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How to Choose a Competitive Event

by Dustin Rosenfeld, Recording Secretary

Competing at DECA conferences is a great way to build fundamental skills in problem-solving, communication, and presentation, and can provide useful experience with real-life applications. Finding a competitive event that fits you best is an important first step to succeeding at Districts, SCDC, and ICDC. Settling on just one competitive event may seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be.

Consider your own skillset. Do you perform better in a team or riding solo? Do you love the challenge of thinking on the fly, or do you relish the comfort of a prepared presentation? What business topics peak your curiosity? These are all questions to ask yourself when choosing a competitive event, and the following guide can help make the decision much easier.

Go With What You Know

Are you in a marketing class? Do you read fashion magazines? Have you worked at a restaurant? Your past (or present) experience can make all the difference during competition. I have always competed in the Accounting Applications category, and I was inspired to pick that competitive event because, at the time of registration, I was enrolled in an accounting class. The same strategy can be used by the avid Vogue reader or the Starbucks barista. The information learned outside of DECA transfers naturally to the roleplay. So, when in doubt, go with what you know.

Too Many Cooks…

As the saying goes, too many cooks spoil the broth. In other words, pick an event with the number of partners that suits you best. If you work best maintaining control of the conversation and savor a silent prep time, solo events are your best bet. If bouncing ideas off another person create the best presentation, Team Decision Making events are for you. If you want to work in a larger group, taking your time in producing the best work, consider entering a prepared written paper event. In the end, it all comes down to choosing the environment that best fosters success.

Consider All Your Options

The standard roleplay scenario isn’t for everyone. Luckily, DECA offers a plethora of options that extend beyond the confines of the typical competitive events. Do you trade penny stocks? Consider playing the Stock Market Game.  The gamers of DECA may have a knack for the Virtual Business Challenges. Those with an eye for detail might wish to enter a Professional Selling competition. Before you choose an event, consider all your options. Whatever skills you bring to the table, DECA has a way for you to express them.

Ultimately, the choice of a competitive event is yours. You won’t go wrong, but strategizing your selection will help make everything go right.

How to Approach Your Chapter Campaigns

By: Alexander Ruhl, Northern Region Vice President

Chapter campaigns are a great way to get your chapter involved in a variety of activities ranging from increasing chapter size to community service. The completion of campaigns will result in chapters gaining various academy allocations at ICDC. A summary of the chapter campaigns is provided at https://www.deca.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Campaign-Guidebook.pdf.

One of the most common chapter campaigns is the community service campaign. In order to complete the community service campaign, a chapter needs to have at least one community service activity where at least 75% of the chapter participates. This event has to use at least one form of promotion in order to fulfill all the requirements for the campaign. One way of getting 75% of a chapter to participate in the community service activity is to establish a system of hours requirement. This system is used at the Ridgewood High School (RHS) chapter and requires every chapter member to have a certain number of hours to compete at each level of competition. For example, two hours are required for any member to compete at districts, four hours for SCDC and six hours for ICDC. Hours are gained by members volunteering at RHS DECA sponsored events such as the community service activity.

Another popular chapter campaign is the membership campaign. In order to reach achievement level for this campaign one out of the three tasks are required. The three tasks are 20 more members than the previous year, 20 alumni members or 20 professional members. If two of the three tasks are completed, Thrive level is achieved and the chapter gains three allocations for the thrive academy at ICDC. An extra incentive for chapters to complete the membership task is that a chapter will receive one DECA blazer for the chapter for every 10 new members are added over their previous year’s membership.

Top 5 Reasons YOU Should Attend COLT!

By: Hailey Imbasciani, Vice President of Media

1. Meet New People

Chapter officers/leaders from all over New Jersey attend this conference making it the best place to meet new people! Don’t be afraid to sit down to someone you don’t know!

2. Gain Ideas

Talk to other DECA members about their chapter to gain ideas that could benefit yours. Discuss about how your chapter approaches their chapter campaigns or meetings. Feedback and learning new methods are always a plus!

3. Learn

COLT is a great place to learn about yourself and strengthen your leadership skills by going outside your comfort zone and gaining insight from our guest speaker.

4. Network

Make valuable connections with other DECA leaders to not only benefit your chapter but learn valuable insight that you can implement in your chapter!

5. Be BOLD

Go outside your comfort zone, don’t be afraid to talk to your new state officers!

Top 5 Best Fundraising Ideas

By Stella Bayiokos, Vice President of Public Relations

1. Penny Wars

Penny Wars is an easy way your chapter can raise money quickly. Penny Wars works by dividing teams either by grade or class and encouraging those teams to raise as much money from loose change or bills. Once the teams are official, whichever team collects the most money is rewarded by your chapter. Some ideas could be a bagel breakfast, dollar tree candy, etc. Make sure you publicize your event through the school newspaper, announcements, and social media so the whole school knows.

2. Pickleball/Volleyball Tournament

A pickleball or volleyball tournament is a more active fundraiser. This requires more organization. Organizing a sign-up form for the students is the simplest way of organizing the teams and keeping track of how much money they give. Each team can be charged an admissions fee. Once the teams are established you can create a bracket and let the games begin!

3. Chocolate Bar Sell

Chocolate bar sells are one of the most popular sells in high school. A few companies that offer boxes to be sold at high schools are Gertrude Hawk, Hershey’s, ABC Fundraising, and more! Some companies even have over 50% profit for each box. If you are interested in doing a chocolate bar sell, make sure to discuss a company with your chapter and reach out!

4. Movie Night

Movie nights are a great relaxing fundraiser that all students can participate in. This fundraiser requires little organization. It is simple enough that can be held multiple times at your school! If you are interested in this fundraiser make sure to ask your school’s permission first!

5. Coffeehouse Night

Coffeehouse night is a great fundraiser for students who play an instrument, sing, or have a band! With the right organization, coffeehouses can be a great social event held monthly at your school. With a small admissions fee and volunteers willing to play, you can raise a lot of money! If you are interested make sure you ask your school’s permission first!

Mission: Victorious

By: Olivia Lang, Southern Region Vice President

This year NJ DECA is on a mission to raise as much money as possible for the Alicia Rose Victorious Foundation. The Alicia Rose Victorious Foundation was named after Alicia Rose DiNatale. She was diagnosed with Adenocarcinoma, a rare form of cancer at the age of 16 and she was constantly in and out of the hospital. Alicia never got the chance to be in the school musical or go to school events since she was homeschooled in the hospital. The mission of this foundation is to provide strength and support for hospitalized children by way of providing Teen Lounges, Social Activities, Events, and other various programming to enhance the quality of life for adolescents with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.

We picked this foundation for NJ DECA because most teenagers can relate to being in hospitals or knowing people that have experienced serious illnesses. We want to give kids our age the chance to have the teenage experience and this foundation made it possible. If your chapter is participating in the state community service project make sure you refer to the Top 5 Best Fundraising Ideas article to begin!