Sowing the Seeds: Recruitment & Retention!

Why do we recruit? We recruit to keep our chapters alive. Without members our organization serves no purpose We know what our club can do and we want to share that with others! Tawnee

Ways & Means of Recruitment Develop Recruitment Materials Brochures PowerPoint's Posters Videos Join Us! Bethany

Ways & Means of Recruitment Recruitment Visits Discuss your program and its benefits Leave them something to remember you by. Handout Bookmark Pens Pencils Bethany

Ways & Means of Recruitment New Member BBQ’s Invite new or potential members and their parents. Discuss the benefits of joining our club Tawnee

Ways & Means of Recruitment Recruitment Letters To potential students To their parents Open House Discuss class options Tour of the facilities Promote our club Tawnee

Things to Remember When approaching potential members… Don’t scare them away Try not to portray stereotypes Be sincere in your enthusiasm Appeal to diverse interests Tawnee

Things to Remember Ask them personally Sometime potential members are just waiting to be asked Your interest in them will make them feel included Never underestimate the power of a personal connection Bethany

Create a Brochure Examples:

Brochure Rubric Name of Organization (5 pts.) Pictures (15 pts.) In color Captions Purpose (10 pts.) Vision & Mission What your club offers (30 pts.) Conferences Activities CDE’s & SAE’s Dances Community Service Academics, etc. Contact Information (15 pts.) Total: /75

Training & Development Retention & Engagement Best Practices How do you create the culture where members develop ability, give discretionary effort (engage), and aspire for more? Vision Voice More/Better Work Training & Development  Recognition Flexibility Community at Work

Cooperation & Competition Intrinsic Rewards People are more motivated when they pursue goals that have personal meaning, that relate to their self-esteem, when performance feedback is available, and when attaining the goal is possible but not necessarily certain. Challenge Internal motivation is increased when something in the physical environment grabs the individual’s attention (sensory curiosity) and when something about the activity stimulates the person to want to learn more (cognitive curiosity). Curiosity People want control over themselves and their environments and want to determine what they pursue. Control Intrinsic motivation can be increased in situations where people gain satisfaction from helping others and also in cases where they are able to compare their own performance favorably to that of others. Cooperation & Competition People enjoy having their accomplishment recognized by others, which can increase internal motivation. Recognition

What Motivates Members?

Focus on Retention We can recruit all we want but it we don’t keep them involved we will never have a strong and diverse chapter. If we do a good job retaining members and keeping them involved then through the grape vive our recruitment will pick up. Tawnee

How Can We Retain Members? Make everyone feel involved and important A key to the success of any chapter is giving responsibility to all members of the chapter. Help them find activities that they are good at so they will feel satisfied with what they have accomplished. If we make everyone feel that they have a role to play, then they will care more about the success of THEIR organization. Each member needs to feel ownership! Tawnee

How Can We Retain Members? Make certain that you have opportunities that appeal to all people. Be all things to all people Appeal to different interests in types of activities. Let them know that all though we are all different, FFA members and ag students are still people like everyone else. Bethany

How Can We Retain Members? Discuss all aspects of our clubs Community Service Academics Personal Growth Career Success Talk about the leadership aspects Conferences, officer opportunities etc. Bethany

How Can We Retain Members? Inform individuals of courses & opportunities for the next year. Follow through with your promises If they see ideas coming to life they will be more likely to want to be a part of such a fun organization. No one wants to be a part of a group that makes empty promises. Tawnee

Just as a pot and soil provide the foundation and nutrients for plants to survive, your chapter and it’s activities serve as the “foundation and nutrients” for your members.

Planting the seed in the soil symbolizes recruitment Planting the seed in the soil symbolizes recruitment. Each “seed” you plant represents a new member of your club just waiting to grow.

Watering, fertilizing, and caring for that seed as it becomes a plant represents retention. If you “water” your members and offer them activities they will thrive in your chapter.

If you care for your plant well, eventually the plant will thrive and produce seeds of it’s own. This is the same with retention, if you “nourish” your members long enough they will in turn recruit new members.

Get Planting!