Anime Ascendant

An anime club help site that offers advice and support

Monthly Archives: June 2014


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Downloads

Need a document soft copy? Need some useful worksheets to make running an organization easier? These downloads are free and helpful!

Anime Club Contact List

Good for anyone to use as a contact list.

What’s a contact list? A contact list is a list showing any member’s information in case you would like to contact them for future events.

Why is it good to use? Whenever a member signs into a meeting or event, you can contact them for future events (see Marketing), add them to email lists, or use each sign in as a point (see Using a Point System).

Format: Word

Anime Club Event Checklist

A good checklist for planning an event.

I recommend every officer to use this!

Format: Word (to edit) and PDF (to write)

Budget Excel Worksheet

Good for officers trying to plan the year’s expenses.

Formulas are already in this worksheet so that your information can be added up automatically.

Format: Excel

Planning Film Guide (provided by High Plains Library District)

Great for people planning to screen any anime, movies, OVAs, and films.

Library clubs and school clubs can especially benefit from this guide.

Format: PDF

Point System Worksheet

Good for keeping a point system in your club.

Formulas are already in this worksheet so that you can calculate the points per member automatically.

Format: Excel


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Starting Out for Community Clubs

There are many routes you can take to start a community anime club.

1. Find members and meet up! Many times, people just meet friends who are anime fans. Later, more and more people get together, and soon, you’ve got yourself a full anime club.

2. Use online resources. Websites such as Meetup.com help to connect fans with other fans anywhere in the world. Facebook, Twitter, and Weebly.com are other resources you can use.

3. Start your own website and post the times and places of your club meetups.


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Welcome to Anime Ascendant!

Hello, there! You have entered Anime Ascendant, a website dedicated to anime, manga, and Japan-related clubs. How do we help you? We offer support for these clubs in the form of advice, links, forms, contests, and programs.

If you have any questions, please Contact Us, and we’ll be sure to get back to you with some great answers!


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About Anime Ascendant

Anime Ascendant is a website designed to assist secondary school, university, and community anime, manga, and Japanese culture clubs. Anime Ascendant offers support for these clubs in the form of advice, links, forms, contests, and programs.

From the Creator
Being a part of so many organizations, being an anime fan, and being a webmaster has all contributed to the makings of this website. I’ve spent part of my college career being all these separate roles–club member, anime fan, and webmaster–but I didn’t think to put it together to make a website for anime fans with anime clubs. Why isn’t there a concise, updated, and informative approach to running an anime club on the Internet? Anime Ascendant’s current theme rose out of this question.

History
Anime Ascendant first started out as an anime e-zine in 1999 under the name Operation Anime. In December of 2000, the creator re-launched Operation Anime as a website helping anime webmasters. In 2003, Operation Anime was re-vamped into its current namesake, Anime Ascendant, still offering assistance to anime webmasters. Now, over 10 years later, Anime Ascendant has evolved into a website helping anime, manga, and Japanese culture clubs.

Creator
The creator of Anime Ascendant, Jd Banks, has held the roles of Founder, President, Ad Hoc Committee Chair, Student Advisor, Vice President of Finance, President’s Cabinet Commissioner, Creative Consultant, Historian, Executive-at-Large, Webmaster, Publications Chair, Tutoring Chair, Chief of Staff, Student Organizations Liaison Commissioner, Student Government Liaison, City Youth Ambassador, Diversity Program Lead, and Active Member for multiple organizations and programs during her life in California. Now Jd resides in Japan as a teacher with her husband.

Disclaimer
Although most of the information provided on this website comes from years of experience, Anime Ascendant is in no form an advisor on tax purposes, constitutional or by-law verbage (the exact wording), or personal discretions. Anime Ascendant is a guide to clubs. By using the advice from Anime Ascendant, the user understands that not everything will work, and cannot deem Anime Ascendant as responsible for monetary, emotional, personal, mental, or physical damages incurred.


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Marketing

So you have your event planned out. Now to get the word out!

Word of Mouth

This is the most effective type of marketing for any event.

 

Visitations
Go to other clubs that relate to anime and manga (ex: Japanese Club, Art Club) and tell their members about the event. Make sure to hand out fliers.

