Summer break hits, and suddenly your group chat goes from 87 unread messages to radio silence. Sound familiar? Whether you’re a student org president, fraternity recruitment chair, or the unofficial group parent (we see you), keeping your organization engaged during summer break can feel like herding cats across state lines.
But here’s the thing: summer doesn’t have to mean silence. With the right mindset (and some smart tools), you can keep your members connected, engaged, and even excited for the fall return.
Leaders often assume summer is a time to pause. But disengagement over break can lead to:
Summer engagement doesn’t have to be intensive—but it should be intentional. A little effort goes a long way in keeping the community vibe alive.
Before we jump into the solutions, let’s name the struggles student leaders actually face:
So how do you actually keep people looped in without draining yourself?
Plan light-touch chats once or twice a month. Ask members what they’re up to or share a silly poll ("Which city has the worst humidity?"—the true campus debate).
Use Flare’s Schedule Send feature to plan messages in advance so you don’t forget. You can also pin announcementsso updates stay visible and don’t get lost.
You don’t need full-scale programming. Think: one-off Zoom game nights, summer Spotify playlist swaps, or Q&A sessions with alumni.
Flare’s event features let you create RSVP-only virtual events, issue tickets, track attendance, and even reward summer points for participation.
Did someone land an internship? Turned 21? Ran a half-marathon in 90° heat? Shout them out! It reminds people that the community still sees them.
Flare’s birthday shoutouts and custom points system let you reward activity and acknowledge people in small, meaningful ways.
Summer is a prime time for digital recruitment—especially if incoming students are poking around social media to find their campus crew.
Keep your org’s Flare page updated, and use it to collect contact info early. With custom group filters and member info forms, you can organize your list of interested students before the semester even starts.
Invite members to share photos from their summer—beach days, internship selfies, or “hot dog is not a sandwich” memes.
Flare’s photo albums support high-res media, gifs, videos, and even FlareCam uploads—plus you can approve photos before they go public, so no one’s wild vacation pic ends up on the club calendar.
You don’t need a full-time summer program. But showing your members you’re still around—and that you care—goes a long way. With Flare, you don’t have to juggle ten different tools or worry about overwhelming the group chat. Everything’s in one place, from scheduled messages to attendance to points.
So take a deep breath, sip that iced coffee, and plan a little something for your org this summer. Future You (and Fall Semester You) will thank you.
Looking for the best way to manage your group over summer break?
Explore Flare — your all-in-one platform for campus communication, events, and engagement. Because leading a group shouldn’t mean losing your summer.
