Recruiting New Members

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.

Retaining Members

Recruiting members is only the beginning. It is vitally important for you to communicate and motivate your Section members to keep them involved. You should have a clear plan and process for keeping members engaged.

People usually join an organization because they want to do something for their community. But they also want something out of being a member. You should find out what motivates your Section members and make sure they are kept active to stay motivated and involved. Members are usually motivated by:

  • Feeling that they are valued by the organization and making a contribution
  • Opportunities to learn new skills or get education about issues that interest them
  • Working on issues that will improve their lives or the lives of their families and communities
  • Feeling part of a team
  • Activities that entertain them or add to their social life
  • Rewards in terms of status, personal development, or access to employment opportunities

Here are some of the things you should do to keep members motivated and involved:

  • Send a thank you note to new members for joining. This could even be an e-mail message.
  • Develop a new member “Welcome Packet.” Include a personalized welcome letter, calendar of events, list of board members with their contact info, and your Section newsletter, if you have one.
  • Do an introductory induction workshop for all new members so that they understand the organization and its work.
  • List new members on your website.
  • Establish a member-mentoring plan. Assign each new member a current member as his or her mentor.
  • Welcome and introduce all new members at the beginning of each meeting.
  • At events, indicate “board member” or “new member” on nametags. Ask board members to get to know new members. Run regular education and development sessions for all members — either as part of regular meetings or in special workshops.
  • Encourage members to get involved in projects and campaigns.
  • Give people responsibilities and tasks and team them up with experienced members; they will feel useful and valued.
  • Thank people and praise them in meetings for work done.
  • Structure your meetings so that they are exciting and everyone gets a chance to participate.
  • Organize social events for members such as picnics, parties and outings.
  • Leaders should spend time talking with members and getting to know them.
  • Ask new members where their interests lie, and get them signed up on a committee as soon as possible. Once a person joins, it is very important to keep them engaged to find value in their membership.
  • Make an effort to communicate personally with new members at least four times during their first year.
  • Acknowledge members at milestones. Congratulate and thank them at 1, 5, 10, 25 membership year marks.
  • Communicate with members regularly. With Internet, e-mail and social media, inexpensive and easy ways exist to keep communication lines open.
  • Survey the membership regularly to gather feedback.
  • Publish names and contact information for board members to encourage members to contact them with any questions or concerns.
  • Keep an up-to-date calendar of events on your website and in your publications. Share it with others who can help promote events to non-members.
  • Institute a thank you column in your newsletter to recognize members for their leadership and involvement.
  • Don’t let your Section’s activities, meetings and conferences become stale. Periodically, try something new.
  • Become more community-minded and try organizing a charity event or effort. Members that might not be thrilled about attending “another meeting” might be excited to give back and have some fun in the meantime.
  • If charging for events, consider two-tiered pricing for members and non-members. By offering non-member event pricing equivalent to or more than the cost of annual membership plus the member rate, Sections can encourage membership.
  • Send inactive members a personalized “We Want You Back” letter.