1. Sowing the Seeds:
Recruitment &
Retention!

2. 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

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

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

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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. Create a Brochure
Examples:

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. What Motivates Members?

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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.

22. 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.

23. 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.

24. 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.

25. Get Planting!