No matter the size of your OCF chapter, it’s always important to plan ahead. Whether you plan to meet weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, make a commitment to regular meetings and stick with that. It’s important that you make this commitment before the academic year begins. People appreciate consistency, and if they know that meetings are on a regular schedule they can plan around that or choose to come to an occasional meeting when they are unable to attend every one. Make sure you involve your leadership team in the planning process so that everyone has a chance to voice their thoughts before the new academic year begins.

As you plan the content for your meetings, it’s best to include elements that relate back to the four core themes of OCF: fellowship, education, worship, and service. The most successful OCF chapters include a good mix of all of these elements. Make a small list of goals for your chapter during the coming semester or year and revisit these frequently to make sure your chapter’s activities align with your goals.

When planning your calendar for the academic year, take major events from your university or local parish calendars and map out the coming fall and spring semesters. Fill in known dates for OCF events at the District, Region, and North American level, and make notes on months where you don’t know specific dates but you have a rough idea of what will go on around that time. Outline when your meetings will be and what format you would like them to have.

Be open to adjusting this plan as the year goes on and you learn what works and what doesn’t work, but try to be consistent whenever possible.

Sample Yearly Plan