Building a base of individual members is vital to the health of almost any nonprofit organization that is dedicated to the long-term stewardship of a river or watershed. While sending out tens of thousands of new member solicitation letters may not be within your budgetary constraints, there are a number of other strategies available to small groups which can precede, supplement, or even replace large-scale mailings in garnering new members.

When and How to Recruit Members

Recruiting new members is not a way to bring in money—most organizations lose money, or at best, break even, in this process. Rather, it is an ongoing, long-term strategy for building and diversifying the funding base of your organization through individual gifts. Getting an individual to “join” your organization is only the first step in a long-term process of cultivating and educating that person in an effort to retain them and convert them into loyal and generous supporters. This involves thanking them, providing benefits and renewing and upgrading them to increase their support.

New organizations often question whether they are ready to begin recruiting members. While this is definitely a concern for new groups, you should not avoid initiating a membership program simply because your organization is new and hasn’t accomplished a great deal. If you have a mission you believe in strongly, that benefits the community, or the watershed, you can probably recruit new members. The real questions to ask before undertaking such a program are:

1. Is your organization going to be around for the long term?
2. Do you have the human and financial resources required to thank new members promptly and consistently, provide them with benefits, and track them so that you can renew and upgrade them over time.
3. Is there a commitment from the staff and board to build and nurture a membership base?

If you can answer yes to these questions, I believe that you should consider reaching out to potential new members and asking them to invest in your organization. It will give you valuable feedback on whether your mission is important and whether you are on track with your approach. And you will garner important new allies and resources at a time when you desperately need all the help you can get!

Membership Basics

Who are members?

“Members” are individuals (or entities) who join an organization by paying an annual fee (dues) to receive specific benefits. In return, members make a commitment to provide regular, ongoing contributions for the general good of the organization by renewing their financial support annually.

What do members receive?

Member benefits can include a newsletter, access to staff, invitations to events, and recognition in the organization’s publications. In some instances, members are given a vote in electing a board of directors, or even in setting priorities for the organization. It is important to keep the cost of benefits down, and to remember that the most important member benefit is being part of your organization’s efforts to save a river or watershed.

Why have members?

In addition to a steady, unrestricted, predictable source of income, members provide many resources/benefits to the organization, including:

• political clout
• feedback on the relevancy and usefulness of your program and leaders
• prospects for larger gifts, stock donations, bequests
• a potential audience for your events and special appeals
• new skills and contacts
• volunteers and board members
• visibility in the community
• credibility with foundations and corporations

Member Recruitment Strategies

Here are a dozen strategies that have worked well for river and watershed groups in recruiting new members:

1. Small, targeted mailings

See Case Study:
Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance
By Amy O'Connor

While large direct mailings of tens of thousands of pieces are probably not within the reach of small groups that are starting out, small mailings of several hundred, or several thousand, pieces can usually be easily handled by staff and volunteers, and often produce surprisingly good results. There are several keys to doing these small mailings:

Lists. The most important element in any mail recruiting effort is the list(s) used. The best lists are lists of friends and relatives of staff, board, and volunteers who have an interest in your issue. Next comes your “in-house” list, which includes anyone who has called and asked for information, people who have attended your events, and past members who have not renewed. After these, lists of other local environmental groups, and local members of national environmental groups such as American Rivers, the Sierra Club, the National Audubon Society, or The Nature Conservancy are usually best. Next in line are local and national outdoor clubs and affinity groups such as the American Canoe Association, the Appalachian Mountain Club, local canoe clubs, or local fishing groups. Sometimes, groups will provide these lists free to new groups, or will agree to exchange lists.

In trying to decide whether a list will work for you, ask yourself whether the people on the list are “mail responsive” (have made contributions via the mail) and whether they have values or interests in common with your existing members. Also make sure that the list is current (mailing lists can go out of date in a matter of months).

The Outer Envelope. The important thing about the outer, or carrier, envelope is to make the mailing look as personal as possible in order to get the recipient to open it. If your budget allows, use a colorful first-class stamp. While first class stamps cost more than twice as much as using a bulk mail permit, for small mailings they will earn their keep by making the envelope more attractive, by being easier to deal with (the Post Office has all kinds of rules about bulk mail), and by insuring timely delivery of your solicitation. If you can’t afford first class stamps, use a bulk mail stamp (instead of a printed bulk mail indicia). For very small mailings, you may want to hand-write the addresses. While this is time consuming, it is a good use of volunteer labor, and almost guarantees that your letter will be opened. For larger mailings, type the addresses on the envelopes or use clear labels which make your letters look hand-typed when possible.

