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students in their union: clubs and societies handbook 2002/3opportunity profilesIf your club or society is growing and you would like to get more students involved then an opportunity profile canhelp promote your activities.First pioneered by Loughborough Students’ Union they are very much like a short job description. Instead of simplysaying ‘come on and get involved’ they explain exactly what is involved. When constructing an opportunity profile,bear in mind the following questions for a prospective club or society member:what is the opportunity?What is the main purpose of the society with which the activity is involved? What will the society be doing over thecoming years? How big is the activity? How many people are involved?who can get involved?Can anybody do this or do participants need particular skills or knowledge? Do they have to be a certain type of student?Do they have to be elected? Do they have to pay to become involved?what commitments will I have to make?How much time do volunteers needs to put in? Does it involve unsociable hours? Do they have to attend meetings orwrite reports? Can they choose how much time to commit? What sorts of tasks are involved?what will I get out of it?Why should they want to do it? List the knowledge and skills that people will develop. What is their reward for takingpart? Don’t forget to tell people that it will be fun and that they will meet new people!what support will be available?Will the students’ union, the college, or NUS be able to provide support? Is there any training in place?who should I contact?How can students find out more about this activity? Who should they contact? Can they go and talk to someone?What is their email address or telephone number?The key thing to remember is to keep it short and simple. There is no point producing a five-page opportunity profilediscussing every detail – it needs to be sharp and to the point. After reading a short profile, a potential volunteer shouldbe interested enough to find out more information – or else the activity is not for them.52