The best way to recruit Section members, and new members for ACerS as well, is through personal contact. No quantity of mailings can be as effective as personal contact.
The first and best source of potential Section members is ACerS members in your area. The ACerS Outreach Manager can provide you with a list of the names and contact information of existing ACerS members in your area. If you prefer, the Outreach Manager can send a message via listserv to those ACerS members detailing your Section’s activities and mission.
Your professional associates are also potential members. Opportunities for professional growth and networking abound in local Sections of ACerS, and many of your colleagues and associates would find the contacts and activities highly rewarding.
And don’t forget that each year, ACerS will provide each Section with up to 20 complimentary Global Graduate Researcher Network (GGRN, for graduate students) and/or Material Advantage (MA for undergraduate students) memberships for you to offer to college students within the Section’s geographic boundaries.
ACerS will also provide each Section up to two complimentary Materials Science Kits each year to be used for outreach and to build awareness in local middle and high schools about education and career opportunities in materials science and engineering.
Many other sources of members surround you, and all should be explored. Companies using ceramic or glass engineering or technology services have personnel who are potential members. Local colleges and high schools have staff members interested in or active in materials science.
Some recruiting ideas include:
- Invite a prospective colleague or college student to attend a Section meeting to experience first-hand the professional benefits of ACerS membership.
- Take advantage of free meeting promotion opportunities such as the events sections of local newspapers.
- Use different colored name tags at meetings to identify non-members and encourage members to greet and welcome them.
- When discussing membership with prospects, listen for clues as to what they look for in a professional society. Stress those member benefits that meet their needs.
- Publish an article in your company or university publications explaining how ACerS helped you.
- Provide a recruitment incentive for the member who recruits the most new members.
- Acknowledge new members (and the members who recruited them) at your meetings or in written communications. Coordinate an event at your place of employment.
- Keep issues of The Journal of the American Ceramic Society, The International Journal of Applied Ceramic Technology, and The International Journal of Applied Glass Science on display to attract the eyes of potential new members.
- Welcome your company or university’s newly hired individuals; use the opportunity to discuss ACerS.
- Provide the ACerS Outreach Manager with information on any meetings or activities to post on the ACerS website under “Section Events” and on your Section’s web page.
Be sure to follow up with prospective members who have been contacted in one of these ways. Make sure they have an application for membership and have all questions answered.