RETENTION CHAIRMAN TRAINING LUKE 15: 3-6

Thank you for stepping up and taking the position of retention chairman. The work of the retention chairman and his team is most important to the health of the council. Many brothers are lost from the order as a result of poor retention work. And it is work. It takes time, patients, and dedication “It is better to light one little candle than to curse the darkness”

The Retention Chairman should not be a Grand Knight, Deputy Grand Knight, or a Financial Secretary. One of the unwritten responsibilities of the retention chairman is to relieve the GK, DGK, and FS of the burden of retention so they can concentrate on other responsibilities. The brothers in those three positions are often overburdened and need a good man in the Retention Chairman position.

BE THAT GOOD MAN

The retention committee has two modes. One is reactive the other is proactive. Most are familiar with the reactive function. The FS or GK gives work sheets of members in arrears usually in September or March to the retention chairman. The retention team attempts to contact the delinquent member to get him to pay his dues. Often when using only the reactive mode, the brother is lost.

In the proactive mode, certain members are called more often. They are as follow; New members – before meetings for the first few months Sick and older members that cannot make meetings – at least every three months. A report on their condition should be given by the retention chairman at the meetings during the good of the order.

Members who have not attended a meeting in three months (including those behind in their dues) – Three or Four times a year Military members stationed far from your council – An e mail or call at least 3 times a year. Widows – at least 3 times a year

Some members do not attend meetings, it is just not something that they like to do Some members do not attend meetings because of work, school, or family reasons While many are not attending meetings they pay dues and maybe will work a LAMB shift or help with a project once in a while We need to keep in touch with those members so they do not loose interest

REACTIVE RETENTION The dues notices and perhaps the Knight alert letter have been sent over a two and a half month period by the FS if dues have not been paid. The Retention Chairman gives worksheets to his team members to make personal contact. The retention team member (RTM) documents his attempts at contact including date and time. He also documents what brother said when contacted PROACTIVE RETENTION A list of brothers who are not attending meetings, Old or Ill members, or Widows is given to a RTM to call and check on. Their condition is documented and given to the RC for his council meeting report during the good of the order. SUMMERY

NOW WHAT TO DO

Familiarize yourself with the retention information on the state web page. Click Membership then Retention information. Download the member benefits and accidental death benefits PDF documents for distribution to your team members.

Build your team. Ask Past grand Knights, Former Financial Secretaries, salesmen, and older knights to serve on the team. Let them know that they will have no more than five a month to contact. Do not give them more than five at a time to contact as they will not want to continue. A call can be made during a commercial break on a TV show.

Use the retention committee training PDF or PPT on the state web page to train each team member. Try for a team meeting and practice with mock calls in the proactive mode. The reactive mode is discussed later

Each team member should have at least the following documents on hand when calling members in either mode; Member benefits and Accidental death benefits Council calendar Contact information for the FS, GK, State retention Chairman, and DD The worksheet (list in proactive) from the FS The first two are available on the state web page

Make a separate list for each category that will be contacted in the proactive mode; Sick and older members, new members, members not attending meetings, military members, widows. Work with the GK and FS to build your lists. The FS should have contact information for the lists. Try to get as much information as possible to facilitate calling.

Give each team member the information for those that they are to call. Keep track of who has which members to call. Ask that the contact be completed and a report submitted prior to the meeting so you can give a report to the council. The report from your team member need not be long. Contact your team members a week in advance of the meeting to check on their progress if they have not sent their results.

REACTIVE MODE If your council bills starting in January, your team will have members in arrears to contact around the first of March. If you bill 1 July the team will go to work around the first September. Contact your FS at the end of the first month of the billing period (January or July) and ask approximately how many members in arrears your team will be calling.

Divide that number by four to find out if additional team members will be needed. Recruit the additional members if needed for this reactive mode. Give them training. Get your team together to make mock practice calls. You should be receiving the worksheets from the FS in March or September. Do not schedule proactive retention work during the reactive period.

Shown at the right is a work sheet that you should receive from your FS for each member in arrears. More information about the worksheet is on the Retention Committee Training file

Distribute the work sheets to your team members. Contact them after a week to check their progress. You should have all of them returned by 1 March or 1 September. Meet with your GK and FS to make any decisions on proceeding with the retention process on the members. The 1845 letter of intent to suspend should not be sent to members who will not be suspended at the end of this billing period.

“It is better to light one little candle than to curse the darkness” Thank you for serving as your council retention chairman.