action in their own lives. Educate your community on various topics and opportunities, creating awareness and advancing your mission.
Click here to learn more through our short PDF guide.
Case Competitions
A case competition is a great way to promote cross-faculty collaboration and create thoughtful dialogue and action around important sustainability topics. Additionally, it will assist your organization in gaining recognition on campus and expanding its network. This guide covers information regarding topic selection, design considerations, juries, logistics, participant supports such as pre-competition workshops and more.
Click here to learn more through our short PDF guide.
Debates
Debates are an excellent way to inspire deep reflections related to sustainability topics. They also provide you with the opportunity to challenge some important leaders, as well as inspire your student community to challenge their perspectives. In order to run a successful debate, you will need to choose a thought-provoking topic and create an environment that promotes inclusivity and interactions.
Click here to learn more through our short PDF guide.
Sustainable Finance Event
Events focusing on specific topics will raise awareness about these topics to students on campus. They can also address the reasons for the need to change curriculum regarding sustainability within many different courses and focuses, as well as encourage students to pursue a career in the sustainability realm. This guide includes information on what sustainable finance is, best practices for an event and common questions to address.
Click here to learn more through our short PDF guide.
Large Conference
If you have the capacity, hosting a conference can connect your stakeholders and bring them together to discuss important topics and points of action related to sustainability. A large conference can have benefits to your mission, your school, the student community, companies, etc.. This will require plenty of preparation and a large team, so be sure to start planning around a year ahead of the event (depending on the scale). Once you host a successful conference, consider having it annually and exploring different topics each year. This guide includes information on logistics, inclusivity, preparation, speaker relations, tools to use and more.
Click here to learn more through our short PDF guide.
Decolonization/EDI
It is crucial to start thinking about not just EDI but decolonization in particular when starting your organization, as well as thinking about how to thoughtfully integrate these considerations into your work. This is especially important given Canada’s long colonial history and its impacts which are still very prevalent today. This guide covers important concepts and definitions, discusses various approaches to decolonization for individuals, organizations and business schools, and provides links to many external resources.
Click here to learn more through our short PDF guide.
Any resources or insights we missed? Please send them to us through this form!
Join our Slack community to meet other student leaders.
Network management
Building a strong network is crucial to ensuring that your actions create the most impact by reaching as many people as possible. There are various ways to approach and develop relationships with different groups or individuals in order to advance your mission, and taking advice from others who have already done it can make it much easier for you. These networks can have many benefits for your sustainability mission, your specific events and initiatives or even your personal and professional life. Don’t forget that you also benefit others in various ways as a youth organization and ensure that you know what value you can offer to each person or group in your network. This is how you ensure that you are creating optimal impact and supporting the work of your team members!
Stakeholder Relationships
When it comes to creating a more sustainable world, we need to get as many people involved as possible! You will need to build relationships with many different individuals and groups in order to advance your mission. Maintaining a good stakeholder relationship could also provide opportunities such as funding acquisition and guest speakers for events.
Click here to learn more through our short PDF guide.
Alumni/Mentorship Program
Continually engaging with alumni can be very beneficial to your organization, as they can often provide valuable knowledge and sometimes even a source of funding. Alumni can become involved in one-time initiatives such as speaking at an event or long term projects such as a mentorship program. This guide covers various topics such as how to engage with alumni and create a database, how to co-create value and best practices for different types of initiatives.
Click here to learn more through our short PDF guide.
Any resources or insights we missed? Please send them to us through this form!
Join our Slack community to meet other student leaders.
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© 2022 Re_Generation. All rights reserved.
© 2023 Re_Generation. All rights reserved.