Google: The New Religion - Powerpoint Edition

~Let's take a journey together, and let reality mix with the dream realm~

The essay is finished - but we're not done yet, 

there's still the PowerPoint to make

there is certainly no reason to fret

we'll make a presentation that just takes the cake!

All with Google's presentation

in all it's holy certification.

So it's been a while! Sorry for going off the charts like that. To explain myself I've been preparing for college and trying to relax a bit before my birthday and before I go back to school on the 18th. It's been exhausting. What's important is that I'm back and better than ever so I'll be posting at least once to twice within two weeks!
We're back to the basics, one of the most commonly used Google drive applications that could be utilized more to create an even better presentation is Google's version of Microsoft Powerpoint, called "Presentation." It's fast, though it doesn't have nearly as much flexibility as Microsoft offers, it's still a good makeshift with it's own pro's and con's. Microsoft focuses on creating a professional program to be utilized for business purposes with numerous applications in the real world as well as a vast amount of flexible tools to help achieve this - while Google seems to focus more on the aspect of simplicity and user-friendliness. In Google, you're able to email as well as share your documents much more easily, plus it's free! It's also available to you anywhere you go so if you don't have your flashdrive, if you have an internet connection, you're good to rock n'roll! Oh, plus you can also add images without having to save them to your computer by inserting them in your powerpoint via link and this also means you'll be able to add mpegs (moving pictures) into your powerpoints as well.

Some of my tips to you are to really try to make your powerpoint stand out and look really clean-cut and edgy - just overall to reflect your work ethic and personality while still staying relevant to the topic. You can do that by adding pictures or using layouts that you find available on the internet. There's billions of resources out there to really amp up how amazing your presentation is, you just have to look for them. You can even personalize your backgrounds by using photos or mpegs and moving them to the back. 

Basic Toolbox

(*= the little triangle on the side means you can scroll for more options)

Add another slide*- As stated in the title, you can add another slide to your powerpoint and choose the layout as well.

Title Slide - The first slide that you use to title your presentation 

Tip: Don't just use a bland title, try to mix up your title a bit to add some spice into it. You can change the font to harmonize with the content and slide as well. Usually, in the second text box, you can label it with your name, your class, the period, the date, as well as the project title (the name it goes under in the gradebook) or the club its for, etc. 

Body Slide - Body slides are like condensed paragraphs, you should utilize bullet points but not put your entire script on the slide. It looks really unprofessional if you keep looking at your slide and reading off everything. If you need to put your script in the notes where it says "Click to add notes" so people can refer to the information later.

Insert (Text box/Image/*Shape/*Line) - Separate and make different bits of information stand out by creating your own layout for all the different information clips.

Format background of one slide - Here you can change the color of the slide's background, use an image as the background of a slide or reset the background.

Change *layout of current slide - You can change the format of the title box/text box/images to present information in a different way.

Theme for all slides - These are preset or pre-created layouts for all of your slides, once you choose one, it will show up on the rest of the slides, unlike layout or background.

Transitions - This will change when you present your powerpoint, as it changes from slide to slide, you can change the manner which your next slide is presented.

Present button - Press this button when it's finally show time! Make sure you check this out before you present to make sure everything fits on the slide.

Tips

1. Try to be minimalist as possible, think of the 4 C's. Clean, clear, concise and correlate.
2. Make sure your text or images don't go over the slide - if it looks too crammed or stretched, it's better to condense it or find something else to work. Get to the point. (the 5 W's & H)
3. Use the one step above rule, depending on how official the presentation your presenting is, dress one step above.
4.  Go beyond the text. Sometimes it's fun to give a small BUT RELEVANT compelling story to convince readers of importance. Talk to your readers, interact with them. Don't talk at them, you're not being paid to be their teacher.
5. Make sure  you cite where your information is coming from appropriately. This includes both text and photos.  You'll find that it'll be easier just to make it a habit - you'll be able to refer back and you'll also be crediting the person who publicized the information. 

That's pretty much all I have for you guys this time around, I'll be posting soon to make up for some of the lost time! On the topic of Sam starting his own blog, I'm really proud of him and super happy that he started his own blog and I'm thankful to have had Sam work with me on Dream Dealers and help me start out this blog. He's a really hard-working guy and he's going into his senior year so I wish him best of luck and hope that you guys can check out his blog linked in his goodbye post!  

