Coordinator Corner
If you are thinking of starting a new Destination Program, or if you will be replacing the previous DI coordinator for your school or organization, thank you so much for doing this! But please don’t think that you will have to do this on your own! Please contact us, because there are many ways in which we can help you get going!
Do you need posters, handouts, presentations, or student application forms? Scroll down for a list of downloadable files that will save you a LOT of time! You’ll find copies of the most important files in the NH-DI Library. The Library button at the top of this page provides a quick way to get there. You’ll also find it listed in the “Quick Links” section on this page, along with many other useful links for local DI coordinators.
Coordinator’s Tasks
The main point of communication with NH-DI, the local DI coordinator has the critically important job of facilitating communication between our state NH-DI office and the school, and between the school and the Team Managers. The coordinator is usually the first to hear of Challenge updates, training opportunities, tournament details, and other important information. The coordinator must be email and Internet-savvy, and good organizational skills are also vital!
Getting Started with a Program
To start a program, you need:
- Support. If your program is school-affiliated, you’ll need your school administration to be involved and supportive. (NH-DI can help you make these connections if you haven’t already.)
- Funding. Annual fees including Team Packs, NH-DI registration, and team supplies are usually provided by the host school/organization/team sponsor. For specifics, see our page.
- Interest. Once you have support and funding, you need to publicize the program and recruit kids and parents to get involved. Many programs run a DI Information Night to drum up support. Find out more at our Running a DI Night page.
- Registration. When you have people interested, you need to purchase materials and register teams with NH-DI. Registration is a 2-step process involving purchasing materials and letting NH-DI know about your teams. Complete instructions are provided on the Start a Destination Imagination team! page.
After the program is going, you can support the teams in many different ways (though they are not all necessary):
- Enrolling People in Training. In addition to registering your teams and adults, the coordinator’s job also involves registering team managers and team members for training and other NH-DI events. Complete instructions are provided on our DI Training page.
- Ordering T-Shirts. Many coordinators order t-shirts and supplies for their team managers. T-shirts are a nice way to show your team spirit at our tournaments.
- Finding Additional Adult Volunteers. In addition to the team manager(s), each team is asked to supply adult volunteers to help run our tournaments, including an all-day person (called an Appraiser) and a 2-hr volunteer. For more complete information, check the Providing Volunteers page.
There are other things that many coordinators do to support their teams and team managers, such as fundraising and publicity, holding team manager gatherings to discuss common concerns and successes, and conducting instant challenge nights for all of the teams in a given program.
Downloadable Materials
Do you need posters, handouts, presentations, or student application forms? We can save you a lot of time! In the NH-DI Library, we have downloadable materials that you can customize to suit the needs of your own local program:
- DI Information Night Presentation: This is a PowerPoint presentation that we’ve created to help you explain DI to parents.
- Coordinator Forms, Handouts, and Posters: This Microsoft Word document contains forms, handouts, and posters that you can use to promote your program.
- Parent Information Sheet: This is a two-page information sheet for parents that you can print on both sides of a single piece of paper. Near the bottom of the second page, there is a message telling parents to contact their local DI coordinator for more information. This is an EDITABLE form field, which you can change to include your own name and contact information.
Additional Articles
Here is a list of the most recently published articles that local DI coordinators might want to read:
- Watching the Weather for Saturday (3/21/2024)
- DIve In: Team Member Training Set! (12/6/2023)
- Tournament Survival Guide: Things You Need to Know (2/12/2023)
- Remember the Clarifications! (1/25/2023)
- NHICC Announces NH Student Achievement Grants (12/8/2022)