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Ideas For Building Membership!

Does your club struggle with gaining and retaining members?  As I have travelled I have been fortunate to see clubs that have a lot of members and some that have very few.  I have seen clubs that have many members have poor meetings.  I have seen low member clubs that have had very productive and fun meetings.  Over my years of membership here are some things I have learned about gaining and retaining members.

  1. Program – Do your members know what duties they are responsible for in advance of the meeting, or is the first ten minutes spent sorting out who is doing what? Membership is strong in clubs that meet their member's needs, where the meeeting is fun for both guests and members, and where members are progressing in the program. Are meetings fun? If meetings are fun, members will come and encourage others to come.  Guests want to make valuable use of their time, so if a club is fun and educational, they will more likely join the club. Are members progressing through their communication and leadership manuals? Members who are building skills, are more likely to stay longer in the club.
  2. Regular meetings – Strong clubs meet regulary.  I joined a club in the summer, to fit it into the rest of my life.  Does your club meet in the summer? One of the clubs I now belong to sometimes cancels meetings.  I get frustrated with this practice, because even if only a few people come, there can be value in a meeting.  What happens if a guest shows up on the meeting day and there is no one there?  Will the guest come back?  Cancelling meetings can be a slippery slope to losing members and potential members.
  3. Education program – Strong clubs have members making manual speeches and reveiving effective oral evaluations.  We grow by focussing on manual objectives.  We improve by receiving feedback on how we have completed the objectives.

I am sure there are other items that you can add to this list.  If your club is struggling consider one of the above factors.  Ask for help.  There are members who are willing to serve on an adhoc basis or a coach can be appointed.  Consider holding a guest meeting with the assistance of members from other clubs.  Even strong clubs should hold guest events, just to let people know that a club exists and is open to membership. 

Jacquie Schnider, DTM
International Director 2010-12

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