Until next time dreamers-sweet dreams,

Marilyn Nguyen

Goodbye!

Well, ladies and gentlemen, this looks like a final goodbye. I'm sad to be leaving Dream Dealers, but at the same time I am excited for the new horizon. 

I would like to give special thanks to Marilyn Nguyen for allowing me to work with her over the course of last year, and wish her luck as she goes to college this upcoming year.

If you are interested in continuing to follow me, check out my new blog, High School Aspirations.

Bye! See you guys on my blog!

~SQ

Google: The New Religion - Word Edition

~Let's take a journey together, and let reality mix with the dream realm~

It's been 6 hours since school ended. 

In that time, you ate some after-school snacks and chilled watching the TV.

Now it's 6 PM and it's about time you started that essay the teacher assigned.

Hah! As if: it's nearly dinner time. 

So you decided to chill out and play some video games, scroll the net and just goof off until dinner. 

Now dinner is done and you've "digested," your food. 

Time to start on that essay! 

Only to realize, you don't have Microsoft Word or Word on your computer.

Don't worry! With a Gmail account, you are able to use all of Google Drive, included Word!

Phew, thank the lord for Google.

Let’s face it, there are brilliant people in the world - our aim in life is to become one of the greats. The thing is though, you don’t really realize you’re great until you’re acknowledged. One of the companies that I want to acknowledge the most and has saved my arse throughout my high school career is Google. Google is a great company to work at and I love their work. Honestly, it’s amazing how much you can do with Google if you are resourceful about it. I loved their April Fool's prank with Google Maps and capturing all the Pokemon. Google is probably one of the top engineering companies and is practically the Disney of the entrepreneurial world. While Disney focuses on entertainment and making dreams come true, I think that Google really allows you to build your own dream - for those people with ideas rejected numerous times, as well as those people who just want to learn, it really isn’t just a search engine anymore. It sets itself apart from Disney in the way that you, as well as their workers, are given the freedom to experiment and really bring to life whatever ideas that they can imagine.  Although Google programs may be limited compared to companies like Microsoft or Dropbox who specialize in these programs, there’s still a lot in terms of flexibility available to users in terms of style and formatting. Today, we’re going to talk about one of the most commonly used programs to date - Google "Word".

Basic Toolbox

(*= the little triangle on the side means you can scroll down for more options)

Print - Print everything in the borders of the paper of the document.

Undo - Reverse your last action. (Like if you accidentally deleted something)

Redo - Repeats your last action (I.E. if you typed ‘life,’ and pressed this it would add more e’s at the end since your last action was to type an ‘e’)

Zoom* - This button zooms in and out of the paper so you can get an idea how much more (or less) you have to write. You can also zoom out to see 2 pages at a time as well.

Styles* - This basically changes the size/font to preset options you choose from to emphasize different titles and headers.

Font* - Changes the font of selected and the following text.

Font size* - Changes the font of the selected and the following text.

History - This is the editing history of your document. Every time you edit, it should be noted if you click this area here. You can see all edits past/future by scrolling over and hovering your mouse over different days. This deletes eventually though unless you get a specific add-on for it. It also auto-saves for you as long as you have an internet connection.

Font: Bold/Italic/Underlined/*Text Color/*Highlight - So here you can manipulate the font to emphasize certain words or phrases you have highlighted by left clicking and dragging.

Insert Link - Allows you to post a hyperlink to a website or link a website onto your document for quick reference online.

Commentary - This is for spectators or yourself on your document; they can highlight a section and comment their opinion on it for feedback. You can still edit the section and it will still be highlighted but whatever you edit will be gone.

Alignment of the text - These four buttons align the text’s format on the page in order to save you time formatting.

Line Spacing* - This button allows you to format the spaces between each line of text.

*Numbers/*Bulleted Lists - Allows you to create lists.

Indentations - Allow for custom formatting of the content on the paper.

Clear formatting - Undoes all formatting done to the page.

Comment View - Allows anyone to view the comments

Publication - Edits the publication so you can share the document online to work together on group projects or allow other people to comment, view, or edit your paper.

