15 Strategies to Gain and Retain Members

Editor’s note: This was written before the social media craze. Even if your club posts in Facebook, Meet Up and Twitter, these other methods are tried and true.

 

 1. Great Meetings: A dynamic meeting is a
club’s best sales tool. Great meetings don’t just happen; they require careful
planning and an agenda.
If you do nothing else, do this.

 

2. Meeting
Location:
Confirm
if your meeting place is big enough, has good parking, easy access, low noise
and other amenities.
Quality location = pride in club.

 

 

3. Attitude:
Everyone’s
responsibility. Members will gain more benefits from an active, healthy club.
Member
understanding and buy-in.

 

 

 4.Plan
for Visitors:
Be
prepared before they visit. Have new member kits handy; assign a mentor right
away, if they join; schedule them for roles; and recognize guests and ask for
their comments.
Have a plan and consistently implement it.

 

 

 5.Invite
Guests:
For
special occasions: speech contests, club fund-raisers, etc.
People want
to be asked – ask them.

 

 

 6. Short
Pitch:
Have
a one to two minute verbal pitch/testimony that you can give someone on how
Toastmasters has benefited you.
Make it personal.

 

 

7. Fliers:
See
Toastmasters catalog for a great selection or make your own.
Post them.

 

 

8. Club
Newsletters:
Circulate
to all club members, guests, and prospective members – it can be in print,
electronic, one page or multiple, but simpler is better.
Hit the
highlights and showcase your members’ successes and membership benefits.

 

 

9. Club
Web site:
Link
to the District and International Web sites.
Relevancy and current, accurate
information.

 

 

10. Signs:
Order
“Toastmasters Meets Here” signs.
Post them.

 

 

11. Newspaper
Notices:
Place
club information in calendars of events.
Free!

 

 

12. Local
Access TV:
Have
community happenings notices.
Also free!

 

 

13. Open
Houses:
Host
a club open house and invite guests.
Demonstrate results of Toastmasters program.

 

 

14. Community
Involvement:
Volunteer
to evaluate or coach city hall meetings or to judge local high school/college
speech contests; staff a Toastmasters information booth at a community
festival; or host an open house for local business leaders.
Exposure to
Toastmasters.

 

15. Membership
Contests:
Toastmasters
has several pre-developed programs, or create your own. Have incentives and
create friendly competition.
Make it fun.

taken from an article by:

David McCallister, DTM

October 2007, Voices District 25 Newsletter

By Julie Cosgrove