Planning a Commitment

In order to ensure your commitment meets the CGI U commitment criteria, you need to plan the goals, scope, and metrics of your initiative.

Brainstorm different ideas for action

What are you passionate about? What unique resources can you bring to the table? How could you or your university get involved? As you begin the process, explore our commitment ideas and read some of our featured commitments. Keep in mind these are only ideas. You and your local campus community know best what kind of strategic action you could take, whether you?re attempting to cut your campus? carbon emissions by 50 percent or to build a school in Malawi. It is most important to think creatively about how to apply the knowledge you have learned in and outside of the classroom.

Get feedback

Once you?ve come up with an informal plan, start soliciting feedback from classmates, professors, administrators, student groups, and community members. Do they think your plan is realistic? Would they be willing to join or support you? What student organizations might be interested in helping or providing expertise? What type of resources will you need to get this project off the ground? Identify other people and groups engaging on this issue and ask for their feedback on your plan.

Where could your plan be tweaked or improved? Getting honest and meaningful feedback from the start is crucial to the long term success of your commitment, and it?s a great way to find allies early on in the process. Community input can also steer your efforts towards the type of commitment that will have the greatest impact.

Create a formal plan

Once you?ve decided on your commitment, log onto www.cgiu.org and formally submit your Commitment to Action. Set up a month-by-month timeline of what you want to accomplish and when. Keep track of all key contacts who might be crucial in making your commitment a reality. Create a formal budget. Flesh out the metrics you will use to measure your commitment and devise a method for measuring your progress. Once your plan is in place, you are ready to apply to CGI U with your commitment.

Get to work

Don?t just invent ? implement! After you have submitted your commitment proposal to CGI U, it is time to put your commitment to action. Stay organized and stay energized ? always be on the lookout for new partners, sponsors, feedback, or volunteers along the way.

Work with your Campus Representative

Be sure to touch base with your CGI U campus rep, students who serve as CGI U representatives on their respective campuses. Campus reps act as the CGI U point of contact at the university, and will be able to provide you assistance with outreach, working with local press, and setting up potential meetings with university administrators. If you are putting together a specific event related to your commitment, they can also assist you with that. You?re in charge of your commitment, but campus reps are there to help you make it happen. The campus rep network is brand new, so there might not be a campus rep at your college yet. If your school does not already have a campus rep, you can apply to become one.

Explore partnership opportunities

Once you?ve made tangible progress on your commitment, think about other potential partners who can help take your commitment to the next level. Reach out to professors, administrators, local community members, and other campus leaders that you don?t already have contact with. Think about how your university could take a more formal, institutional role in this commitment. Explore new partnerships with universities overseas. Could a university in a developing country benefit from a relationship with your institution, or vice versa? The possibilities for partnerships are endless, so think creatively and aim to bring together a diverse range of voices that can add unique perspectives and tap into new resources.

Measure your results and report back

Throughout the duration of your commitment, be sure to keep detailed reports of the results. The CGI U commitments team will ask you for regular updates. How you measure your progress will depend on the kind of commitment you make, but some metrics could include: How many students have attended an after-school program as a result of your commitment? How many acres of forest have been saved as a result of your campus? commitment to paper recycling? What is the percentage increase of healthy births since your medical school opened its maternity clinic in a rural village in Bangladesh? Even if there isn?t always &lqduo;hard data&rqduo; to go with your commitment, it?s crucial that you can show CGI U and your campus community exactly what your commitment has accomplished. If you have stories, photos, or updates to share with us along the way, feel free to email cgiu.commitments@clintonglobalinitiative.org.

Make it sustainable

Finally, be sure to keep the long-term vision and mission of your commitment in mind. What will happen to your commitment once you graduate? You could pass it on to others at your school, merge resources and contacts with a similar local commitment, or even turn your efforts into your own non-profit. Be sure to involve professors, underclassmen, and students from a wide range of majors on your campus to ensure your commitment?s sustainability. Devise a strategic plan and think about how your commitment could scale up in the future to expand its reach and impact.