Recruitment

Recruitment

Why Recruit?
The strength of an organization lies in the members within it. Recruitment is the building block of any student organization. For an organization to form and be considered active, there must be at least 5 students who are members.
Note: Excessively aggressive recruitment tactics are prohibited

Basic Principals:

• Make recruitment a top priority! Start with a discussion in your student organization of the costs and benefits of recruiting new members. Can you afford NOT to recruit? Use this discussion to set recruitment goals.

• Decide who are your potential recruits and what will inspire them to join - Be aware of the many different kinds of students who might want to join: idealists, achievers, socialites, and resume-builders. Make sure your recruitment campaign appeals to the kinds of students you want joining your organization.

• Emphasize active recruitment techniques versus passive ones - Use passive techniques (posters, advertisements flyers) to supplement, not substitute for active techniques (face-to-face, recruitment booths, class presentations).

Before the recruitment drive:

• Know the purpose, mission, and benefits of your student organization. Current members must be able to describe why the group was created and for what it stands. Start by reviewing the constitution or purpose statement with your membership. Then have members brainstorm a list of terms or short statement to the following question: What does our organization mean to me? The exercise will serve as a primer to help members talk in somewhat consistent terms when talking to potential recruits.

• Take an inventory. How healthy is your organization? Is recruitment a priority? What would be the ideal size for the group? What are some organizational goals for the coming year? Who are the best recruiters? This should help establish recruitment goals and leadership.

Strategies for recruiting new members:

• Friends and classmates
• Presentations in class and to other student organizations
• Telephone/address lists
• Host an event
• Posters and flyers

A couple of tips:

• Be honest
• Make it FUN to be in your organization!!