• Run things in a way that is transferable to others. For instance, take good notes on everything you do so that others can pick up where you left off. Don’t keep things in your head (unless you’re donating your brain to the group when you leave).
• Maintain a good archive of the group and its activities so that people next year will be able to read about what you did. This could be a newsletter, a scrapbook, folder, annual report or a website. Include all your past posters, newspaper clippings, pictures, meeting minutes and so on. This can give the group a great feeling of accomplishment at the end of the year.
• Write down a list of useful contacts among the faculty, the administration and the community. Call it a “human-resource file.” Don’t let these vital contacts disappear with you.
• Designate successors a semester in advance and train them. Have them attend key meetings with you so they can get to know the people they’ll be working with. Having overlap between old and new people help makes the transition smoother, and keeps skills and information from getting lost. For instance, if there are two co-chairs, elect one in November and the other one in April.
• Tell stories to communicate the spirit and flavor of past campaigns (Ex.: “Back when I was your age, they tried to build a nuclear power reactor on campus, but we showed them. . .”).
• Give new people opportunities that will help build their confidence. Encourage them to engage in public speaking, coordinating projects, and facilitating meetings as soon as (or before!) they feel ready.
• Empower new people by giving them meaningful tasks early on. Here’s an example from the article “Organizational Development: The Seven Deadly Sins,” by Andrea Ayvazian of the Peace Development Fund’s Exchange Project (Amherst, MA)