TABS

1. File - Here you can share files, make/open new ones, rename, make a copy, move to a specific folder to organize/move to the trash, look at revision history or download it to your computer as well as publish to the web or email collaborators/email as an attachment.
2. Edit - This is where you can fix your errors by undoing, redoing, cut, copy, paste, look at the copy/paste clipboard, and find and replace words with synonyms.
3. View - You can edit the format the program shows you like the ruler, or printer preview format, equation toolbar as well as change the mode (editing mode/suggesting/viewing mode)
4. Insert - You can make your paper unique with this by adding images, links, equations, drawings, tables, footnotes, special characters, horizontal lines and page numbers/counts/break/header/ footer/bookmark/table of contents.
5. Format - Diversify and emphasize your content by reformatting it to be bold, italic, underlined, have strikethrough, superscript, subscript as well as edit the paragraph style, adjust the text alignment, line spacing, or add lists and clear formatting.

1. Tools
1. Spelling - Checks your spelling on a highlighted word or anywhere in the document.
2. Research - Brings up a little tab on the right side to do research so you can multitask.
3. Define - defines any highlighted word.
4. Word Count - Counts your pages, your word count, and your character count with or without spaces.
5. Translate - Translates your document into another language (though I don’t recommend it. Languages is one of Google's infamous weaker points.)
6. Preferences - This is basically for you to adjust, making symbols such as copyright, ½ or ™.
2. Table - For when you want to insert a table but are too lazy to use excel. Only drawback is that all the rows and columns have to be the same amount. You can’t have one column for a title for the table. If it’s 2x2, you can’t put a row above as a title for the data. Pesky, but manageable.
3. Add-On’s - Kind of like apps/power ups for your Google Word (I recommend Easybib for citing your sources). You can download add-ons to customize your program to help you.
4. Help - Basically a search engine for tools on the Google Word program.

Until next time dreamers-sweet dreams,

Marilyn Nguyen

March to the Rhythm of Your Own Drums

~Let's take a journey together, and let reality mix with the dream realm~

You open your eyes to the sound of rumbling in the distance as you march

You hear the shrill scream of a flute playing behind you, 

playing the tune Yankee Doodle.
The rifle in your arms continue to rumble from the thunder in the distance behind you, 
clattering against you as the beating of the drums push you forward to your destination,
Whilst you synchronize with it.

Music - a medium that has walked alongside human kind throughout millions of decades, is not only used to express sentiments of love, hatred, sadness, self-doubt, human victory, and downfall, but to form a sense of unity that resonates in the human race.
Humans are a paradoxical race - we constantly contradict and disagree with one another. In music, we celebrate our differences and agree to disagree. Music has been used through loosely- interpreted dance movements and strict rigid dance moves, conveyed through instruments, through the length of the note, the pace, the pitch, and the harmonizing (or lack thereof ) of them all to create a mood to convey a message. Whether through the movements of the dance to the message of the lyrics or mood of the tune that curls along your senses, in music, there are no wrong moves - you simply play and create. 

"Music comes from a musician, not an instrument.  A language works best, when we have something interesting to say. Many music teachers never find out what their students have to say, we only tell them what they are supposed to say." - Victor Wooten. 

I get people left and right asking about "What kind of fundraisers should our club do" or "What kind of socials should our club do"? While it's great to have an eclectic mix of ideas at your fingertips, you need to know that what works for one club in one place or one time, may not work again. Humans work off past experience in a chain of action and reaction. We try something, then wait for the outcome - if we like the outcome, we repeat again. The world moves at 30 kilometers/second, spinning at the same time around 1,000 miles per hour. You really think that if you hit repeat, the same situation is going to keep on happening again and again? Of course not! We're humans, a rapidly developing (or deteriorating) race. You were not the same person you were when you were 2 or 5, and you certainly have changed the tune of your own drums since then. You need to experiment, do the new, find something that is special to you!
             So, honestly what does this all have to do with extracurriculars? Every club, at each school, each year has its own melody and adjusts to the people who have left and arrived.
Mix it up! Members change all the time - the beat of your club represents what ALL or at least a majority of you have to say. Not just you. Not just your board. Your entire club and the members. So don't just ask your board for ideas, ask for ideas from your members.  Don't just reject ideas because you think it's impossible -come up with halfway points or possible alternatives that work similar to their idea. Work with what is possible - you are all a team walking toward the same goals. A club isn't about doing what you or your board specifically want, and even though sometimes you have to make unpopular decisions because you believe it's what's best for the club, but you also need to know that a club isn't made of 1 or 5 people. It's made up of each member that dedicates the time to come to meetings, drive up for different events, arrange socials and fundraisers, etc..
Harmonize! Being in a club is a two way street and you need your club to be on the same key. You can't just be like, "I think we'll have a social tomorrow because I feel like it. Everyone will know by word of Instagram."  Sometimes you won't be in the mood to do things, but you need to at least feign it so you don't bring negativity to the table and ruin the mood.  Fake it till you make it. Sometimes when you are excited about something or you smile, other people smile and laugh with you.  You want to inform members of your decisions as well as progress on any goals you had at the beginning or really anytime during your term. By letting them know the progress, you'll be able to keep them motivated and drumming along to the same unique and one-of-a-kind beat from your club.

