“Okay yan try mo lang kahit isang beses. Worth it yung matututunan mo.”
This is how it all started. I got inducted as a JCI Manila member last 2014. I was invited in the chapter because I was told it was a business networking organization where I can gain connections to grow my business and circle.
During that year, I got married and had my firstborn son.
I was 25 years old.
Alongside me, three other members got inducted. Lec Toribio, Mark Sta. Maria, and Michael Uy. All of us were grouped up for our baby Jaycee project when we were first introduced to the chapter last 2013. We were able to succeed after a year of trying.
Lec, Mark and Mick (as his nickname goes) are at least 4 years older than me so they immediately jumped in and actively pursued their goals as members of JCI Manila. They served in projects and in the board as directors and later as execom members. They kept telling me to do the same – so that I can maximize my being a JCI Manila member.
Admittedly, I saw that many members would go through JCI Manila and not even try or dream of becoming a director. Because many members would be able to gain significant reach and connections and business through the chapter without the need to become a director.
You see, being a director took a lot out of you. But I never knew just how much it would take – until I finally said yes to becoming one just this year (2024).
It was critical for me to run as a director under a Standard Bearer (the would-be president) who had similar values and principles that I have. This is because I know that if my Standard Bearer and I espoused differing values, we would not be able to work well together.
So when it was brought to my attention that the Standard Bearer for 2025 is Adrian Padiernos, I seriously considered running.
To be honest, one of the biggest reasons why I considered running as a director is because my baby Jaycee group all ran as directors – and they have mostly good things to say about the experience.
We would also make history if we all became directors – something that only I have yet to do in our group. I don’t recall any other baby Jaycee group who all became directors.
The journey to becoming a director was not easy though.
It was hell to pay.
Campaign Meetings
We started off things with campaign meetings. These are meetings that would start anywhere around 3 to 5pm and end at around 1 to 3am in the wee hours of the morning. It generally starts with a speaker who will upskill and equip you for becoming a JCI Manila director, then it moves on to reports of your calls, events and visitations, then debriefings, then planning for the next events, and then it will be wrapped up with an ‘internal meeting’ between you and your slate. In between these events, you will be experiencing feedback, criticism and likely some stinging words from your campaign managers if you screw something up.
Generally campaign meetings are not exciting meetings. It is an extensive meeting that drags on for hours and you are banned from using your devices – otherwise you’ll be imposed a penalty. You are also expected to dress up properly and adhere to protocols during the entire time.
Needless to say that you will have your dinner there with the rest of your slate and campaign managers. Some parts of the meeting are fun and engaging but for the most part, it’s tiring.
However, it is necessary. I can’t imagine doing the campaign without these meetings – however often and long they actually are.
Brotherhood Events
During the duration of the campaign, you will be assigned to become the chairman of at least one event – either a brotherhood event or the pre-nomination event or the pre-election event. The rest of the slate are called on to help you as your committee of the event.
The timeline for you to conceptualize a unique event all the way to actually executing it is mind-boggingly short. Looking back, I really can’t imagine how we were able to pull all of those events off. Some were smashing successes but some got a lot of flak.
Doing an event is hard enough. Creating a unique event which will bring a great experience to the members while executing it in just a handful of weeks and ensuring its success is mind-blowing. However these events are necessary because it is a foreshadowing of what you are capable of and how committed you are to giving the members the best possible experience when you are elected as a director of the chapter.
These events are also to unite members to your cause. You will be able to talk with them and understand what they expect for the year ahead. If you do these events well, they might even offer to help you in your directorate as you start the year.
I was the chairman for the Beer-b-que event. I’m quite fond of camping outdoors with my family and I own a couple of overlanding rigs. I thought it would be a great idea to have a camping-vibe barbeque event with the members of the chapter over beer, acoustic music and bonfires.
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The event turned out well – everyone had a good time and it was a unique, never-been-done event. Everyone in the Built Different (yes that’s the name of our slate) did extremely well in serving the members and making sure that everything went swimmingly.
It was the first event in our entire campaign that had positive feedback from the campaign managers. We had to capitalize on this and ensure the next ones build on it.
However after the Beer-b-que event, I felt so burnt that I just broke down after the succeeding campaign meeting’s debriefing with my slate.
Because during the entirety of your campaign – during all the planning and helping and moving around – you are also expected to call and visit the chapter’s members. We are talking about 540 members more or less.
And during the campaign, you have to call them twice. Once before nominations and once before elections – that’s a total of around 1,080 calls.
You are assigned quotas per week and you are pressured to hit them. Otherwise there are also penalties. But more than the penalties, the thought that you’ll slow your slate down by being the guy with the least number of calls is unbearable.
So imagine planning a smashingly amazing and unique event, while doing these 540 calls and visiting members all of over the metro and some provincial areas like Laguna – all in a span of a month and a half.
Those days felt like a year to us. We did so much, slept so late and woke up without enough rest that it felt like time itself broke! There were days when we couldn’t figure out where we were, what time it was, and what day it was already.
Then we had to document all these events. My team at Sigil Digital Marketing was tasked to cover these events with video shooters, edit the footages and publish them and upload them to the website in a matter of days. By the way, did I mention that my team at SEO Hacker did the entire builtdifferent.ph website in one day?
It was one helluva ride.
The day that the elections took place was a day that I sincerely celebrated. I finally am able to get back to life! I missed my birthday and my only daughter’s birthday because of the campaign. But I had no time to be sad – not when I had 540 members to call.
The Call to Volunteer
All in all, the call to volunteer as a JCI Manila director can be summed up to these: Brilliance, Innovation, Creativity, Delegation, Galvanization, Brotherhood, Unity, Cooperation, Clarity, Hard Work, Integrity, Commitment and Total Sacrifice.
It’s an uphill climb in what feels like a never-ending vertical line but we were able to pull it off.
The campaign ended in record-breaking election numbers. With 312 members voting, 289 block votes and with all 312 voters voting for our Standard Bearer.
It was amazing!
Looking back, when I was simply a happy member, I had no idea what directors had to go through in order to sit there in the board room. Now that I have gone through it myself, I’m taking this time to write about the experience so that newer members who may have the desire to serve the chapter as future directors will be able to prepare themselves better.
This is what happens during election. It’s tiring, it’s grueling, it’s also fun. But most of all, you will learn a lot and you will build strong bonds between your slate that may last you a lifetime.
Is it worth it?
I couldn’t answer this completely for now.
But I hope I will be able to do so someday looking back.