Suggested Curriculum
The 2004 - 2005 State Officer developed the below Suggested Curriculum, which aims to provide you with a loose curriculum so that your FBLA chapter can continue its success and develop new initiatives. Every month will have a theme with coinciding event ideas.
Refer to your Chapter Recognition Sheet for more ideas on programs for this year! The purpose is to keep chapters active throughout the year and maintain member’s interest in business. Remember that this is not an official curriculum so feel free to adjust them to your own chapter’s needs. If you need any assistance, please contact the state officers.
September: Membership Recruitment
It’s the beginning of the school year and everyone is off to a fresh start. It’s a good idea to attract members early in the year while they’re still organizing their schedules.
Activities- If your school has a back to school fair, or freshman orientation make sure that FBLA is represented there. If not, get permission to set up a booth at the library, café, or even a football game. Have pamphlets to hand out, a fundraiser to sell, or any promotional material to pass out.
Speaker- To kick off the new year have an event sponsored by FBLA featuring a speaker to draw a crowd. If money is scarce, partner up with another club to help fund the event. Speakers can be a local athlete that people admire, a media personality, or a lawmaker to speak on business and society.
Field Trip- While the weather is still warm, plan an outing for a sunny day such as a barbecue to recruit members.
Fundraiser- It’s a good idea to start your chapters fundraiser as soon as school starts, especially when you’re trying to plan big events and with the Fall conference coming soon. Many chapters have school stores where they sell snacks and school gear. A suggestion: since it’s the beginning of the school year sell something that people need such as student planners with an FBLA info page. Car washes are a good idea also, while it’s still warm. Remember: the conference will be near the end of October, so have your chapter save up!
October: Economics
This month you will be seeing a rise in the news about taxes, interest rates, and consumer price index. Things are changing in the business world and it’s important to be kept up to date! FBLA members should know how the market place functions.
Activities- Have members focus on economics this month by setting up their own personal budgets. As a chapter get together to compare spending patterns and discuss how consumer spending affects the economy. Maybe combine with the economics teacher in your school to help you.
Speaker- Invite a local business editor, financial planner, or even your economics teacher to come in one day after school to give a mini-lesson about consumer spending and talk about things that effect you as young adults such as your jobs, cars and college loans.
Field Trip- Visit a corporate offices of a local company to learn about marketing, accounting, human resources, retail, etc. Call to get a worker to guide you around the building. This will help you to understand strategies business people use in their jobs and requirements they needed to get their position. Also, feel free to invite other classes to attend the field trip.
Fundraiser's- Autumn is officially here and Thanksgiving will be here faster than it seems. Maybe your chapter would be interested in selling pies to be delivered before thanksgiving or anything small such as a bake sale, lollipops, or raffles. Keep in mind the Fall conference is coming soon!
Fall Leadership Conference - Remember to attend the Fall Leadership conference!
- Don’t forget to contact local chapters to see if you can share transportation to the Leadership Conference, this will save you some costs!
November: Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship is defined as the organization, management and assumption of risks of a business or enterprise, usually implying an element of change or challenge and a new opportunity. This month we will recognize the things that entrepreneurs do and we will also learn more about what you need in starting a business.
Activities- Definitely do a lot of community service this month for FBLA! There is so much to do: start a can/food drive, prepare a dinner where each member brings a dish for the needy at a shelter, or sponsor a clothing drive. (especially because it’s getting colder now). And on the Entrepreneurship side, try running a small business for a week (some chapters have school stores). Assign certain people to be in charge of the different branches such as marketing, research and development, retail, etc. Assign a CEO and see if they have what it takes to make your business thrive.
Speaker- Invite an employee from a local small business administration office. Or if a member in your chapter knows someone who has opened up their own business have them come in and talk about the process of starting up, his/hers business plan, and how to maintain capital.
Field Trip- Plan a trip to a business and finance district in a nearby city. Go to juniortours.com for arrangements. The capital of business and finance in the U.S, New York, is a good idea.
Fundraiser- Start thinking about the winter season, anything like selling wrapping paper, candles or holiday wreaths.
- Remember that Jimmy Tickey, 2004 - 2005 State President, owns a website design and internet marketing company. For more information, please contact him to set up a time for him to address your chapter! (jimmy@jimmysworldnetwork.com)
December: Fundraiser around the Holiday Season!
Fundraiser- If your school has a winter formal send someone on behalf of FBLA sell flowers or things such as light-up necklaces and other novelties. Another idea is to sell coffee and/or donuts before mid-term exams, some people will need it! Try to get a local shop to sponsor you.