Until next time dreamers-sweet dreams,

Marilyn Nguyen

What's Up?

Hello, readers!
Sorry for being unable to publish new articles recently! I am happy to say I am a recent graduate of NJROTC's Leadership Academy, and I've been *WHOA* busy ever since I came home.

I just wanted to let yall (I live in Texas, remember?) be aware of what'll be happening soon. I have decided to leave the Dream Dealers writing team, and will be instead making my own blog to write about topics to avoid meandering in this one. The decision was difficult, but frankly, I did it out of respect for what Marilyn has going on here.

Don't worry, I won't be too far away. Once the blog is set up, I will be sure to link the site to this one. For now, I will remain the Dream Dealers' Editor until the end of July. I will withhold on writing articles until I can establish the blog. I hope to see you all soon!

~SQ

Drama Lama's Diva Days Part 1

~Let's take a journey together, and let reality mix with the dream realm~

For those days when no matter how nice you are,

 you still end up with spit on your face.

            So first off, I want to apologize for my tardiness in making articles - it's been busy trying to work on the blog while handling summer activities - but I assure you - right now I'm in the works of a huge article that is going to be beneficial to all of us in the long run! I will be gone from June 30 to July 7th but I'll have articles that will be released every Friday in my absence. Thank you for being patient, it means so much ;o; Anyways, this article will be a new segment, all about dealing with high school drama. I'd be lying to say that drama isn't going to pop up at any age or place in any form or extent. No matter how squeaky clean a person/club/group looks, you're going to come across some sticky situations - so if you guys have stories you'd like to tell - or get a second opinion on - feel free to email us at dreamdealersguestblogger@gmail.com; don't worry: everything will be anonymous. Please note that some details may be changed or censored/rephrased due to awkwardness in phrasing.
           So this first story sent in from Aladdin called, "Blame Game."

 I remember in Freshman year, I used to call this person my best friend. We were literally close until I got with my 3rd ex. She warned me so many times and I still didn't find anything wrong with him but yeah, I know I was young and stupid. Anyways, after I broke up with him she kept making accusations about my ex and I started getting really annoyed because he didn't do much. Then she started blaming me for things I didn't do- for not hanging out with her or blaming my ex for stealing something, then she would be like "Why are you so stupid?" She called me this one night and was threatening me of my personal relationship stuff. Seriously? You already f***ed up my relationship, even though it was a rebound and now your trying to f*** my life? I broke down so much I almost started cutting. I always had scissors with me and I'd stare at myself like, "what is life anymore?" Yeah. She, my ex and I don't speak to each other at all. ;-;

Sounds like you're in a tough quagmire there Aladdin! First things first, you should NEVER consider violating yourself because of anyone else or even your own reasons. Resorting to self-violence doesn't solve anything and it only creates more problems. I have no room to judge people who do or have cut, but one thing that you should note is, how would cutting benefit you anyways? The thing is, it doesn't. It's only a temporary fix for a problem, the thing with temporary fixes to problems is that it's like clogging up the sink - the problem doesn't magically go away. It gets worse when you leave it to sit until it eventually can't be held back and is released in a blind rampage. It's best to try to talk things out, even if you don't want to, this way you can sort out misunderstandings and cut them at their roots.

One thing that you should keep in mind is that there are different kinds of relationships -friendships, careerships, familyships, and loveships. Love comes in all different kinds of forms and types and people show their love in different ways. Sounds like you went through a total titanic moment between the three of you. I've got to say that relationships sometimes can get mixed up and get messy - we all go through it. There's always that one friendship where you and your friend like the same guy - or the opposite, where your friend doesn't like the guy you like and you have a clash because of it! Your friend sounds like she was trying to look out for you but ended up getting frustrated with you and the frustrations lead her to some sort of resentment that she kept locked up until she called you that night.  It doesn't sound like this story ended on a good note - in fact it seems like everyone just ended up with llama spit on their faces.  Try and make up with your friend - if you can't, just know that there are plenty of new friend and relationships out there in the future and that people are not always out to get you - sometimes accidents happen and you just have to make the most of what you have and keep moving forward.

