Fall rallies and Key Club Week are over. How do you keep members interested when the main social events of the year are behind you? We have three ideas to encourage your members to stay.
1. CANDY.
Sure, not everyone in the universe is into candy, but a decent amount of people are, which makes this a sweet way to keep members coming back to meetings and events. Want to recognize a member’s achievements on-the-spot? Give him or her a Hersey’s Kiss. Have a breakout “star” or MVP of the week? Surprise that person with a Starburst. Got someone who did a great job leading a fundraising project? Hand over a 100 Grand candy bar. Giving out a few cost-effective candy prizes at every meeting will keep members excited, interested and, most important, feeling appreciated.
2. FULL SCHEDULE.
You should have enough activities on your calendar that when a member can’t make it to a project, they don’t have to wait a month for the next opportunity to volunteer and get involved. Be sure to include a healthy mix of service, socials and fundraisers, because too much of one activity can potentially bore your members or burn them out.
3. FUN MEETINGS.
Regina Spektor sings a lyric, “Now we’re going to these meetings, but we’re not doing any meeting.” Maybe not every meeting needs to be interactive, but it’s great to mix things up once in awhile. Create a buddy system within your club. Do icebreakers during the meeting. Play a cute cat video before the meeting (the Internet is full of them). Make your meetings exciting, and your members will want to keep coming back.