Urbana 25 Fall Recruitment Cheatsheet

Fall Recruitment 90 Days Cheatsheet

For Campus Staff & Student Leaders | October – December 2025

Every three years, Urbana gives us a once-in-a-generation opportunity to help students and faculty hear God’s call, see His global mission, and step into lifelong purpose.

This 90-day guide breaks the fall semester into clear, Spirit-led phases—so you can recruit with confidence, without anxiety, and turn ordinary invitations into catalytic moments of transformation.

As you walk through these next three months, remember: you’re not just filling a conference—you’re forming disciples.

Each “yes” to Urbana is a seed of calling that God can grow into decades of faithful witness in the world.

PHASE 1 (Now – October 31): Build or Lock in Your Core

“You have 30 days to build the team that will go to Urbana and be transformed.”

1️⃣ Make a Strategic Announcement

• Share one clear, inspiring invitation in Large Group or Leaders’ Meeting.    
• Sample language: “Urbana is a once-in-your-college-years experience—trade one week of winter break for a lifetime of impact.”    
• Show a 90 second Urbana video or personal testimony.    
• Frame the Early Bird Deadline (Oct 31) as a holy invitation, not a sales pitch.

2️⃣ Have Key Conversations

Personally invite your:

• Committed core (staff, senior leaders, apprentices)    
• Curious seekers or students at a spiritual crossroads
  • Help them picture impact: “What if you could get clarity on your vocation, meet mentors in your field, and hear God’s call for the world—all in one week?”   

3️⃣ Clarify the Value Proposition

Urbana is …

• ? A Kingdom Career Fair – connect with Christian professionals and mentors who want to equip, not recruit.   
• ⛺ A once-in-a-college-generation pilgrimage – happens every three years, gathering thousands from around the world.
• ? A catalytic space where students leave with:                    
  • a bigger view of God’s global mission            
  • clarity around calling and career            
  • real connections with mentors and ministries            
  • momentum to lead on campus                

? “Trade one week of your winter break for a lifetime of impact.”

4️⃣ Overcome Roadblocks

• Funding: Urbana is one of the easiest experiences to raise support for—churches, alumni, and families love sponsoring it.   
  • Example: This Fall, U of Illinois students raised $13,000 in travel scholarships in four weeks.            
• Vision: Frame Urbana as a spiritual pilgrimage, not just another conference.
• Workload: You don’t need to “add” Urbana to your fall—stack it.                    
  • Announce both Fall Conference and Urbana in one unified story: “Fall Conference is where it begins. Urbana is where it accelerates.”            
  • Reuse the same platforms, slides, and testimonies for both.
  • Think of Urbana as the next step in the same discipleship journey.                

? Pro Tip: Every time you invite to Fall Conference, add one simple phrase—“And if God meets you there, Urbana is the next faithful step.”

PHASE 2 (November): Add & Expand

“You have your core—now widen the circle.”

Strengthen Momentum

• Highlight your confirmed group visibly: “These 10 are going to Urbana—who else is joining?”    
• Reach students who …                    
  • missed the deadline but are now ready, or
  • have resources and church support for later fundraising.            
• Offer partial scholarships or fundraising coaching to help them join.    
• Frame it as joining what God is already doing through your team.    

? “It’s not too late to say yes. You may pay a little more—but what you gain is priceless.”

Integrate with Fall Conference (Run One Story, Not Two)

Fall Conference is your on-ramp to Urbana. Instead of running parallel campaigns, stack your invitations and energy.

• Share an Urbana testimony or play a promo video.    
• Offer a small scholarship for anyone who registers that weekend.    
• Connect the dots: “What God starts in you here, He’ll expand at Urbana.”    
• Encourage your Fall Conf leaders to speak of Urbana as the next faithful step in the same journey.    

Practical Tips to Lighten the Load

• Reuse energy, not create new work: The same leaders helping you recruit for Fall Conf can help recruit for Urbana.    
• Combine communications: Add an Urbana blurb to every Fall Conf email or announcement.    
• Delegate wisely: Ask one student to be your Urbana “hype lead” or testimony sharer.    
• Lean on resources: Use the ready-made promo videos, scripts, and blurbs—don’t reinvent the wheel.    

?️ “You’re not adding another job—you’re extending the story you’re already telling.”

?️ PHASE 3 (December): Prepare & Send

“Now that you’re going—help them go well.”

Strengthen Community

• Host a pre-Urbana prayer & prep night.    
• Pray for open hearts and divine encounters.    
• Invite each person to share what they hope to hear or experience.    

Empower Leaders

• Staff & Seniors: See Urbana as an investment beyond InterVarsity—into lifelong mission and ministry.    
• Apprentices & New Leaders: Highlight LeadXperience—a cohort where they will:                    
  • lead three Bible studies,            
  • offer an invitation to faith, and            
  • receive one-on-one coaching that prepares them lead with confidence.        

Activate Support

• Confirm scholarships, travel logistics, and team communication.    
• Celebrate progress and share stories publicly.    
• Invite churches or alumni to commission your Urbana team before winter break.    

BIG PICTURE MINDSET

• ?️ Non-anxious leadership: Trust that God is already stirring hearts.    
• ⏳ Strategic urgency: Thirty days matter—but panic doesn’t help.    
• ? Formation focus: Every recruitment conversation is discipleship.    
• ? Goal: Not attendance, but transformation.    

QUICK TALKING POINTS

• “Urbana is where calling and mission meet.”    
• “A once-in-three-years, once-in-college opportunity.”    
• “Trade one week of winter break for a lifetime of impact.”    
• “You’ll leave with global vision, vocational clarity, and community.”    
• “It’s not just about going—it’s about who you’ll become when you return.”    

RESOURCES & LINKS

? Urbana 25 Promo Videos (90 seconds!)

Need help? Andy Kim is available to Zoom into student leader meetings (3–5 minutes).