So that is the first article in our series of Drama Lama's Diva Days. If your interested in sending in your story please emails us at dreamdealersguestblogger@gmail.com . Please fill it out to the most you can as short or long as you like! We can't wait to hear from you guys. :)

Subject -Title of Article/Your Nickname
Content-(Suggested Questions below)
Who is involved in this story(feel free to use nicknames)?
What happened? What did they do? What did you do in reaction to what they did?What is their relation to you?
When did this happen?
Where did this occur?
How did you react?
Why do you feel that the other party is in the wrong?

Until next time dreamers, sweet dreams.

~Marilyn Nguyen

What are Clubs (and other definitions)?

Note: all definitions are my own personal definition only and may not reflect the terminology used in everyday language.
As Marilyn and I go through a lot of topics that we want to talk about, I forgot that we should be talking about something that is very important: why clubs as an extracurricular(s)?
Now, there are a lot of types of choices in the extracurricular world, and today I'm going to be writing about one that seems to take a significant chuck out of that pie: clubs.
Actually, the "why" part will come in a later article.

Hold up. What are Clubs?

Glad you asked, faithful reader! From my noggin right now, I can come up with many different activities that would count as extracurriculars: clubs, organizations, academic competition organizations, jobs (which would warrant its own special spot on a resume separated from its constituents), special projects not affiliated with any standing group, internships, Honor Societies...the list goes on and on. Time for definitions!

An extracurricular is anything that you do outside of coursework at school, including any extra extensions of coursework, such as significant long term projects. And, as you can imagine, that means a lot of variety. No wonder this section is the most varied part of a high school student's resume!

As for the difference between a club and an organization, the line gets blurred, and the names become interchangeability most of the time. A club is an official or non-official group, on school grounds or otherwise, that consist of members that share the same interests. So, take groups interested in singing (not affiliated with a school's choir), Anime, or an ethnicity pride and culture encouragement group: all would be considered clubs. In my eyes, an organization is a group that is affiliated with other groups at other places (not necessarily schools), usually under the direction of a higher hierarchy and share the same name. These may also qualify for the definition of a club (such as Key Club International), or may not be and instead be the extension of a school program (such as JROTC or a musical department-the key here is some participation outside of normal school hours), and by no means do these groups have to work together within the larger organization (which many don't...GO KEY CLUB FOR BEING UNIQUE!).

A job is work, with a great emphasis on making money (i.e. you'd be angered if you were paid very little), and internships are unpaid (usually) or paid, with the main goal of experience instead of making money (i.e. it's acceptable to be paid very little because it is understood that you don't have the skills yet and are still learning).

Academic competition organizations/clubs are groups solely focused towards competition, such as HOSA-there are truly many out there too numerous to count.

Honor Societies are worthy of special mention. They are selective to varying degrees (much argument and debate can be done about this, but this isn't the place for it).
With the majority of clubs and organizations, there is no true requirement to get in, and application, if any, to enter is relatively simple: paperwork and membership dues. However, honor societies such as Japanese Honor Society, NHS, and the Thespians (there are a great number of societies covering all sorts of subjects and interests) have screening processes: they don't just accept anyone that walks in. Usually, demonstration of skill or other excellence in the area (what would the area of excellence Chinese Honor Society be looking for, I wonder?) is required to meet certain criteria for joining. You HAVE to be accepted to join these, while clubs and organizations, when sanctioned by school authorities, usually cannot select membership without being accused of being discriminating. There is also usually a criteria to stay in the honor society as well, which, when not met, can mean being booted.

And last but not least, there are the special projects and anything else outside of school.
An example of a special project (which usually are limited in time span, be it short or long) would be a high school orientation counselor team, or a Homecoming planning committee-something that is usually set up by the school and recruits its members from all walks, regardless of club/organization memberships or none at all, if a person chose not to join any.
The "everything else" is basically everything else not previously listed. Music outside of school, team or individual sports, martial arts, community service outside of a service club or organization, all of these and probably more fall into this category.

