Recruiting New Members Part II - Revitalize Your RSO Series

Increase Membership
Increase Membership

Recruitment of new members is critical to any organization's success. Important recruitment techniques include:
*Personal contact/word of mouth. People are more likely to get involved if a friend or neighbor personally asks them to get involved.
*Introduce yourself and describe your organization and its goals.
*Answer questions about the organization.
*Have a list of the benefits and a sample of what your organization does.
*Attach the date and time of your next meeting and invite them.
*Get their names and phone numbers so you can call and remind them of the meeting.
*Offer to walk with them to the next meeting.

The following tips will also help recruitment.

Announcements:
Get the word out! Send information to your target population with a tear off on the bottom to send back with their names and phone numbers. Include the purpose of your organization, goals, upcoming events, benefits of joining, and your meeting date, time and location. Use posters, radio announcements and campus newspaper classified ads.

At Your Next Event:
Have an information table with a sign-up sheet for potential members. Have someone there to answer questions.

Recruit Within the Publicity of Your Event:
On the advertisement for your event, recruit new members with a simple “If you are interested in helping plan our next event call...”

Interactive Technology:
If your group has a homepage or website, make sure to add a section detailing how to join your organization. If your group does not have either, make every effort to create one. With the rise of the internet and computers, nearly every campus has “wired” itself to better provide for their students. With these developments, your organization can reach thousands of students with a simple point and click.

Work With Other Groups:
One great way to get your group’s name out is to co-sponsor events with other student groups. Not only can your combined resources lead to a more successful event, but members from both groups will work together and allow for a better understanding of each other. Students will often belong to more than one student organization, so it can only help your group to try to recruit members of other groups.

Be Available:
One of the most important things to ensure when you’re looking to recruit new members is to be available to answer questions or help new members join. All your publicity may be ineffective if interested individuals are unable to contact someone from your organization. You may even create the position of Head Recruiter or create a recruiting committee to facilitate making sure new members can get in touch with your organization.