Recruitment and Retention

student signing up for organization information at the Be Involved fair

Recruitment

Continuing to grow the membership of a student organization is critical to long-term success of the organization. While there are number of avenues in which to market and recruit members on-campus, it is important to remember that first and foremost, successful recruiting comes down to building relationships. The more members seek to get to know and build relationships with potential members, the more welcome potential members feel and the more likely they are to join your organization.

  • Schedule interest meetings at peaks times of the year.
  • Participate in the Be Involved Fair in fall or spring.
  • Place posters (with approval) around campus to market your organization.
  • Table in the UMC.
  • Use the events function of BuffConnect to tell students about your organization and how to get involved.

Host a Live Q&A on your student organization’s social media platform!

  • Instagram Live – Use the “questions” sticker when posting Instagram stories to engage with your followers and answer questions about your organization. To answer questions from your Instagram story in a live Q&A, first post the questions sticker to your Instagram story.
  • We'd never claim to be experts in TikTok or Snapchat, but consider giving them a try to see if you find more members. 

Retention

Once members join your organization, it is necessary that they stay involved, motivated and engaged in order for them to stay. Members want to feel valued and like they can contribute to the organization. They want to feel like they are part of a community. Keeping members engaged starts with transparency. Let members know what is going on with the organization, what they can participate in, and how they can be involved. Some organizations use list servs or newsletters to keep all members up to date with the happenings of the organization. 

Additionally, make members feel involved. Create committees and subcommittees where members can feel ownership over tasks and projects. Even if the role is small, the most the member feels their contribution is valuable, the more likely they are to stay involved.