ALTRUSA ASTRA ADVISORS MANUAL Altrusa International ASTRA Committee Revised September 2020 ASTRA ADVISORS MANUAL Thank you for choosing to mentor and inspire ASTRA Club members! ASTRA Clubs provide a wonderful opportunity in a supportive environment for our youth members to build personal skills that will allow them to become effective leaders who understand the impact of service. This Altrusa ASTRA Advisor Manual is part of your Altrusa resource library. The ASTRA Advisor’s Manual is an easy-to-use guide which provides essential information to support your work as an ASTRA Advisor. More resources are available on the Altrusa and ASTRA International websites in the member area. We hope your experience as an ASTRA Advisor will be rewarding and enjoyable as you work with our enthusiastic young ASTRA members. Your leadership will impact their lives. Thank you for your service. 1 Contents ASTRA FUNDAMENTALS ............................................................................................................ 5 What is ASTRA? .......................................................................................................................... 5 What are the Benefits of ASTRA? .............................................................................................. 5 ASTRA is Different: It’s Student-Run with Active Altrusa Mentorship ................................ 5 ASTRA Motto ............................................................................................................................... 6 ASTRA Colors .............................................................................................................................. 6 What does “ASTRA” stand for? ................................................................................................. 6 History of ASTRA ........................................................................................................................ 6 ASTRA Logo ................................................................................................................................. 6 Where to Find Supporting Materials.......................................................................................... 7 STARTING A NEW ASTRA CLUB .............................................................................................. 8 Advantages to Sponsoring an ASTRA Club .............................................................................. 8 Preliminary Planning ................................................................................................................... 9 The Time Commitment ................................................................................................................ 9 The Budget Commitment ............................................................................................................. 9 Types of ASTRA Clubs ................................................................................................................ 9 How to Recruit Members for a New ASTRA Club ................................................................. 10 How Many ASTRA Clubs can an Altrusa Club Sponsor? ..................................................... 10 10 Steps to Charter your new ASTRA Club ............................................................................ 10 Naming your new ASTRA Club ................................................................................................ 12 Celebrate! Holding your Charter Ceremony ........................................................................... 13 What Resources are available for starting an ASTRA Club? ................................................ 13 Relevant Documents ................................................................................................................... 14 ASTRA MONTHLY CHECKLIST .............................................................................................. 15 JULY: .......................................................................................................................................... 15 AUGUST: .................................................................................................................................... 15 SEPTEMBER: ............................................................................................................................ 15 OCTOBER: ................................................................................................................................. 16 NOVEMBER: ............................................................................................................................. 16 DECEMBER: .............................................................................................................................. 17 JANUARY: ................................................................................................................................. 17 FEBRUARY: ............................................................................................................................... 17 MARCH: ..................................................................................................................................... 17 APRIL: ........................................................................................................................................ 17 MAY: ........................................................................................................................................... 18 2 JUNE: .......................................................................................................................................... 18 ASTRA MEMBERSHIP ................................................................................................................ 18 Who can join ASTRA? ............................................................................................................... 18 Ways to recruit new members ................................................................................................... 18 Membership Forms .................................................................................................................... 19 Initiation of new members ......................................................................................................... 19 Attendance at ASTRA meetings ................................................................................................ 19 Plan Fun Membership Activities ............................................................................................... 19 Relevant Documents & Resources: ........................................................................................... 19 ASTRA CLUB LEADERSHIP AND MEETINGS ..................................................................... 20 ASTRA Develops Leadership Potential .................................................................................... 20 ASTRA Officers and Board ....................................................................................................... 20 Installation of the Board ............................................................................................................ 21 ASTRA Board Meetings ............................................................................................................ 21 ASTRA Club Committees and additional ASTRA Leadership Opportunities: ................ 22 ASTRA Committee Co-Chair Responsibilities ........................................................................ 22 Successful ASTRA Club meetings ............................................................................................ 22 Basics of Parliamentary Procedure: Robert’s Rule of Order ................................................ 22 Altrusans’ Role as Advisors: ..................................................................................................... 23 Relevant documents: .................................................................................................................. 23 ASTRA SERVICE .......................................................................................................................... 24 Importance of Service ................................................................................................................ 24 Planning ASTRA Service Projects ............................................................................................ 24 Consider Supporting some of Altrusa’s Causes ...................................................................... 25 Recognized International Days to consider for Service .......................................................... 25 Signing up for Service and Recording Service Hours ............................................................. 26 Annual District and International ASTRA Service Awards .................................................. 26 Participating in Altrusa District Conferences and Altrusa International Convention ........ 26 Relevant Documents: .................................................................................................................. 27 ASTRA CLUB PUBLICITY ......................................................................................................... 28 How to Publicize ASTRA Activities and Meetings .................................................................. 28 Wear your ASTRA T-shirts ...................................................................................................... 28 Using Social Media ....................................................................................................................