The Logistics Committee is responsible for the recruitment of volunteers, booking a venue, understanding and complying with university regulations, audio / visual equipment, catering, and set-up/clean-up. To help keep the committee organized, draw a timeline with deadlines for different tasks. Before getting started, check your university's administrative offices and student service organizations to understand the rules and regulations. Working with the university and keeping them informed of your plans is important. Also, the university may require the MSA to complete forms, submit documentation, or acquire permits and contracts for services or event activities. Recruiting and managing volunteers is a major ingredient for a successful Islam Awareness Week. The success of your IAW is largely dependant on the quality, dedication, and effort of your volunteers.

Guidelines:

Volunteers

IAW is far from being a one-man show. Rather, it is truly a team experience. Recruitment of volunteers tops the list as one of the most important logistical decisions. It is such a critical part of IAW that without volunteers and the necessary help, this project might seem overwhelming and daunting.

Recruiting volunteers

First, estimate how much manpower is necessary for each aspect of your IAW (planning, setting up, manning of tables, etc). After you have assessed the work load for each committee, appoint committee heads from among the key leaders and active members of your MSA. Then, work with your committee heads to recruit volunteers for their respective committee. The committee heads will be responsible for their respective team's workload, in addition to keeping track of their team's progress. Thereafter, they will report to the IAW chairperson. Committee heads can recruit volunteers for their teams at MSA meetings, events, through co-sponsors, and through personal networking.

Organizing Committees

The IAW chairpersons may very well be your MSA board or they may be appointed persons who you know are capable of handling large projects such as IAW. The IAW chairpersons are responsible for assigning all duties, responsibilities, and deadlines to each committee head, and working with them to ensure a productive team effort. The responsibilities of the Committee Heads include dividing the work among their committee volunteers, keeping up with the work status, meeting with them frequently, emphasizing deadlines and tasks, motivating their volunteers to excel, and keeping main chairpersons aware of issues, progress, and questions. Committee heads will meet with the IAW chairpersons weekly to discuss all progress and all important issues relating to IAW. Each committee should also meet on a weekly basis and give status reports to their committee heads who then in turn should give a committee status report to the main IAW chairpersons.

Training volunteers

Volunteers need to know what is expected of each of them individually and of their committee as a whole. Goals must be clearly set and stated. Da'wah training is imperative and will be discussed in more detail in a later section. Videos, workshops, and reading materials should be available for each volunteer who will be involved in interacting at the event.

Venue

Select the venue based on your event type. For example, for a display pick a location with a high volume of student traffic to attract students. Other important factors are cost, university regulations, audio / visual set-up, and capacity, as you will need enough room for the set up (tables, displays, etc.) and the amount of estimated students attending (lectures, activities, etc.).

Examples:

• Student Union / Centers (lounge area, Multi Purpose Room)
• Courtyards / An outdoor area with a lot of student traffic
• Cafeteria / Food Court

Contracts

Many aspects of planning and preparation require contracts. Making sure to have everything in writing (especially when dealing with money) can avoid problems later. Contracts may be needed for the following arrangements:

1. The room rental
2. Caterers: Contracts may be needed to confirm the menu ordered. Also, your school may require additional insurance that the caterer has to comply with before serving their food. Other documentation, such as sanitary certificates, may also be required. In depth investigation may be necessary, so please do your research.
3. Equipment: Contracts may be needed to reserve rental equipment such as tables, lighting, projectors, microphone and sound systems, etc. Permits may also be required to obtain special equipment.
4. Security: Your school may require that security be present at all times or specific times during IAW. Security may need to be paid.
5. Speakers may also require a contract and/or honorarium
6. Co-sponsors: Other student organizations may be interested in co-sponsorship of IAW. If this is the case, then signing a contract with the board members of such organizations may be necessary in order to ensure their support, which may include taking responsibility for part of the work load or financial support.

Audio/Visual Equipment

Depending on the various programs you decide to hold, you may need to borrow or rent audio/ visual equipment. Most likely, you will have to arrange this equipment through the programs coordinator at your university when you are booking the venue. Equipment that you may need includes: microphone, sound system, speakers, projector and screen, and any extra extension cords that may be needed.

Catering

There is no doubt that a complimentary meal will bring in the crowds at your IAW. The amount of food you plan to order will depend on the estimated attendance and also budget. For example, free drinks like lemonade and iced tea can be served throughout the day. Breakfast such as bagels with cream cheese, doughnuts, and pastries will attract students to morning events. Dinner serves as the best way to attract students to the evening lectures. It is better to offer a variety of food so as to satisfy various diets. Refer to the contract section to review possible required documentation.

Set-up/Clean-up

Both the set-up and clean-up arrangements for IAW should not be overlooked or underestimated. A set-up and clean-up crew should be formed and assigned to these jobs. For clean-up, large trash cans and cleaning supplies should be handy to make the job easier. During the event, all volunteers should be responsible for keeping the area neat and clean.

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