 

Also visit classes and make an event announcement. Sometimes, depending on the event, you can ask the teacher if they can give their students extra points to attend the event. If you ask for extra points, make sure the event is something worthwhile and educational, like Japanese history or culture. In other cases, using food or a door prize is bribe enough to get people to show up.

 

Walk-Ups

Going up to a stranger and asking them if they know what anime or manga is can be daunting, but it is very effective in getting an anime or manga fan to show up. The best way to find these people is to look around your campus and see who’s reading what. Fantasy? Science fiction? They might be anime fans. Comic books? Manga? Hello!

 

Other Club Websites
Send emails to other clubs and organizations in your area for advertising your event. Include a link and event information in your email.

 

TV

If your school has a TV program, get your event announced on it.

 

Radio

If you’re a university or community club, contact a local radio DJ and asked them if they can give a shout-out about an event.

 

Social Networking Sites
Facebook
Create your club’s Facebook page and make sure to link it with your club’s website. It’s an easy way to create events and invite members. Also, messaging members through Facebook is possible and it’s better to use for connecting with members more personally. But beware; don’t flood your members’ message inboxes with a million messages about events! They’ll unlike your club’s page really fast!

Twitter
Create your club’s Twitter account and use the 140-character messages to advertise events, the club’s website, and announcements. Just a few rules of thumb: try to keep your messages shorter so that it can be retweeted, or tweeted again, properly. Twitter really sticks to the 140 characters it proposes, so if it’s even one character more, you can’t tweet the message. Make sure to link Twitter with your Facebook account as well as your club’s website.

 

Blogs
Blogs are a good way to write freely without knowing any web design. If you want to use a blogging site instead of a regular website, make sure to advertise the blogging site as your club’s website. Many times, clubs forget that they have a club website already set aside for them for free. Before you check into getting a whole new blog, check with your Information Technology department or your school’s website about getting a free club website.
Blogger – http://www.blogger.com
Blogspot – http://www.blogspot.com
Wordpress – http://www.wordpress.com (I would recommend WordPress because it’s very advance in marketing and designing options.)

 

Paper Materials
Posters, handouts, cards, and fliers are all great marketing materials–if you know where to put them and when to put them up. All paper materials should have color in it. Black and white posters don’t catch the eye and are harder to read from faraway. Even if the paper is colored, that’s fine. For marketing big events, plaster the school and surrounding areas with paper materials. Make sure posters are easy to read and easy to see by posting them at eye level. If you’re marketing a niche event, like a science anime mixer, concentrate most of your marketing in the science department(s) and the most high-traffic parts of the area.

 

Media
Using media and networking outlets is the most professional way to market any event, so be on your game when using this type of marketing.

Press releases
This should be written at a professional level, with no grammatical mistakes and easy-to-understand language. Once a press release is made, send it to your local newspapers, readers, and online sources.

Newspapers and Readers
A press release should be sent to newspapers and readers. Some newspapers and readers allow you to post events on their websites for free. Use the press release here as well.

E-zines and online outlets
Some e-zines, blogs, and other online media outlets allow you to post events on their websites for free. Email or post the press release here as well.
Try http://upcoming.yahoo.com for posting general events.


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How to Spend Little Money on Everything

“How do I do events when there’s no money in the club?” First, you have to think about how to keep costs low. The best way is to plan ahead of time (weeks to months in advance) and ask for help.

 

For meeting rooms

If you’re a school or library club, ask your advisors for help. They can tell you where to reserve free rooms on campus or they may offer their room for use. Recognized university clubs may get assigned rooms through Student Services or they can book rooms in the libraries and around campus.

If you’re a community club, you can ask local cafes or restaurants to hold meetings. This gives cafes and restaurants a chance to get more customers. Mom-and-pop shops and small cafes are more likely to allow your club to meet there.

 

For places to hold a big event

If you’re a university club, there are many places on campus to hold a big party or event. Usually your Student Union is the best place to start because they offer recognized clubs discounted rates for good rooms. However, if you want to keep your costs down, use a classroom or a member’s place.

 

For food

Your club can ask restaurants and businesses for food donations. Make a small solicitation packet (only two pages) that says what event you’re doing and what your club will do for the business if they donate food. It’s better to meet the manager of a restaurant than to email the packet. Sometimes, restaurants give club discounts or coupons instead of a food donation.

