Complex Thoughts

Recruitment and Retention

WHY DOES OUR ORGANIZATION NEED A RECRUITMENT CAMPAIGN?

New members are the life blood of every organization. They bring new ideas, increase the organization person power, foster organizational growth, prevent member burn-out, and take over leadership roles when you leave.

PLANNING A RECRUITMENT CAMPAIGN

Set achievable, believable, measurable goals and create an action plan for reaching these goals.
Brainstorm methods to reach your goals. Establish a theme for your recruitment campaign.
Budget sufficient resources. Recruitment and retention is vital to your organization.
Create a planning calendar detailing when things must be done and who is responsible.
Delegate duties to members. Make sure that those delegated know how to do the task you have assigned them. Follow up and check the progress of each task. Recruitment and retention is the responsibility of every member of an organization.
Implement the recruitment campaign targeting the segments of students you want to attract (new students, previously uninvolved students, residence students, commuting students, etc.).
Evaluate your recruitment campaign. Ask new members what attracted them about the campaign.

RECRUITMENT PROGRAM TIPS AND SUGGESTIONS

Set up a series of informational meetings.
Create a brochure that will answer questions and serve as a resource.
Develop a slide show that will tell “the whole story.”
Set up informational tables in the student center.
Contact those new students who requestion information about your organization by way of the campus organizations inventory.
Request lists or labels of target groups from student activities. Direct mail to target groups. Call and invite target groups to your meetings and events.
Reach out to faculty and staff who will encounter students searching for involvement — residence halls, career services, academic departments, etc.
Get an article in the campus newspaper about your organization. Advertise in the campus newspaper.
Ask each current member to bring a friend to your next meeting.
Make announcements at all of your programs.
Potential members are everywhere!

RETENTION
Have a retention campaign. Continually recruiting and training new members takes a lot of time and energy. Set new members up for continued involvement. An Incorporation Packet gives new members information about the organization, and gives current members information about the new members. Analyze the needs of your members. Remember why people get involved in the first place, and then meet those needs.

INCORPORATION PACKET

Interest Form — Personal data, skills, experience, expectations', class schedule, work schedule, interest areas.
Statement of Organizational Philosophy and Goals — Copy of constitution, description of what your organization does, and who, and why.
Committee and Position Description — Be specific without limiting creativity and individuality.
Organizational Flow Chart — Shows leadership positions. Helps people understand how the organization functions.

GRAPE THEORY OF MOTIVATION

Growth — Being able to increase one’s skills and competencies… Performing new or more complex tasks… Participating in training programs.
Recognition — Promotion within the organization… Praise for achievements… Positive and constructive critical feedback… Receiving an award, printed references to an individuals activities… Being listened-to.
Achievement — The opportunity to solve a problem… The opportunity to see the results of one’s efforts… The opportunity to reach goals that one has established to create a “whole” tangible product.
Participation — Involvement in the organizational decision making… Planning and scheduling one’s own work and controlling one’s own work activities.
Enjoyment — Having fun in a warm, friendly, supportive atmosphere.

Recruitment and retention is the responsibility of every member of your organization. Every member must be involved in the planning and implementation of a recruitment and retention campaign. Some organizations create a membership development committee that oversees the design and implementation of a recruitment campaign, maintains membership information, plans and implements member training programs, coordinates the leadership selection/election process, and plans social functions to enhance team building.

ADAPTED FROM COUGAR CLUES, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA–MORRIS, AND THUNDAR BOLTS, NORTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY.