How to Recruit New Board Members
Before you begin some bizarre recruitment ritual, realize you are facing a common problem. You’re having trouble filling your board positions, a few people are doing most of the work, and the steady workers are in danger of burning out.
We often hear this statement in
organization meetings,
usually said in a
despairing and hopeless tone.
We need to recruit new members in our organization
Every organization needs new members to counteract the natural attrition caused by life changes and moving. Sounds easy, but how to do it? Organization guru Cynthia D’Amour says you have to search for relevant value.
No matter what type of association you are, she says, there are three key benefits that motivate people to join your chapter – and to stay involved.
Reasons people join and stay members
- They want personal/professional development.
- They want to contribute to some greater good.
- They want to be part of your community.
Groups often focus on a single reason, which leaves many potential members cold. Leaders too often forget to state all three of the benefits and do not bother to spell them out in promotional materials and at meetings. And chapters underestimate how hard it is for the typical person to get involved with people they don’t know.
Stop right now to assess your group’s approach to “selling” the benefits.
Is there room for improvement?