 

If the restaurant or business will donate food, you must go through your student government (middle schools and high schools) or on-campus Food Services (universities) to get permission to serve their food.

 

Another option is to do a potluck-style event (best for small events that are not open to the public). Make a sign-up sheet with food categories (appetizers, entrees, sides, and desserts) and have members and officers write down food they can bring.

 

For decorations

Banners, signs, piñatas, and labels can be made by your club members with paper, cardboard, paint, and markers. You can also find free printables from event-planning blogs and websites. For food placements (warming trays, cake stands, table covers, and serving utensils), borrow them from a local caterer or ask members to bring them. Flowers, vases, corsages, and ribbons can also be donated by a local florist. For balloons, all you need is helium, so go to a party shop and ask if they can blow up your balloons for a discount.

 

For entertainment

Ask your members or friends to perform or DJ. If you decide to get a performer or DJ from outside of your club, try to find performers from schools in the music department or performers from other clubs (ex: traditional dance performers from the Pacific Islander Student Association). They usually do performances for free or at a very low cost. No matter what performer(s) you go with, always negotiate any prices or pay-rates (money per hour). Also, university clubs can apply to their Student Services or student government (usually Associated Students) for an event sponsorship or grant.

 

For marketing

Use social media. It’s free and fast. The number one free and most effective way to spread the word is by visiting other clubs’ meetings and events and telling their members about the event. The most costly way to market an event is by using fliers. Ask your advisor(s) if they can print some fliers for your club. Another alternative is if each member prints a small set of fliers. Of course, this saves the money bank account, but you don’t want to spend money right out of your pockets, right? Again, use that solicitation packet and go to any local printing shops and businesses for sponsorships or discounts. Usually printing shops at universities tend to give clubs more discounts than chain printing shops. Also, don’t be afraid to go online and find some deals. Just make sure that you have a lot of time to receive the materials.

 

For T-shirts

Getting custom T-shirts made are very expensive. It could be anywhere from $10 per T-shirt to $25 per T-shirt depending on the design, colors, and print style. The cheapest way to make custom T-shirts is making them yourself. You can buy a pack of iron-on transparencies (around $8), print the design on the transparencies, and iron it onto a plain T-shirt ($5 to $10). There are no hidden fees such as design fees (usually $20 per design), color fees (adds $5 per color in the design), T-shirt fabric ($3 to $5 for low-quality cotton, $20 for organic cotton shirts or polos), or print style fees ($10 for heat transfer, $15 or $20 for screen-printing).


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Fundraising Ideas

Auction or Silent Auction

What is it? An auction is a sale, but everyone must bid on items. Only one person will win the item.

How do you do it?

Gather sellable things from members and donors. Set a place, date, and time, and market it. On the day of the auction, put the items in a safe place on or near the stage.

For a regular auction, give everyone paddles with numbers (a plastic fan with paper over it works). An item will be shown and the auctioneer will called out prices. When a person raises their paddle, they bid on the item at the price the auctioneer said. When time runs out, the last bidder will win the item.

For a silent auction, make papers where people can write down their bids and contact information. Write a starting bid for each item. When the time ends (maybe two hours later), announce the winners of the bids. Each winner will pay before receiving their items.

 

Suggestions

A silent auction can be part of any event. Just make sure the items are guarded well!

Interesting paintings, new shoes, clean statues, artistic ceramic, and jewelry usually sell at the highest price.

 

Bake Sale

What is it? A sale of food.

How do you do it?

Get volunteers to make or buy food (for school clubs, you must buy the food and get permission to sell the food). Set a place, date, and time, and market the event. On the day of the bake sale, put the food out and sell it.

 

Car Wash

What is it? A fundraiser washing people’s cars.

How do you do it?

Get a lot of volunteers (10 to 20 people). Find a place who will let you use their parking lot and water (usually a grocery store) and ask permission to use them. Set a date and time, and market the event. Get a hose, clean rags, car soap, tire cleaner, buckets, sponges, microfiber cloths, a table, and a cash box. On the day of the car wash, go to the parking lot with your volunteers and set up your buckets and things.