January: Business Management
Asides from having a good vision for a business you have to have real skills. It’s important to see the business from the manager’s perspective in order to be a good employee.
Activity- Ask for a visit from your Business Management teacher at your school and have him/ her give your chapter after school mini-lessons on the basics of business management.
Speaker- Ask a couple of local professionals come in to participate in a panel discussion. The discussion should be about conduct and procedures. The lesson should include important subjects like dress code in the office, sexual harassment, wrongful discharge, and affirmative action.
Field Trip- If possible, visit the human resources director of a large company to learn about what kind of records are kept, what paperwork is needed, how discipline is handled and to learn company policies.
Fundraiser- After the generous holiday season, January might be hard to have fundraiser's. Try selling something like cups of coffee or hot chocolate in the teacher’s lounge or during café periods. Simple things like bake sales will help your chapter to raise money for the Spring Leadership Conference.
- By this time, advisors should have received information about State Officer nominations. If you have a member who is consistently dedicated to FBLA, as well as determined and has a variety of business skills, you may want to nominate them for state office!
February: Future Business Leaders…
So far this year your chapter has learned a lot about recruitment, economics, management, entrepreneurship and fundraising. You should now gather all of this information to help you develop ideas for FBLA month.
Speaker- This would be a really good month for chapters to contact the state officers to come and visit your school. If you would like the state officers to give a workshop on a specific topic, just let them know.
Field Trip- Take a visit to a convalescent home this month to help out others. It would be a nice thing to do, and you would get recognition for it. Make gifts or hand decorate T-shirts to hand out to the elderly. If not convalescent home try a shelter, a foster house, or anywhere where there are people in need of a friendly visit. If you’re FBLA is a larger club, you may have to bring smaller groups to the shelters and convalescent homes, as sometimes these organizations don’t allow large amounts of people in to donate their time.
Fundraiser- for Valentines Day send out candy deliveries that people can buy during café periods for their friends and Valentines. Another idea is to sell flowers or chocolates during café periods.
- Don’t forget to contact local chapters to see if you can share transportation to the Leadership Conference, this will save you some costs!
- You may want to start preparing for the conference. Who will be participating in what activities? Do you need to buy campaign merchandise for a state officer candidate?
March: Business Ethics
In Business, people are hired for being trustworthy and reliable because they make good employees. This month we go into depth about what’s right and what’s wrong in the business world.
Spring Conference - Remember to attend the state FBLA conference! Information should have been sent to your school about the new location, dress codes, competitive events and other crucial information.
Speaker- Invite an auditor or a bank representative to come speak about company accounting practices. They should mention what is allowed or not, how to stay on the safe side, what should be reported, what is illegal and what is unethical.
Field Trip- Visit a local security firm or the security department of a large company or bank. Let them show members the precautions businesses take against employee theft and what pilfering costs a company each year.
April: Sales and Marketing
Spring is here and businesses are going all out to lure customers for seasonal sales. That makes April a good time to study effective merchandising and its impact on consumer buying.
Activity- The March of Dimes WalkAmerica will be on the 26th, you can sell sponsorships for your walk to businesses, family and friends. Ask to see what your chapter can do to help out at the function!
May: Career Planning
The job market for graduates is one the toughest ever. To stand out from the crowd, members can start to learn job-seeking skills and build employable experiences.
Activity- have students prepare for and take a free certification exam on Brainbench. This is where over 400 career development certification exams are located. Register for a free account at www.brainbench.com.
Speaker- Have a representative from a local college come to conduct a workshop. Topics should include how to write a resume, how to approach job interviews, what career fields or technical skills are projected for growth, and how to obtain work experience that can help students’ careers later.
June: Preparing for next year’s FBLA
It’s time to say good bye to everyone and thank all those who helped make this year a success!
Activity- Plan a special evening ceremony to honor a local business leader, maybe someone who has supported your chapter this year. Have a couple of members and your advisor speak, and get the leader a plaque or trophy to remember it by. Make it interesting by hosting a raffle during the ceremony. Invite parents, school administrators, local businesses, school newspaper, teachers, and of course the local newspaper! This would be excellent for recognition to those who have supported you this year. Make sure to invite a state officer.
Speaker- This time instead of having someone come to you, why don’t you send a couple of members to thank those that helped your FBLA this year. If your Board of Education supported your club, then ask for time in the meeting for the FBLA members to thank them for helping FBLA during the year. It would be a nice gesture to end with giving a small gift such as gift basket to those supporters.
Bibliography: "2003-04 FBLA Chapter Activities Calendar." Tomorrow's Business Leader. Fall. 2003: 5-8.
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