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RETENTION:

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MEMBERSHIP COIN

Getting members is easy. Keeping them requires work.

by Gary A. Davis, Membership Committee Chair

At the Serra USAC SuperWeekend held recently in Chicago, I was pleased to report to the USAC Board that during the 2001-2002 Serra year, our clubs brought in nearly 1,000 new members through our two membership drives. This excellent result is a testimony to the importance of our cause and to the hard work and dedication of those whose efforts had resulted in such an increase in the number of laborers for vocations.

While this news was very positive, the other side of the membership coin is that there is a great need for our clubs to maximize their efforts to retain the members that we currently have, especially those who joined Serra in the last year or two.

All organizations lose membership over time, and some of the reasons for those losses, such as illness and death, are beyond our capacity to remedy. However, we can have a major effect on preventing other reasons for attrition.

Often individuals drop out of clubs because they don’t feel connected to the organization. That problem can often be solved by something as simple, yet profound, as friendship.

The following retention strategies are time-honored, but sometimes overlooked. Perhaps this is why it might be a good idea to appoint someone, possibly from your membership committee, as a retention specialist in your club, responsible for monitoring the development and involvement of new Serrans, and the effective implementation of club retention strategies.

Solution 1: Mentoring

Today we might call it “mentoring,” but when I joined our St. Paul Downtown Serra Club some 12 years ago, my friend Bill McDonald often joined me in walking to and from the meetings, and probably introduced me to each current member at least three times until I felt comfortable in the club environment. Bill probably never considered himself to be a mentor, and in his mind was just helping out a friend until he became acclimated to the club. To me it was a very effective way to help me adjust to Serra membership.

The moral of the story is that if you sponsor a new member, please stick with that person until he or she becomes comfortable as a Serran. I believe you will find that the new member will be much more likely to continue as a Serran for the long term than if they were brought in and left to make acquaintances by themselves.

Solution 2: Orientation

After new Serrans are effectively introduced to other members, an orientation meeting should be scheduled to fully inform them of the rich Serra history, traditions, programs, and activities manifested in your club.

Last year, the USA Council developed a video presentation called “The Spirit of Serra,” which is an introduction to our mission, history, activities and structure. Designed as part of a complete program for new member orientation, this video would also be perfect as a refresher for current members. It is also available as an overhead transparency presentation, and study guides (for new members) and a leader’s guide (for the orientation presenter) are available to complete the program.

In addition to “The Spirit of Serra,” Frank Thomas (Beaver Valley, Pa.) of the USAC Membership Committee developed an outstanding orientation presentation that is available from the USAC office in either paper, transparency, or Powerpoint format.

Solution 3: Induction Ceremony

In order to give new members a sense of belonging, it is strongly recommended that your club hold an induction ceremony for them. Whether you do this monthly, quarterly, or yearly is up to you based on your club’s needs.

Please check your Membership Manual for suggested induction ceremony formats. (These manuals were mailed to all club presidents in February and are available for download at www.serraus.org, or from USAC headquarters, 888.777.6681). The important thing is that the induction ceremony be held, and that sooner is probably better than later.

Solution 4: Don’t wait to involve new members in club activities.

Involvement is another method that has long been recognized as an effective way to retain a member’s interest in belonging. People join Serra to do something for a most worthy purpose. A club can facilitate that desire by presenting a new member with a selection of introductory-level duties to assist him or her in truly contributing to such an outstanding organization.

Solution 5: Watch attendance.

Finally, ongoing “monitoring” of club meeting attendance is probably necessary. Sometimes a member’s failure to attend meetings on a regular basis can be symptomatic of another problem such as a transportation difficulty, a scheduling problem, or some other concern that would normally not surface unless the member is approached in a caring fashion. Even if such a contact only presents the opportunity to assist the member in a loving and charitable way, it will be a blessing for both.

You may have many more and better retention suggestions than I have attempted to raise in this article. If so, please raise them in your club and attempt to put them in effect at your earliest opportunity. Retention is too important a topic to allow both time and members to slip away.

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