 

Suggestions

Make big signs and send a few volunteers to the intersections with a lot of traffic. Send a few volunteers to the parking lot and ask shoppers if they want a car wash.

 

Corporate Support

What is it? Any kind of donation from a corporation relating to Japanese culture.

How do you do it?

Make a solicitation packet, and send out copies to different corporations.

 

Dance or Party

What is it? An anime-themed or Japan-themed dance or party.

How do you do it?

Set a theme, place, date, and time for your dance or party. Put officers in charge of certain areas (ex: marketing, room rental or reservations, food, entertainment, decorations, tickets, set up, break down). Get the room reserved, do the marketing, buy the decorations, book the entertainment (DJ, band, performances, photography), decide on the food and get it approved, and sell tickets. Before the dance or party, the set up committee will put up decorations.

 

Suggestions

Make sure to confirm everything before the day of the dance. That means calling or visiting the entertainment, the food providers, and the room rental offices and getting verbal or written confirmation. Don’t sleep on getting that confirmation!

 

Grams

What is it? Grams are small packages or gifts sent from a customer to a receiver.

How do you do it?

Get your officers together and decide on the kind of grams you’d like to sell.

 

Suggestions

Deliver the grams on a holiday such as Valentine’s Day, Christmas time, or Halloween.

 

Raffle/Lottery

What is it? A raffle is a lottery fundraiser where members sell tickets. Usually the raffle tickets are two raffle tickets with the same number (one ticket for the buyer and one ticket for the seller).

How do you do it?

Club members will ask people if they would like to buy a raffle ticket. This will be done until the set date to pull one lucky ticket.

 

Suggestions

Make the prize something worthwhile.

 

Swap/Bazaar/Yardsale

What is it? A swap is similar to a bazaar or yardsale where someone sells used items.

How do you do it?

Collect used items from members. Set a date, time, and place and market the event. Get permits, tables, and price tags. On the day of the event, set up the tables and put price tags on all the items.

 

Suggestions

Send members out to recruit some potential customers.

 

Eating Contest

What is it? An eating contest is an event where five to seven contestants eat one kind of food as fast as they can.

How do you do it?

Get five to seven people to eat the food. Find a food vendor and location to do the event. Set a date and time and market the event. On the day of the event, charge attendees at the door and set up the food.

 

Suggestions

Get a very good announcer. It’ll make a world of difference!

 

Writing Contest

What is it? A writing contest is an event where writers can submit their best written works for a chance to win something.

How do you do it?

Create a low entrance fee (usually somewhere around $5 per submission). Pick a last day to enter the contest and a few members to judge the entries. Market the contest. When the contest closes, judge all the entries and announce the winner(s).

 

Suggestions

When charging an entry fee, make sure that the prize is big.

Market writing contests on Twitter, Facebook, and your club’s website.


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Officers: 6 Ways to Communicate

1. Don’t assume anything. Don’t assume that a job is finished until you have results or proof. Don’t assume someone knows something until it’s confirmed. Meet with officers (individually or as a group) to follow up on tasks, receive receipts or confirmation emails, and see the product that needed to be purchased. Don’t rely on word of mouth confirmations, “Yes”, or “I’ll do it tomorrow”. Get concrete confirmation.

 

2. Create a contact list of all officers and members. For members, have them sign in for meetings.

 

3. Use the contact list. Send weekly emails to officers, and send monthly emails to members. Emails should be the first communication for non-urgent events and news.

 

4. Follow up on emails, especially important ones, by calling the person or asking in person.

 

5. If an officer can’t do a task, give it to another officer who can or do it yourself.

 

6. Don’t force your ideas onto anyone or the rest of the group. Sometimes, when officers who’ve been club members for a while, or they’re just control freaks, try to negate new ideas from others, the atmosphere becomes sour. (From personal experience, I’ve had to deal with presidents who always said, “No” to new or recycled ideas not in use. Not only that, they pushed unpopular and useless ideas onto officers and members, and sometimes, resorted to behind-the-back tactics that betrayed everyone’s trust. Slowly, officers and members found themselves disconnected, and they chose not to be a part of the club anymore. That sourness and disconnection becomes part of the club’s reputation, and recruiting members for the club becomes a bigger hardship.)