Retaining Members – Part 6

  • Encourage members to achieve educational goals
  • Get them to attend a district conference
  • Use the successful club series
  • Use the better speaker series
  • Use the moments of truth
  • Plan ahead four to six weeks
  • Have a backwards meeting
  • Have a brainstorming session if you’re short a speaker
  • Positive and encouraging environment
  • Call them when they’re absent
  • Put the member on the agenda
  • Recognize each member
  • Reward achievements
  • Fun meetings
  • Theme meeting
  • Find out the individual needs of the members
  • Attend officer training
  • Have educational sessions

Retaining Members – Part 5

  • Have well-organized meetings
  • Show that you care
  • Give the members responsibility
  • Don’t pressure new members
  • Always insist on manual speeches
  • Change of pace in the meetings
  • Continuity
  • Re-invite inactive members
  • Make them feel important
  • Get them working on a goal
  • Use them as mentors. Talk up the benefits of toastmasters
  • Be an audience
  • Annual award ceremony or recognition day
  • Send out postcards
  • Have an orientation meeting
  • Praise them
  • Treat others with dignity and respect
  • Encourage growth
  • Have a mystery night
  • Non-threatening atmosphere
  • Break up the routine

Retaining Members – Part 4

  • Produce materials that clearly show what the company/employer gains by joining and participating in your organization.
  • For members recruited during a membership drive, ask them to add at least one extra contact during their first year of membership.
  • During functions, suggest that officers look for new members and spend time with them. Make sure new members’ name tags indicate their status.
  • Scan industry, professional, and community publications, as well as the Internet, for ads by members. Try to get them to use the association logo or some sign of affiliation
  • Recognize best practice traditions in your club and recognize those that uphold them.
  • Put individual e-mail addresses of key leaders on your Web site.
  • Over the hump ceremony when the sixth speech is given
  • Induction ceremony – include sponsor
  • Be more open to new ideas
  • Comfortable meetings
  • Listen
  • Use each member’s specific skills
  • Be warm and smile a lot
  • Get to know each member individually
  • Use humour – “Don’t quit or we will die!”
  • Learn to laugh
  • Foster a social, yet learning, atmosphere
  • Executives delegate to members

Retaining Members – Part 3

  • Involve the board in retention efforts. The health and growth of the organization is already among the board’s responsibilities. Divide the membership among the board and devise a retention system that awards points to board members for each member of their “team” during the year. i.e. 1 point if they attend a meeting, 25 points if they renew, etc., etc. Get commitment from the top volunteer leaders to not only talk about the importance of member participation and retention but also do something about it.
  • Colour code correspondence so members can quickly identify types of information. Such as one for educational info., one for legislative, etc.)
  • Institute a “thank you” column in publication to recognize members for involvement and leadership.
  • Send a member profile form to new members to gain information.
  • Have a special edition of your publication focus on how your organization is helping members prepare for the next century.
  • Be sure your Web page has hot links to individual members for business referrals and networking purposes.
  • Keep experienced members active through targeted involvement. Need to keep older members and new ones interested and involved. Keep the activities meaningful.

Retaining Members – Part 2

  • Give an incentive, such as a free gift, to members who renew by a certain date.
  • Have a renewal lottery.
  • Generate segmented and targeted renewal notices. Tell each segment how membership benefited them this year.
  • Send a special certificate of thanks to first-time renewals. The first two years produce the most drops. Focus hard on the first renewal.
  • Identify and recognize members with the most tenure. Sends a message that people stay a long-time.
  • Identify at least four specific contacts to make with first year members that are above and beyond the normal. Phone, fax or special newsletter.
  • Develop a written retention plan. Incl. Retention goals (retention rate, retention rates by category, % of drops that were first year members, activities to be undertaken, resources available to help, etc.
  • Do an e-mail survey of important questions and issues as they arise.
  • Establish an involvement committee. Purpose to get members to participate in some way.