I hope that this was helpful! Feel free to leave comments below if you have any questions!
~SQ

Hiatus PSA!

Hey everyone, just a quick note! The blog will be on a hiatus period during this month for AP testing. Please be patient until we return and apologies for any inconvenience. If you have any questions, comments or concerns or articles you would like us to write, please leave them on the blog and we will address them once AP testing is finished. Best of luck to you all taking your finals and AP tests!
~Dream Dealers
~Marilyn Nguyen

Bingo Book: Shoot 'Em Down and Get 'Em Hooked

(Goal of Article: Guide readers with useful tips to retain members.)

~Let's take a journey together, and let reality mix with the dream realm~

It’s the Wild West, you're in a saloon

on one hot and lax afternoon.

On the table a glass of Ol’ Red Eye

in your pocket a tattered book filled with wanted posters of brothers gone awry.

The bartender bazoos up a conversation

hinting about criminals and bunko artists revered across the nation.

In the corner sits one of them; chiseling a deadbeat out of his dinero.

Heeled and determined by hook or crook,

that this is shody four-flusher is going to calaboose.

You flannel mouth the crook and lure him outside,

to fight like Kilkenny cats.

You draw your gun

A bullet swims through the air and as the smoke clears…

By now, we can assume that you have already have had a successful recruitment period and you got people in the door but now we must beg the question of actually keeping these members. Your number one goal should be to get people in the door and to stay in the room as long as possible - try to make them smile and laugh and hang out after meetings. When you ask people to recount events, call on the people you think will hype up the events the most.

The first thing you should worry about is first impressions. Show them how passionate you are without scaring them off. The first thing you should do is introductions! Keep it brief, time is of the essence.

An introduction normally goes something along the lines of…

1. Name
2. Class (You can say Freshman, Sophmore, etc. or Class of ___)
3. Position/1 sentence of what your position does if it’s not a normal position.
4. Division/Faction/Region/District and mascot if you have one.
5. A quirky fact about yourself.

After that, you can explain what your club is and what you do, the function/structure, and some major annual events that you have as well as any miscellaneous information you think will help peak their interest. Keep your introduction brief - at least 1 minute and at most 3. Try not to to talk about any benefits that will “buy your members.” Your members should be as dedicated to the club as much as possible - not to the benefits. You can always talk about the more positive aspects or surprise members with food so it becomes a cherry on top.

On a normal basis, when you need to talk about informational events, I suggest if you can use a powerpoint, do it! Use your powerpoint sparingly - it’s supposed to function as a tool to aid you, not cripple! Your powerpoint is a visual representation that helps present a professional image to your meetings while aiding the members to help catch on with what you are actually saying. On your powerpoint should be any official business that members may get caught up in like pledges or cheers; you can put them on the first few powerpoints, but try to wean members off it so they can learn for themselves. It should include upcoming events, days, times, and places as well as the function or what members will be doing at these events. I think that a really good tip would be to include a certain goal for some events like attendance rates or something along those lines. Here are some tips to keep your powerpoint game on point!

Tips

• Create a template powerpoint to just copy and paste to save you time in the future.
• A good thing to do is to have a private email you pass down to future boards, so they can see what you’ve done and be able to look at your past work as references.
• Make your powerpoints the same format - changing the format can confuse members.
• Decorate your powerpoint! Make it look nice - even if it seems like its doing extra work, decorating your powerpoint can serve to emphasize your point and draw eyes to important information.

I generally don’t recommend icebreakers or a long lecture. A rule of thumb should be if you get bored or tired during your powerpoint, it may be better to forgo the powerpoint. A good tactic for the first few meetings would be to break members up into groups depending on how many are on the board you have and have them explain this information themselves to add a more intimate/personal touch.

Keep your members active! Give them plenty of opportunities for socials, community service events/projects, competitions, and fundraisers so that way they can back that they are making good use of time during dead periods where members are least active. Thank them for coming and when you recount it praise all the members for coming by talking about attendance rates, if anyone won something or something positive that will make them look back at it as their job well done.

Have someone contact members and talk to them to see if they need rides, if they are doing anything that day, and basically gun them down (talk them) into going to the events (this should usually be a very persistent person). For clubs that have more deadbeats or leeches have your stronger board members persist with them. Be understanding if they are busy, but there will be some members who don't want to go to events and end up doing nothing at home - then you want to do some Sherlock Holmes level investigation and try to get them to slip.

