Membership recruitment.(Forum focus: local associations)

Membership recruitment is an important component of any professional organization, and most of us welcome ideas for increasing and sustaining members. My local association, the Tooele, Utah, chapter, found a unique way to showcase itself and attract more members.

Last summer, several members decided to take a break from teaching and discontinued their membership with MTNA and the local association. Our chapter was already small and was quickly becoming smaller before my eyes. Frankly, it wasn't the size of our chapter that bothered me. I considered each member in our chapter not only a colleague, but a friend. What bothered me was the fact my friends were leaving, and I hated to see that.

I know the huge benefits teachers receive through being a member of MTNA, and I was concerned. I believed every teacher needed to be a part of this great organization and that teachers in our area had something to contribute regardless of their experience or education. I also believed each would benefit greatly by becoming a member.

I was on a mission to recruit teachers and let them know about all the resources provided by MTNA and our local association. About that time, our local music store added a beautiful recital hall, and it occurred to me it would be the perfect place to hold an open house.

My secretary and I chose a Saturday in August to hold the open house. This gave us a month to meet teachers who attended the open house and follow up with them before our first chapter meeting. My next concern was how to get teachers to attend. We planned to provide refreshments and asked teachers and students to volunteer to play background music to create a nice ambiance. We also provided information packets that included registration information and applications to MTNA, UMTA and AIM (Achievement in ...