10 Ideas for Attracting New Members
By: Netania H. Walker, DTM -District Director 2017-18
- Invite your family and friends to attend a meeting.
- Post flyers or leave magazines – Bulletin boards, Library, Coffee shops, College, Churches, Retirement Center, Grocery stores, Restaurants, Recreational center, Doctor’s office, Dentist’s office, Movie Theater, Grocery Stores, Company internal websites, Airport, City Hall, Police Station, Banks, Post Office, Bookstores, Chamber of Commerce, Beauty Saloon, Hair Stylists
- Ask a member from another club or the district to lead an education module at one of your club meetings. Create a guest list to invite prospective members who can benefit from the topic. Choose from the Successful Club or Successful Speaker series. (Note: the evaluation and listening modules work particularly well.)
- Plan a special showcase meeting. Invite members from around the district to present a special program. Invite guests and be ready to sign them up on the spot.
- Conduct a SpeechCraft. If you do not have enough members to successfully launch the program, call on members from other clubs to help out. Warning: don’t expect someone else to do all the work, though. Charge a fee for the SpeechCraft that will cover the new member fee and the first six months of dues. At the end of the SpeechCraft, offer a “free” membership to all successful participants. 6. Take your show on the road. Schedule your meeting in a new location where it will get new visibility. Suggestions: community center, library, retirement community, book store, etc. Get the facility to help promote your special appearance. Invite guests.
- Conduct an appreciation night – Honor a past member or a community member at a special meeting. Ask the guest to say a few words promoting Toastmasters. Be sure to have lots of guests to help express your appreciation.
- Design a club brochure and distribute it to prospective members.
- Ask your Chamber of Commerce to list your Toastmaster meeting information in their newsletter.
- Contact your city’s various cultural centers. They may be interested in starting a SpeechCraft for their members or perhaps a club. (NOTE: Many of these individuals will have English as a second language. It may be helpful to work with someone who is associated with the specific cultural community.)
- Send out press releases on all your activities. Don’t be discouraged if it takes awhile to be noticed. (NOTE: Small community newspapers are likely to give you the best coverage.) Send personal notes to members that you haven’t seen for awhile. Let them know that you’ve missed them, and are anxious to have them back. Press release announcing the election of new club officers, your club’s anniversary, your local Mayor’s Toastmasters Week Proclamation, your club’s open house meeting, about a guest speaker coming to your club, about a your club’s speech contest winner at the Area, Division, District or International level, about your major club and member awards