Then get 'em hooked! Play off popular trends like Hunger Games/ Divergent, or classics like Harry Potter/ Lord of the Rings to get people interested. Be creative with the way you do things. Keep it simple and classy! It’s more fun to do when you aren’t stressing about every last detail. If one member is enthusiastic and you join in, then people will bandwagon with you; it feels a lot more powerful and fun than if you were doing it solo. Usually it’s not always about the content, but how you present it that makes it important. My school for example has this “too cool for anything and everything vibe,” frankly irritates me. Pretentious, my behind. A majority of people whittle their time away, are disrespectful and don’t get involved in school at all and yet they constantly complain about it. Just a while back some guy started throwing his backpack in the air and people started cheering him on for it. HE WAS JUST THROWING A BACKPACK. He did that for the entirety of lunch, as people egged him on for doing it. Many people kept on watching and it was almost like someone started a fight. As they egged him on, he did the same for them. Imagine if my school was more active, the things we could do, the ventures we can achieve, the legacy we can leave. So, what legacy do you want to leave behind and how will you convince these members to work with you together, hand-in-hand, to achieve it?

Until next time dreamers-sweet dreams,

Marilyn Nguyen

Rolling with the Big Boys: From Washington to Woodrow Wilson

~Let's take a journey together, and let reality mix with the dream realm~

It’s a sweet spring afternoon and letters begin to arrive.

From horse to bicycles to cars to your email and television.

All addressed to you!

Many from George Washington

and Lincoln too.

A dozen from Benjamin

to just one from Woodrow Wilson.

All of them invitations to one specific party.

To go or to reject invitations that were sent so hearty.

No matter where you are, money is hard to come by - even if you do try! Personally, I like money but I think it's scary. Fundraisers are not easy to set up, but when you get in the groove of doing them, nothing can stop you! Doing fundraisers for your club or whatever you are fundraising for is like opening up your own business -  you have to get clientele and get their trust, and it’s easier to lose them than it is to get them!

Note: Fundraisers are similar to socials and going to any events; your club's credibility can either fall or spike depending on how well you do it. The more credible your club the easier time you’ll have retaining members and getting your club out there.

One thing to keep in mind is what you want to fundraise for. Is there a specific event or cause you want to fundraise for and how much you want to fundraise? Are there several? Ask yourself the 5 W’s and the H. Here are some questions you should ask yourself. Try to answer them in a few sentences.

1. Why?
1. Why do you want to fundraise?
2. Why (am I) are we doing this?
3. Why is this reason important to others?(Consumers? Volunteers? Community?)
2. What?
1. What are the goals I hope to achieve in doing this? (Sometimes, you can even set little goals and incentives for each one achieved. Like say... $700 for someone to do something silly like dressing up as Elsa)
2. What will this money be directly going to?
3. What needs to be done?
4. What is a suitable fundraiser for my area?
3. When?
1. When will the fundraiser be? (Season? Month? Day?Time?)
2. When are all the deadlines? (Setting deadlines in increments is helpful)
3. When do I need the money? (Set the deadline earlier than you need it, so that way you can have it early)
4. Where?
1. Where would be the most suitable place for your fundraiser?
5. Who?
1. Who are the people who would feel the most strongly (positively) that will donate to this fundraiser?
2. Who do I have to talk to in order to make this happen?
3. Who would be willing to participate and be on the team to make this happen?
6. How?
1. How is this fundraiser correlated to your cause?
2. How will I explain this to customers/people who donate?
3. How will you use the extra money to set up for future fundraisers (because fundraisers are an investment)?

These are just the basic question you need to know. Sometimes, it’s necessary to do things that put you out of your comfort zone to make money. By no means do I refer to selling your body, but instead to things like creating little incentives i.e. dressing up in a silly costume if 100 people attend an event or singing a song or making a bunch of food before Monday, even talking to people to use their venues.

After you ask these and many more marginal questions you should be able to rule out a few fundraisers and think of different ideas for FUNdraisers. Try to come up with out of the box ideas - playing off hypes and classics help. Fundraisers shouldn't be solely about the money but having fun while you do it - from what I see a crew that is having fun and doing their work makes twice as much than a crew that does their work - and I don't mean in monetary terms. I remember when I was a sophomore we would always splash each other with soap and hose water at those car washes; we made a MINIMUM of $600. Now we do car washes and barely scratch $100. Funny story to add: my friend Amara told me how success is all about her attitude when she bakes or cooks food - I mean who wants angst brownies? Would you care for some awkward ice cream? Tear cookies a la mode? Do something you want to do. Not a fundraiser you have to do.

