Student Organization Handbook

Recruiting, Orienting and Retaining New Members

People join organizations for many reasons. They want to get involved, meet people, make new friends, explore new interests, develop skills, and have a good time. Groups need new members because they bring new ideas and talents to the group, in addition to keeping it alive by replacing old members. There are approximately 100 existing groups on campus, so it is vital that an organization has a well-conceived and executed recruitment plan. This information is designed to assist in the development of such a plan.

Both the leadership and its members should know and understand the organization and its mission. Have a meeting to review the organizational goals and objectives. Are they still accurate or is it time to review and revise them? Discuss ideas and aspirations for the future, especially by establishing attainable goals that can be met in six months or a year. During this "organizational housekeeping" process, specific themes and directions should become apparent. Devise a member profile and recruit looking for those specific qualities in members.

Set recruitment goals. When creating these goals, there are several questions to be answered. How many new members can the organization reasonably assimilate into the group? Does the organization participate in year round recruitment? Is membership by invitation only or are "walk-in's" allowed? Keep in mind the member profile. Where are students with the qualities the organization needs located? What unique publicity would attract the attention of those perspective members? Use personal experience to the advantage of the group. Figure out what attracted the current members and how the organization can use those qualities to recruit new members.

Get everyone involved! Suggest that each current member bring one perspective new member to one meeting. Word of mouth is one of the best and least expensive recruitment tools an organization can possess. Talk about the group and what it has to offer. Find out what the students' interests are and plug those into how the organization could contribute to them. Express that with their unique talents, skills and interests, the organization would benefit tremendously!

Recruitment campaigns need to have visual elements! BE CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE! Utilize members who have artistic talents to create exciting posters, flyers, and banners. Publicity is an important key to getting an organization known on campus especially if the pieces are "eye catching" and creative!

Hold a special welcoming meeting or ceremony for new members. This provides the organization a unique opportunity for new members and current members to bond and feel comfortable with one another. It also makes new and old members feel needed, wanted and appreciated as well as aiding in the retention of all members.

Hold a group orientation program for new members. Most organizations recruit new members and put them to work right away. This is not necessarily the most beneficial move for the group or its members. New members must be oriented to the groups' goals, objectives, organizational structure, rules and norms. By conducting an orientation session, the new members feel more comfortable with the group and its processes.

After successful completion of recruitment and orientation, spend time getting to know the old and new members. Talk about past experiences and stories as well as the members' skills and interests. Compile the information and use it when working on a project. Be sure that the first organizational experience is a positive one. Assign new members tasks that are well within their skill level and that can be successfully accomplished.

Allow new members time to get involved and comfortable with the group. Eventually, a "comfort level" will emerge that will allow participation in an evaluation process. Allow input from new members on what the organization should be striving to achieve. In doing that, the new member will feel more apart of the organization and stay involved.

ABOVE ALL OTHER SUGGESTIONS HAVE FUN!!!! Make time to socialize and celebrate the organization and its achievements. If all the group does together is work, work, work, it will become a burden to participate. This is one of the fastest ways to lose members.