How to Boost Membership In Your Student Organizations

I’ve been involved in student organizations for decades, and I absolutely love them! Some of my most cherished accolades come from FBLA and DECA. Top among them is earning Adviser of the Year twice for FBLA and once for DECA. In my experience, I have learned how to boost membership in your student organizations!

I know that around the beginning of January, membership and engagement tends to lag as young people struggle to get back to routines following the long winter break. It’s as predictable as winter and taxes! In order to finish strong and have an effective, productive second semester, it’s important to re-examine the way you’re leading student organizations from top to bottom. It’s time to make some adjustments based on results from the first semester.

If you’re like me, you’re looking for some quick and easy ways to boost engagement and membership in your student organizations this month. Well, lucky for us all, I’ve compiled a list of 10 that will work wonders! Choose one or all of these tips and get busy today!

Ten Tips in Ten Minutes

#1: Energize Yourself First!

You had winter break, too!!! You’re just a little bit rusty, foggy, and just plain not in the mood. We need to change that.

Review and reflect on the first semester with this leadership team. What do you think needs changing or updating or dropping completely? Put yourself in your students’ shoes—would you enjoy one of your meetings? What would you add? Use photos, memories, stories from alumni to reinvigorate your passion for the organization!

Every year, I get holiday cards from alumni dating back to the early 1990’s and it never fails to remind me of my “Why.” When I was coaching, nothing put me in a better state of mind than getting out on the field with the athletes during practice. It never failed to help me focus on our overall goals as an organization.

#2: Engage Officers!

No matter how passionate they may be, it is common for your officers to get distracted with the new year ahead. Communicate as soon as possible over break—remind them of upcoming events, or just wish them a Happy New Year. Any communication from you will bring the team to the front of their mind, at least for a few minutes!

Make sure you have a leadership team meeting as soon as you can, and make sure YOU plan some fun activity to get their creative juices flowing. They will love the surprise element of you jumping in with an activity. It doesn’t have to be a big event—do two truths and a lie or a round of jump rope. ANYTHING to break up the normal routine of an officer meeting is a great introduction to the new year!

#3: Re-Imagine Meetings!

This is a great time to reflect on the structure of your organization meetings. Perhaps it could use some change—move the icebreaker further up in the agenda or maybe close with a team-bonding activity instead of open. While students thrive on routine and predictability, once they feel safe they are ready to trust your officers and relinquish some of their control fears.

This is the time to let your officers stretch their creative legs and do that activity they always wanted to do (I’m thinking toilet paper mummies contest or the three-legged race down the hallway)! Now is the time to take some risks! At this point, you should have already built up a bit of a solid membership. So, if ONE activity flops, it’ll likely be a funny story to tell later, rather than an awkward ending to a student’s membership.

#4: Advertise!

Students are returning to a routine that is often-times dull for them. To boost membership in your student organization, you need to remind them you exist!!!

Communicate directly with students via email blasts, Remind, Instagram, any social media available to you. It’s super easy to offer stickers for students to wear with your organization logo and a positive affirmation—kids love stickers at every age! Don’t forget to reach out to your school’s announcements, too!

#5: Invite Newbies!

This is the perfect time to recruit new members! Come on, we weren’t going to do an article called Boost Membership In Your Student Organizations and NOT talk about recruitment!

A new semester is a new opportunity for you to fill the seats in your club. Your officer team is now strong enough to present to entire classes to talk about your organization—let them schedule with OTHER teachers! Use the “Bring a Friend” technique from the last blog to encourage members to bring someone new.

Whatever you plan, don’t forget to reward your new members at their first meeting and follow up with them after the meeting.

#6: Incorporate Speakers!

Every organization I’ve ever been involved in has benefitted from experienced guest speakers.

When I was coaching (lacrosse and soccer), I had college players come back to talk to the high school teams. I do the same thing in FBLA now, encouraging our alumni to visit to discuss the benefits they see as college students to having been a member of FBLA. Looking even further out, I have community partners come in to discuss everything from job search to “a day in the life” to requirements for entering the profession.

No matter who I’ve had speak to a student group, it has absolutely been successful.

#7: Reach Out!

Now is the time to lock in some donations for your organization!

In addition to coming to speak to the group, request donations from the people you have networked with. As you remember, a simple request to a grocery store or bakery can result in snacks for one or two of your upcoming meetings.

Once I had a banker come in to speak, at which time they saw that I provided water and granola bars to my underprivileged students. They were so moved by the community in the classroom that the next week they delivered cases of water and breakfast snacks for our use. You just never know until you ask! Remember to send your students in pairs to make these requests—not only are they hard to resist, but this is excellent speaking practice for them!

#8: Get Out There!

I mean this LITERALLY!!!

Get out of your classroom, out of the building, off the field, and shake things up by utilizing a new location. It can be as simple as having a meeting in the auditorium or watching past games on film in the library, but get out of your comfort zone! Having students change location will stir things up just enough to improve engagement and participation. All of a sudden they can’t sit in the same seats next to the same people and will have to navigate a new scenario.

#9: Lock Down a Special Event!

Giving yourself and your students something concrete to look forward to might be just the thing everybody needs to move into the upcoming spring season with confidence. This could be a full-blown overnight trip as a group or this could be quite simple.

Does your team do weekly “spaghetti nights” to review film or prep for Saturday meets? Change the location to a local park this week! Ask school permission to have a movie night in the quad or the gym! You could serve popcorn and Capri Suns while watching the latest Disney flick.

Consider taking students to a state or national convention in your field! We do conferences for FBLA, DECA, Student Council, and other large organizations annually. The kids look forward to getting out of our school and networking with other schools.

#10: Last (but not least) Look Ahead!!!

Believe it or not, January is the month that we start looking to recruit a leadership team for next year. Who are the younger members who have shown a particular aptitude or passion for the organization? Have any of the members approached the leadership team looking for more responsibility? If you start preparing next year’s leaders early enough, your transition will be seamless.

An Added Bonus!

Made it this far? I’ve got a bonus for you! Here is the only thing you ABSOLUTELY can NOT do:

Bonus: Don’t Give Up!!!!!!!!!!!!

These young people are looking to you to be the role model, the compass, the mentor who will lead and guide and walk with them through this experience. They need you to show up as your very best self. They deserve nothing less!

So even if membership falters this season, even if someone in the leadership team goes MIA, even if you’re just not feeling it, NEVER let them know. They need you.

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! 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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