There's also the idea of taking financial ventures and playing it safe. Try to experiment!  If you are feeling adventurous, don't invest all your efforts in one risk just to lose it. Test the waters; maybe try gauging opinions. Fundraisers are not a lottery ticket: they are INVESTMENTS. You put in a little money, a ton of effort and that's all you need! Try not to be petty like this fool. He's crying because he won't make money. Don't feel sorry for him. AT ALL (at least not in this context). On the other hand, there is playing it safe. Playing it safe, is where you'll be comfortable and you'll make the same amount of money you usually do. There's nothing wrong with it, it's just not the typical type of adventuring I do. Playing it safe, you're old clientele will return to you and  you may get a few newbies! It's a perfectly fine manner to build credibility step by step; only problem is that it takes time to build that credibility. A financial venture is not something you should be dependent on, but something you do if you need to make cash by a deadline. Both sides have their own validity in getting to the same goal. 

You can make money from practically anything - where there is a skill, there is a way. Look at all your members. If you know them personally or not, you should realize that each member has something that they can bring to the table - even you bring something to the table yourself! You should play off whatever the strongest coordination of cards on the table are. If you have a musically-talented group, then have them put on a benefit concert. If you have a group that is skilled in home economics (cooking/making clothes/organizing) then do a cook-off or sell food or have a fashion show. You could always do a hire-for-a-day. The only thing that you need to worry about when you start to reject is reality. Yeah, reality can throw you off your groove a lot.

You'll need to think in terms of your consumer market and get to know what is in demand in your area; think in terms of economics. What will make the customers go like...

Sometimes simple common objects can make the most money - school/office supplies, lessons, a unique and out of the ordinary fundraiser. Something that will make the people "holla for a dolla."

Constantly think about the next step. It doesn't need to be your priority, but you've already set your goals and thought of what kind of fundraisers are feasible for your area; now it's just a matter of knowing what to do with relaying tasks and advertising.  Figure out what you need to do, items you may need, and see who is best suited. Set increments on how you want to get something done. A fundraiser is definitely something you don't want to procrastinate on. Money is basically like a second relationship to all people: you have to ensure them that the trade-off is beneficial to them as well.  I know as well as anyone when I spend money my thoughts are 

something along the lines of...

Who wouldn't be like that? You think of all the potential that 100 Lincolns have to offer you. Really keep on working at it to convince them that this is a matter that is important to them - no matter how big or small and don't give up. 

        Now you'll need to think of how you are going to get the word out. You can always get word out through presentations, promotions, posters, and social networking. You can even ask a favor of your popular friends that make even the simplest things a big deal. That's why it's especially important for you to network wherever you may be. Even if you have days where you feel unsocial and like you just can't deal with the world right now - as shady as it sounds - having good connections and relations with others helps a ton. No matter how independent you may be, doing something yourself is not as great as doing it with people (who know what they are doing); allowing everyone to focus on one task is much more productive and less stressful on your side. 

After that, you have your fundraiser! So just be sure someone who knows the basic rundown is there at all times supervising what is going on and that there is constant activity going on until it's time for a break. You want the activity to be off the charts pandemonium - but you don't want to be a slave-drive and not have any volunteers for future events; so just try to have fun while you work, crack a few jokes, get people together, and do an icebreaker to shake off any awkwardness from the start. If you have to do your little eager dance, pep-talk, or a little cheer to get everyone hyped to work, then do it! Better to try than not right? 

When you finish, to tie off any loose ends (if this event was a more formal one) by thanking people for participating in this event with a specialized card where you just write their name and send it to them. Be sure to post results and thank everyone for coming out or buying or whatever it may be. 

We're finally finished and you're ballin' with the big boys now! Let's wrap this article up by celebrating for a dollar well earned.

Until next time dreamers-sweet dreams,

Marilyn Nguyen

P.S. No matter what you do, make sure that you're fundraising by LEGAL means. There's no use in making money off something that puts you at risk of going to jail or being suspended.

Disclaimer: Pictures courteous of tumblr!