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Taking your Chapter’s SBE to the Extra Level
Once your SBE is up and running, the real challenge begins: growing it. Expanding your customer base, increasing sales and elevating your chapter’s presence takes strategy, creativity and a team ready to level up.
How to Choose Your DECA Competitive Event
One of the most exciting things about joining DECA is choosing your competitive event. With so many categories, it can be overwhelming at first, but your event should challenge you and also cater to your strengths.
Your Freshman Year Playbook: Four Tips for a Strong Start
Freshman year is among the most exciting and important times in your high school journey. Here are four tips to set a strong foundation for your high school experience!
More Than a Tour: 7 Tips to Make the Most of College Visits
For high school DECA members, college tours can transform uncertainty into certainty. Approach them with an open mindset, curiosity and, of course, good walking shoes. Here are seven tips to Go The Extra on your next college visit.
Starting the Year Strong in DECA: Tips for Every Chapter and Member
The beginning of a new school year is the perfect opportunity to build momentum, connect with both new and returning students, and set the stage for a successful year ahead. Here’s advice from DECA members and chapters on how to start strong this year.
DECA & The Muscular Dystrophy Association Celebrate 45 Years of Partnership
This collaboration has empowered generations of emerging leaders to make a real difference in their communities while supporting groundbreaking research, care and advocacy for individuals and families living with neuromuscular diseases.
Go The Extra with DECA's Corporate Challenges
DECA Challenges provide members opportunities to demonstrate the knowledge and skills learned in the classroom through innovative challenges in partnership with several corporate partners.
Activate Your Chapter Early for Exclusive Competitive Event Resources
Activate your chapter by September 30, 2025 to receive a free digital download of competition resources to help your chapter prepare for competition this year.
Compete in the DECA Stock Market Game
DECA members are invited to participate in the DECA Stock Market Game (SMG) beginning on September 8, 2025.
Case Study of the Week: Troubles in the Drive-Thru
Step into the role of a general manager for Better Burger, a fast food restaurant with two drive thru lanes. The district manager wants you to suggest methods to handle complaints about new technology in the drive thru.
Advisor Best Practice Spotlight of the Week: Sean Lewis
Sean Lewis, DECA advisor and marketing teacher at Hillgrove High School in Georgia, has built a thriving chapter by blending classroom instruction with real-world business experiences.
8 Ways To Use the Membership Video for Back-to-School Recruitment
Discover eight ways members are using the 2025-26 DECA membership video during their events and meetings this back-to-school season and get ideas for your own chapter!
10 Tips for Back to School
As the new school year begins, we must all learn to adapt to a new world. We'll encounter many online classes, virtual events and new guidelines for campus... To help you navigate it all, here is a list of ten tips for starting this school year strong.
Quick Guide to Virtual Chapter Meetings
Virtual meeting platforms have become a prominent form of communication between family, friends and businesses and many of these tools are here to stay. Being prepared to host or participate in a virtual meeting will allow you to stand out and make a great impression.
3 Fundraising Ideas for Fall
It seems that in every facet of DECA, fundraising is a necessity. During these unique times, it's important to innovate to ensure your chapter can participate in events and remain secure for the future. Here are three virtual fundraisers to try this fall.
5 Ways Collegiate DECA Will Take You to the Next Level
It's official, the school year is underway. While things will look different, there are still many ways to take yourself and your Collegiate DECA chapter to the next level!
Video Call Tips and Tricks
Practically overnight, video calls have become a new societal norm. This guide will provide you with a few tips and useful tricks to help improve your online learning or telecommuting experience.
A Quick Guide to Understanding Servant Leadership
The concept of leadership has been around since the days of Aristotle and Plato and has evolved countless times throughout the centuries. But in 1970, a new theory emerged. Developed by Robert Greenleaf, servant leadership is the idea that empowered leaders serve their followers and to enable them to live and work to their full potential.
The Ethics of Leadership
Ethical leaders exist in all walks of life. They are the individuals who step forward when crises occur, come to the rescue of others and generally do what's right—no matter what. Anyone can talk the talk, but can they walk the walk? In today's high-visibility, social world, more people are taking note of leaders’ behavior and holding them accountable.
DECA Direct Magazine: Next Level Leadership
A new school year brings new chances to elevate your leadership to the next level. Discover fresh ideas to enhance your chapter and become a leader worth following in your school, community and beyond.
The Next Level is Inclusion
It has never been more important for emerging leaders to be characterized by teamwork, innovation, competency and integrity. Fortunately, those are the valued characteristics of DECA’s student leaders. What if this moment needs you and the unique values that drive your leadership?
Top Tips for Socially-distant Membership Recruitment
Building your chapter’s membership is one of the most important ways to set it up for success in the new school year. But what are the best ways to recruit within the “new normal” of more virtual interactions and less in-person activities? Learn how to recruit new members the socially-distant way with these top tips.
The Power of the Diamond
Throughout your DECA career, you’ll wear the blazer, throw up a DECA diamond symbol and add lots of blue to your wardrobe. You will also undoubtedly hear DECA’s core values and mission statement more times than you can count. But have you ever stopped to think about what they really mean?
Cultivate Your Chapter’s Culture
2020 is a year that has changed all of our lives. If your DECA chapter has experienced a decline in recent months, struggling to cope with virtual meetings and maintain engagement, your chapter culture may need a boost.