The Letter. You do not need to be a professional writer to write a good new member letter. However, there are a few rules which you should try to follow:

1. Make your letter look as much as possible like a real personal letter. Type it on stationary. Start with a warm salutation, and end with a personal signature. Indent your paragraphs. Single space paragraphs and
   double space between paragraphs. Use more “you’s” than “we’s.”
2. Tailor your letter to your audience. Your letter will be more effective if it addresses the needs and interests of the people it is addressed to. If you are using a canoe club list, talk about the ways in which your work will benefit canoeists.
3. Make your letter interesting. The first two paragraphs—and the last few—are the most frequently read. Make them hard-hitting and attention getting. Use emotion, if appropriate. Communicate a sense of urgency, and demonstrate an immediate need.
4. Be explicit with the reader that you are asking him to become a member of your organization, and clear about how much you want him to give. Say what his contributions will accomplish
5. Stress the positive. While describing the immediate threats, establish the efficacy of past actions and your future plans.
6. Experiment with graphic techniques that add emphasis. Bolding, underlining, indenting and circling key words or phrases in your letter can help the reader focus on important parts. Do not overdo, this, though, as it can detract from the personal quality of your letter.
7. Use a “P.S.” to make a final appeal, repeat the immediate need, or suggest a higher level of giving.
8. Make your letter at least two pages long. Two to three page letters generally do better than one-pagers, probably because people equate length with substance.
9. Whenever possible, tie your letter to a current event or issue. If flooding or water quality issues have been in the papers recently, be sure to mention the work you are doing in these areas.
10. Get someone who has direct mail experience to critique your letter. Don’t operate in a vacuum!

Other essential components
It is important to include a response card and a reply envelope in your mailing. Enclosures are optional, and can be counterproductive if they distract the reader from the business at hand, i.e., writing a check and mailing it in. They can also significantly increase postage costs.

Mailing times
It is generally accepted that the best times for new member mail campaigns are January-March and September-November, while April (tax time), July, August (summer vacation) and December (holidays) are the worst. However, there are exceptions to every rule, and summer may be a good time for your organization if your member prospects spend a lot of time in the out-of-doors. The rule here is to experiment and see what works best for you.

Tracking and Response
It is essential to track how many responses you get to your mailings, how much money they bring in, and how much they cost. If you are mailing to several lists, you should track this information by list. You can do this with a simple form where you log in daily receipts. By capturing this information, you can calculate your overall response rate (groups often get 3%, 4%, or even 5% response to these mailings, although normal response to a large direct mail is about 1%), your average gift, and your cost per member.

Direct Mail Report
Date of Campaign: 3/08/04-5/20/04
No of Pieces: 2,900

Keep a three-ring binder with a copy of each package (letter, carrier envelope, reply card, reply envelope) you mail along with the corresponding Direct Mail Report. This will allow you to compare and analyze your results over time, and to determine which packages and lists work best for your organization. If you are careful, you can add significantly to your member base with these mailings, and at the same time break even, or even make a little money.

2. One-on-one asking

Most fundraisers will tell you that asking people one-on-one is the most productive way to get new members (if by “productive” you mean the method that produces the highest percentage of “yes” responses). Statistics show that 1 out of every 2 people you solicit in person (provided they have an interest in your cause and a connection to you or your organization) will respond positively. Asking in person allows you to hone your presentation skills and to overcome any psychological barriers you may have around asking others for money. It also teaches you to field difficult questions and allows you to brainstorm with people whose ideas and personal connections could be of great use to you!

However, asking people in person can be extremely time-consuming and inefficient. As an individual recruitment strategy, it is best used opportunistically, to approach friends, relatives, and colleagues who share your values, or even people you encounter at parties or on planes. Also be sure to ask anyone who drops by or calls your office to join. The point is to create a culture of ongoing personal membership solicitation in your organization. Be sure to share stories of recently recruited members and urge your board, staff and volunteers to do likewise.

3. Booths at River Festivals, Stores, busy access points on a river, etc.

Recruiting new members from among the crowd at a river festival or out in front of the local REI store has worked for some groups and also provides a great opportunity to use (and train) volunteers. A few tip that will help make this strategy work better include:

• Have teams of two or three people manning the booth, so that one
  person can be taking checks while the other is talking to potential
  members
• Use recruiters who are outgoing and assertive
• Rehearse the “pitch” for membership with recruiters in advance
• For long stints, have several recruiters lined up so they can spell each other
• Target peak hours (for example, noon to 4 p.m. at a store)
• Have an exciting premium or a special membership offer to attract attention
• Have attractive maps, posters, etc. to draw people to your booth

4. Parties/Events

See Case Study:
FOR's Rafting Chapter Membership Program
By Mike Dolin and Rachel Stevens

Parties, river trips, concerts, and other events sponsored by your organization where people pay a certain amount to attend can be used effectively to increase member rolls. The easiest way is to tell the event participant that in addition to the river trip, concert, etc., they will also be receiving a complementary one-year membership in your organization.

