Members are the core of not-for-profit organisations. They provide the
financial and human resources needed to perform the work.
A healthy membership leads to a vital organisation, yet even strong
groups need to pay close attention to boosting their membership
numbers. Some of the ways your group can do this are:
Be relevant to their concerns
If members have joined your group because of its work, its
stance on an issue or the cause it supports, then stay true to them and
through that stay true to members.
Have a structure that makes sense
Make sure you have a constitution, an organisational chart, and
an office culture that allocates responsibility and emphasises teamwork.
Consult with members
Where you can, ask members what they want. Surveys and
mail-outs can be handy for this, as can a few random phone calls each
month.
Appoint a membership co-ordinator
Choose someone who can not only look after existing members,
but knows the networks well enough to recruit new ones.
Put memberships on the agenda
Include membership growth as an agenda item at your group's
board or committee meetings every quarter - about four times a year.
Set, revise and review targets
Targets for memberships should be set each year, reviewed
regularly and revised if needed.
Set a membership "season"
Set aside a period of time where your group and its volunteers
work extra hard to attract memberships.
Use the public domain
Think about the criteria for membership of your organisation,
and then where you would find these people so you can attract them as
new members.
Provide the right member services
Strike a balance between encouraging them to do the right thing
for "doing the right thing's sake" and having special offers if
possible.
Lobby for your cause
Lobbying for your cause shows you to be an active and vocal
group, means people will be more attracted to become members.
Use public relations to build
your profile
Building your group's profile through being in the public eye
will increase your chances of membership growth.
No joining fees
Don't discourage potential new members by charging them a
joining fee over and above normal membership fees. Think about giving
them a discount in fact.
Keep existing members before
recruiting new ones
Be sure that you know your retention rate from year to
year. If it's less than ninety percent, investigate.
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