When you and your Alumni Club Board discuss ways to increase membership you should consider following these 5 steps:

Step #1: Define your membership goals.

• Are you looking for sheer numbers or do you want members who will contribute their time and talents in an active way?


• Are there any special target audiences from whom you most want to draw new members?


• How many members do you want?


• Does it matter whether your members are active as leaders in the club or not?

Step #2: Define what "membership" means in your alumni club.

• What are the benefits and the responsibilities of members?


• What are the qualifications for becoming a member?


• What are the costs?


• Why would someone want to join your club?


• What should a new member expect from you in terms of meetings, events, communications, opportunities to meet others, etc.?


• How do you expect to retain that person as a member?

Step #3: Brainstorm where in your community and/or ways within your special interest affiliation you might be able to locate new members.

Step #4: Select a communication vehicle(s) to reach out to those individuals.

• Mail flyers


• Make telephone calls


• Send out an email blast

Step #5: DO IT!!!

Things to keep in mind:

• Do not assume people know about your club or that you are looking for new members.


• Be alert to the public image/possible stereotype image of your alumni club.


• Articulate the benefits of membership using the reasons why people WANT to join the club.


• Diagnose why some people may be reluctant to join and see if you can alleviate their concerns.


• To get results you really need to ASK people to join.


• The clearer you can be about what joining means, the more success you will ultimately have.


• Marketing 101: the more you repeat your message, the more likely it is to be heard.

Excerpted from The Volunteer Recruitment Book, 3rd ed, by Susan J. Ellis, © 2002, Energize, Inc., pp. 127-128. Energize, Inc. specializes in volunteer management and can be found on the Web at www.energizeinc.com.