Attract New Members
Attracting New Members
Let’s talk about attracting new members. Humans are by our very nature, social creatures. We have an inherent need to belong, to feel part of a group, and to be accepted by that group for who we really are.
In any organization, the ability to foster that sense of belonging can be a potent way to empower your members to feel valued, socially accepted, to achieve positive results that determine growth. Others will hear good things about your organization and check it out.
If you want to recruit new members you need to meet them where they are. This can be achieved physically and virtually.
Physically:
➢ Flyers, advertising & marketing
➢ Door hangers
➢ Postcards
➢ Booths
➢ Plant sales
➢ Seedy Saturdays
➢ Be visible in your community
➢ Workshops, contests, flower shows
➢ Personally invite a friend/neighbour or someone new to the community
➢ Attitude – be friendly & enthusiastic
Virtually:
➢ Facebook – most popular of social media for Societies
➢ Twitter, Instagram & YouTube
➢ Website – Society, OHA Society page & District Website
➢ Keep your social media & website current
➢ Thoughtful content and beautiful visuals attract more attention and get
more engagement
➢ Email – keep members informed
➢ Newsletters – tell them about discounts; frequent newsletters; interesting content, include graphics, colour and images to attract their attention
➢ Brand your Society – brand your Society in specific colours that you use everywhere, on posters, on website, etc. Create or update your logo. In every correspondence, add your social media and website so people can find you.
Why Members Leave:
➢ Cliques
➢ Lack of open-mindedness
➢ Boring meetings
➢ Uninteresting / outdated social media or website
➢ New members might feel isolated, not part of the group
➢ Feel undervalued and unappreciated
➢ Doesn’t align with what they wanted to get out of a garden club
Tips on How to Get and Keep New Members
➢ Chat one on one, mingle with new members
➢ Ask an outgoing person to be a buddy to a new member
➢ Keep the business portion meetings to a minimum
➢ Keep your society media & website up to date and interesting
➢ Wear name tags both for existing and new members
➢ Introduce & welcome new members at the beginning of a meeting
➢ Keep in touch with a new member between meetings
➢ Personally ask a new member to be involved
➢ New members need to feel welcomed and part of the group
Articles that may be helpful in finding volunteers
How to Get Volunteers for Your Board
How to Recruit Volunteers
Ways to Motivate and Engage Non-Profit Volunteers
10 Ways to be an Awesome Board Member