How to re-engage missing members

Things are heating up in my Career and Technical Student Organizations! DECA and FBLA are both entering competition season, which is the pinnacle of the year for us! While we participate in community service events year round, competition season is the most exciting and nerve-wracking time of year. Not only do our field trip documents need to be done two months in advance, but written reports for some competitions need to be submitted at least a month before the actual event. Because of this, planning for these state conferences starts quite early in the year, and looms larger in our meetings as they become closer and closer. The energy and tension become palpable as rookie competitors ask a million questions, you re-engage your sleepy members, and veterans work tirelessly to improve upon last year’s performance.

Then…without warning…your president drops off the face of the club earth. Uh oh….

My President went MIA!

Yes, it’s happened to me.

It’ll happen to you if you stay in Student Organizations long enough.

They are, at their core, just kids after all.

When upperclassmen members fall off

Your seniors ever disappear during second semester? Yeah, mine too…

It’s a fact of life that, once the college applications are done and the transcripts sent, some of your seniors are going to lose focus and desire and stop participating. While many maintain their passion until they throw their mortarboard, the sad reality is that you will lose participation from a number of your seniors. Prepare for, and plan for, this to happen. Don’t let it catch you off guard.

Re-Engage Your Senior Members With The “Secret Weapons”

In my vast experience, seniors are extremely motivated by the competitive aspects of student organizations. In short: They like to win.

I use that intrinsic motivation to my advantage, by starting our competition season very early. By scheduling practice role-plays, subject-specific Kahoots, and other activities that mimic competitive events, I engage seniors starting in the fall, and help them become excited about the possibility of competing in the spring.

My other “secret weapon” to keep seniors engaged and participating in student organizations is to use the seniors as. It works on several levels, and it never fails to actually work.

First, the seniors feel empowered from having been to state and perhaps national competition in the past. Second, they enjoy the respect and often adoration of the newest members while they talk about their competitive experiences. Third, they love becoming mentors to younger competitors who are going to be in the events the seniors have already mastered. Finally, this sense of pride becomes a sense of responsibility to their fellow member, so they feel more compelled to stick around.

Let’s be honest: I’m playing to their ego to keep them actively involved.   

When underclassmen fall off

Not permitting this to happen is extremely important to the sustainability of your student organization. Your seniors—as valuable as they are—are short-timers now. The future of your organization relies directly on the underclassmen you have been training and cultivating since August.

We need upperclassmen for mentoring purposes, they are most likely to win competitive events due to their experience, and they help us keep the organizations’ traditions going strong. BUT they are quickly becoming college students. We need to build multi-year future relationships with the underclassmen.

Referring back to my previous blog about building membership, we talk about how to get kids in the door, and our methods of sustainability to ensure that members return week after week. But, what if they drop off? Because they will.

Re-Engage Your Newer Members!!! They Will Need It

Here is where you maximize the impact of both officers and upperclassmen to your advantage.

We have a designated team of people in our student organization whose job it is to “reign in lost sheep.” You need this “unofficial” committee for your club, too. This group consists of an officer—logically your Membership Vice President or equivalent—along with a select few members. It is important to choose members from each grade level, so you can appeal to any MIA member at their own level. This group is responsible for analyzing the weekly sign-in pages, and looking for drop-offs. Yes, actively looking!

How do you get them coming back to meetings and participating fully in the organization? That depends on a number of factors, and, of course, the person’s reason for not coming to club.

• Problem with grades? Find them a tutor from your membership list!
• Nobody to go to the meeting with??? Have your officer meet them in the quad before the meeting and escort them in! The officer should then sit with them for the beginning of the meeting until things get going.
• Can’t afford club dues??????????????????????? No, no, no! Don’t make me angry!! There is ALWAYS a “Buono Scholarship” available for this sort of thing! Don’t make ANY club about money!!

What if it’s a real problem? Not just a “friendless” or “she doesn’t like me anymore” situation? That is where you step in. If the problem is something that is truly overwhelming the child, it is YOUR responsibility to do what you can, and to know when to hand off the situation to the school counselor or other professional who can legitimately step in to protect the student.

Just because it is out of your hands does NOT mean you sit idly by.

When Local officers fall off

I like to have a lot of officers in my groups, for several reasons.

One reason is that I like giving kids titles—it binds them to the organization, and rewards them for going above and beyond. Plus, it helps on job and college applications. Another reason is so that nobody has to work alone. A large team means there is always someone to partner with to make an activity or fundraiser more successful. Finally, it’s because officers drop off the face of the planet. Every. Year.

 Re-Engage Your Members In Leadership Positions OR Have A Back-Up Plan

One of the ways I combat the hole a missing officer makes is by always having a position called Executive Vice President.

The Power of the Executive Vice President

This person steps in for the president whenever necessary, but more importantly, assumes the duties of any officer who needs to leave the team for any reason. This way, if our Membership VP changes schools, we have a back-up. President gets mono? Back-up. Fundraising forgot to turn in the form due today? Back-up.

It’s a marvelous system that has worked very well in different organizations for years.  

When the President goes MIA

This is a tough pill to swallow, that’s for sure, but it happens. It is quite demoralizing for the organization for the leader to drop out. It can make your younger members question why they should commit for the entire four years. Additionally, it may even weaken some of the competitive and community service teams you have built throughout the years. We have a plan for this, though. Just in case!

Executive Vice President (remember???)

This is why you must recruit for that position very carefully. You need someone who can—and will—step into any position at a moment’s notice. It needs to be someone committed and charismatic, that could lead the entire organization if necessary.

Frankly, I could argue this position is the most valuable on your team—choose wisely. 

When Advisers falter

When you’re in it as long as me, you’ve seen everything. EVERYTHING. I could tell you stories about advisors, coaches, and team leaders that would shock and upset you, but we’re all about positivity and solutions here!

Luckily, in most cases, the advisor just has something going on in their own life that is impacting their ability to lead the group. For example, you know I cared for my parents, so there were weeks I was off campus during The Job. So how do we as adults ensure the organization can move forward in our absence?

You need a partner

It can be a silent partner during most of the year, but you need someone who will step in to make sure the kids have a classroom for their meeting, and a chaperone for their Movie Night.

I can’t tell you how reassuring it has been to me for years to have a partner to work with. Not only does it give me someone to bounce ideas off of, but it gives me another pair of eyes and hands when things are getting stressed. Literally, today, I needed to be at the Student Store during the spirit assembly, so it is my partner who will supervise the FBLA kids selling Valentine’s bears.

We couldn’t have such a vibrant organization without each other for support. 

How do organizations survive?

Your organization is fulfilling needs for all of its members. Those needs range from socialization to competitive events to college preparedness, but every person in the room has some need we are fulfilling.

This diversity is what helps our organization continue and flourish through good and bad years. I’ve absolutely suffered through tough years in Student Council and CTSO’s, but they are always followed by a rebound and resurgence within a year or two, because all of these activities matter and have worth to students. 

As long as you maintain your positivity, and do everything within your power to ensure a successful organization, you will enjoy many, many fun and successful years. Not every year will be legendary, but every year you will get a little smarter, a little better, and even more attached to the group. It is always YOU that will re-engage your members!

You are the linchpin of the organization. You are the rock the kids will rally around. You are the centerpiece of the group. Try not to falter.

THANK YOU FOR READING THIS FAR

Hey, since you’re here! You may as well check out some other ways to boost membership in your student organizations, here, and more strategies to re-engage your members! Check out our other topics here! Either way, I appreciate you!

Please leave a COMMENT about any tips you may have!! Or comment what your favorite tip of mine was! Why do YOU leader your students? Let me know.

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