“I’m getting new members, but how do I retain my core team to support the growth?”
This is a firsthand plight of a club President. If you were a club president or part of the core team, you know what this means.
What makes people stick to a club? There is no single answer for this. Each person has their own unique needs and wants when they join a club or a social circle. Following are some key ‘needs’ my core team and I thought of while I was a president of Parsippany Toastmasters club. As the current VP PR I think about it more.
* Need for affiliation – why do some of us prefer a ROLEX over an unknown brand or why do we prefer BENZ/BMW over another? Simple answer is some of us get satisfaction and self worth thru association with a brand. Most of us have this in ourselves to be associated with a brand. Therefore, make the brand stand out so tall and valuable so that the members want to be part of it.
* Need for achievement – some of us need to achieve and that’s our top priority. The inner drive pushes us until we active are satisfied. The club which gives more opportunity to its members will stand out and appear more attractive to these kinds of members. Remember, its not about you. Its about them.
* Need for appreciation – some of us need to be told we do good work. Each of us have the inner child in us which requires pampering. This keeps them motivated and help cultivate self worth.
* Need for empowerment – all of us need a coach in our lives. A coach can help us to be accountable to ourselves. I personally enjoyed this with my coach, Uday Boopalam DTM, and it meant a lot to me especially at the start of my Toastmasters life.
* Need for adventure & momentum – some of us need action and momentum, else we get bored. Action and involvement play a vital role for these types of individuals. Get these types of members involved and busy all the time.
* Need for self discovery – some of us need to find the self value from the club. Sometime back one of my friends confided that he feels empowered when he got to know he could speak. If you can help another discover themselves, they will stick to the club no matter what.
* Need to share – as humans we are taught to share since childhood, but some gain self worth and satisfaction through this means. For such members, we need to provide a safe heaven to share their thoughts.
* Need to feel valuable – All of us can lead without a title, but won’t we like a big designation and few qualifications displayed with our names? For those of us who crave for importance…give a title (‘PR champion’, ‘Face of the club’ team). Are you saying that you are running out of names or that it takes much effort to give them a title? Give them a title and possibly involve them in the decision making process and they will be super supportive and rise up to the name.
* Need for cultural fit – people like to associate with people like them. Make the club also a place where like-minded people meet just as we focus on development of communication and leadership skills. Have a club event where people can get to know each other better. A hike or an adventure sounds interesting to you?
* Need to see things happen before they make things happen – some are innate initiators and some are more “show me proof before I get on the band wagon” type. Show how your club has evolved and how stable you club is in the area and Division. This will bring in comfort factor to some souls.
These are just some of the needs of members/potential members which my core team and I discussed about when we wanted to grow club from 9 members (which was planned to be merged with another club) to a President’s Distinguished club with 22 members.
Draft your list today and start analyzing your members. Don’t ask them. What we are and what we say we are is different. Its not for them to say,but for you to find out. Enjoy…