Membership Recruitment

Guide
Membership Recruitment

If a chapter is to remain successful, it must never relax its recruitment efforts. To do so would risk structural gaps – sparse chapter management and insufficient project manpower. The thought that the chapter is big enough is the first step to a membership decline.

A chapter needs to continually recruit new members to fill the positions of those who move on to higher offices, for fresh ideas, and manpower to replace those who left due to age limits or to assume leadership positions in the community, etc.

RESPONSIBILITIES

A Membership Growth and Extensions Commission should be appointed under the supervision of the Individual Vice President. This Commission should create a special committee for membership recruitment with the following responsibilities:

1. Develop a recruitment plan to be approved by the chapter's Board of Directors.

2. Establish a membership growth target, such as 20 percent growth by the end of the year.

3. Identify the segment of the public that fits the standards of the chapter's membership.

4. Select the market in which the potential members can be reached.

5. Develop a marketing plan to promote the chapter's philosophy, principles, opportunities and membership advantages.

6. Produce the necessary promotional materials, such as flyers, posters, invitation letters, etc.

7. Establish a date for a New Member's Meeting where the history, philosophy, opportunities, benefits and responsibilities can be explained to potential members.

8. Establish an initial contact strategy to approach likely candidates. It can be through direct visits, invitational letters, a suggestion by a friend or employer, etc.

9. Select those to be invited. This is usually done through current members who know interested people or have friends or professional colleagues who fit into the membership profile.

10. Conduct the visits or send the invitations to the possible candidates.

11. Confirm receipt of the invitations for the New Members Meeting.

12. Conduct the New Members Meeting and ensure that the participants enjoy the presentation. Make every effort to interest them in joining.

RECOMMENDATIONS

There is another way of conducting a recruitment program. It is called Corporate Recruitment and is largely used by chapters in metropolitan areas.

Corporations can provide new members and resources to help Junior Chamber members make a greater impact in the community. At the same time, Junior Chamber can provide a better employee through individual development courses and practical experience. These benefits are gained through active participation and managing projects or holding administrative positions at all levels of the organization.

Corporate recruiting requires convincing corporations to sponsor the membership dues for some of their employees who become members of the chapter.

A corporate recruitment committee must be established, and a strong plan of action must be developed.

The following are recommended steps for a successful Corporate Recruitment Program:
1. Establish a committee of members knowledgeable about Junior Chamber, corporate operations, and selling techniques.

2. Develop a Corporate Recruitment Kit containing materials to present to corporate sponsors. Do not include too much material, as corporate executives have little time to review publications not directly related to their businesses.

3. Identify the target corporations where the potential members are, and determine which corporations could benefit the most from Employees with Junior Chamber training.

4. Create a mail campaign by compiling a list of suitable businessmen and chief officers to receive the kit.

5. Call corporate sponsors after sending the kits and schedule appointments. Rarely will a mailing alone communicate your message and achieve the desired results.

6. Plan to utilize the best of your chapter resources during the meeting with the corporate executive. The members going to the interview should know how to express the benefits a company will receive by providing members.

7. Familiarize yourself with all information possible about the company and its products prior to your presentation. Do not compete with the company's internal training program.

Show how the chapter's individual development program and practical experience can supplement their internal training.

8. Make sure that you get a formal written agreement with the company, with all commitments clearly expressed and understood. This will avoid future problems when chapter or company officers change.

9. Follow-up is the key requisite for the success of the program. Mail a thank-you letter, and don't miss any detail if an agreement was made. Keep the company informed about the progress of the program.

10. Renew your corporate sponsor's commitment for the next year. Make sure you treat your sponsor a No. 1 customer, and keep him happy with his purchase. Before asking for the renewal, ensure that the company gets a report stating the benefits it has received from the program.

SUMMARY

Ideally the recruitment program has been successful. The chapter has shown the product and the customers have bought it, used it, liked it, and will buy again.

Usually recruitment is the easiest part in the Membership Growth and Extensions Committee's responsibilities. Involving and keeping the members active is the challenge.

But this is a task for another committee and is explained in two other Local Action Guides, Membership Retention and Membership Involvement.