Beyond beer and pizzatizers: recruitment events that stick
By KATE FAZZINI
Girl Reporter
Putting on a successful membership recruitment event requires more than just booze and a cheese tray.
No, it’s true! In fact, at the New York Deadline Club, some of the most successful chapter events have not included booze or cheese at all!*
“We have mixers all the time just to get people together and talk,” explained chapter president and hardworking AP business reporter Tim Paradis. “But we’ve also had panel discussions which are a good way for journalists to sort of talk about the tenets of journalism, ranging from the ramifications of celebrity photography to freelancing to what editors look for in a pitch letter.”
Having a diverse set of offerings – a little something for broadcast here, photo there, legal issues, etc. – helps prove to both existing members and recruits that the SPJ can work for all kinds of journalists, not just beat reporters.
So how can these events actually help drive membership? Woman-about-town Rachel Nielsen, a master freelancer who also serves as the Deadline Club’s first vice president and events and membership coordinator, said being innovative and getting big names on board are two ways to help cultivate interest.
“One successful event was a tour of NBC studios, which included a talk with Ann Curry, the Today Show anchor,” Nielsen said. “That group included a number of graduate journalism students. We got feedback like, ‘this is just what I needed today to take with me and really get back to work.’”
Seeking the right mix of topics is also a must – after all, journalists have been known to love cutting through B.S. Other successful events have included essential topics, such as “how to break news,” “how to build your source base,” “how to dig for details,” Nielsen explained.
“The key to having successful events is that we had stated goals going into the events,” Nielsen said.
It’s especially important to note that a successful event isn’t necessarily one that results in a pile of new membership forms and freshly-inked dues checks.
“Some people choose to go to one event and skip another,” she said. “We hope to create some informal ties – nothing too sort of overbearing. Hopefully, they will see the broader benefits in terms of being part of a national organization.”
Nielsen outlined three main points of advice in organizing a successful membership event:
1. Set goals. Do you want people to walk away with more knowledge about first amendment issues? Do you want to plant seeds for a new student chapter? Do you want to put on a successful networking event? Get your goals together first.
2. Get personal. “When we get 45 RSVPs to an event, we send 45 personalized responses. We all make sure that we have a very personal outreach to our guests,” she said. Nobody likes drinking booze and munching on cheese cubes alone – you can insure a greater turnout if you makes sure your attendees know they are important to the process.
3. Think about timing. Some of the Deadline Club’s most successful recruiting events happen at the beginning of the year, a.k.a. “renewal season” – you know, like, right about now. “We had a winter party that also included our election. We of course had an email announcing that to our members, that included a membership reminder ‘have you not joined SPJ yet? Is it time to renew?’ A lot of people either joined SPJ or re-joined.”
So, get out there, set some goals, write up some quirky and personal emails and remind your constituents that in the New Year, one of the most valiant personal aspirations is expanding one’s mind and enriching one’s day-to-day life, including one’s career. Nothing is more exciting than that.
* “You get three exclamation points in your life – choose them wisely,” a professor of mine once said. So, I’m saving the last one for my obit, Dr. Frantz.
SPJ by the numbers
Membership this week: 9,266
Membership one month ago: 8,821
Membership one year ago: 8,806