Recruitment,
Recognition, Retention
How
many times have we heard those words since we joined
this association?
Recruitment: We
all know the definition of this word, “to enlist
or engage a person in some type of service.” Sounds
easy, doesn’t it? The successful organizations
make sure that their group is well organized and functioning
smoothly. Their chapter has a purpose and the members
are clear about specific goals and projects. If your “travel” theme
is not clear, who will want to go with you? Tell prospective
members your chapter’s accomplishments. Make sure
you let them know how exciting it would be for them to
join. Be clear about the benefits of joining NALS. Why
did you join? New members will want to know what they
can gain from membership.
Recognition: If
you are very energetic about recognizing your members,
the retention process becomes much easier. There is a
4-H group in Columbus, Ohio that lists 123 ways to recognize
their members. Some of their suggestions are: send cards
for achievements, send thank-you notes, SMILE, say “thank
you” publicly, invite a member to join you for
lunch, greet each member with enthusiasm and appreciation,
run a photograph and story in the local paper (with their
permission, of course,) recognize years of membership,
contributions and community service activities and numerous
other ways to tell your members they are important. When
you send a card, how about sending spices with a note, “you’re
the spice of our chapter?”
Retention: Your
members will make time for that which is important to
them. Make sure you know what your members want and expect
out of NALS. Get new members involved in a project that
makes use of their talents. This is very crucial, as
a member that doesn’t feel they are of value and
see that their contributions are important, will not
renew. If your chapter is a mix of young and “seasoned” members,
make sure that you are providing a balance for both groups.
If you have done everything you can and a member still
does not renew, don’t forget them. Include them
in your mailings and if you have a special education
planned for a meeting, call them and invite them to attend.
Many times members leave for a period of time and if
the contact is not lost, may rejoin.