There are several caveats with this strategy. First, people who are given a complimentary membership, even when they have paid to attend your event, won’t renew their membership next year as consistently as someone who “intentionally” signs up to become a member. While you can expect at least 50% of your members who joined ”intentionally” last year to renew, a lower percentage of those who received complimentary memberships will do so. This disadvantage is usually offset, however, by the fact that it costs you nothing to recruit these members.

The more personal contact you and your board and staff have with prospective members at the event, the more likely they will later become “intentional” members by renewing their support when asked. This is why it is so important for board members and staff to attend such events and “schmooze” with participants. Some kind of “pitch” for the organization helps, too, and should always be a part of any event.

Second, events do not usually draw non-members unless they are publicized widely or event “hosts” are asked to bring their family and friends. River trips can be advertised in the “calendar” section of local papers. Party hosts can be asked to send out several invitations with personal notes to people they think might be interested. And the Internet now provides a new medium for getting the word out to a wider community about such upcoming events and gatherings.

A special welcome letter should probably be sent to these new members with their first newsletter so they understand clearly that they have been given a complimentary one-year membership.

5. Raffles

Raffles fall into a special category. They are a particularly appropriate strategy for raising money for river groups, because they are fairly easy to organize and can be quite lucrative. Add to this the fact that they provide an excellent way to recruit new members, and you’ve got a real winner!

The down side to raffles is that they require a good deal of work as well as good lists of potential ticket buyers to be feasible. If your group has a good volunteer corps, and access to addresses/ telephone numbers of canoeists, anglers, or other targeted audiences, you might want to try a raffle. And if you do, you can make people who buy a certain minimum number of tickets (such as a $20 book of tickets), complimentary members of your organization. Again, the percentage that will renew their membership the year following the raffle will be smaller than for members who join “intentionally,” but enough will usually decide to stay with you to make it well worth your while. For more on raffles, see “Case Studies” under the “Events” Chapter.

6. Speaking Engagement Recruiting

If you have people in your organization who enjoy going out and addressing large groups of people, this is definitely a strategy you should use. The trick is to get your speakers to put a strong pitch for membership into their talks. The pitch must be worded very specifically (“We ask you to consider joining Friends of the XYZ River with a gift of $35. Membership benefits include a quarterly newsletter and invitations to our member breakfasts. I have forms with me and will be happy to take your check, which should be made out to Friends of the XYZ River.”). It helps if there are two people at the meeting, so that one person can be passing out forms and collecting checks while the other person continues speaking or answering questions. This strategy would combine well with a small recruitment mailing to the group’s list following your talk, if the group is willing to make their list available.

7. Distribution of Newsletters and Brochures

Every newsletter, brochure or publication that your organization puts out should contain a plug for membership and a form that prospective members can use to join. Don’t forget that even if only
your members receive your newsletters, they may get passed on to a friend or relative, or left in the Doctor’s office!

You can increase memberships from this source by distributing your newsletter or other publications widely. Leave copies of them in obvious places like the local outfitter shop, Patagonia store, or canoe livery. A friendly manufacturer may be willing to include them with other materials that accompany purchases of canoes, kayaks, or other large items. Ask sister organizations to include copies in their mailings, send a copy to people who call asking for information, consider putting them on car windows at popular riverside put-in or take-out spots, etc.

Because this strategy can get expensive, it is wise to try to track response by making the membership forms clearly distinguishable from the forms used in other kinds of recruiting, and keeping a running record of how many new members come in this way. This will at least give you a general idea of the payoff for these activities.

Note: Response to a brochure or newsletter sent alone to a prospective member is generally lower than response to a new member letter. Think twice about mailing out newsletters/brochures by themselves unless the costs are being subsidized by another organization or you are using them to “warm up” prospects for a subsequent letter solicitation.

8. Member-get-a-member Contests or Campaigns

A well-choreographed membership contest or campaign can motivate your members to recruit their friends and relatives and at the same time increase their level of commitment and involvement in your organization. Because campaigns are best stretched out over several months, sometimes as long as a year, they are an especially appropriate strategy for an anniversary celebration.

To do a membership contest or campaign, you must already have at least several hundred members, and the more you have, the better it will work. The downside to a contest is that it takes a good deal of work, since you must secure prizes to motivate recruiters, and send out several mailings to keep momentum going Also, members generated by a contest will not renew as well as members joining under their own steam.

A contest or campaign makes a great project for a dedicated board member or volunteer to take on. Try to speak with another organization that has done a contest/campaign for tips ands pitfalls.

9. Web Recruiting

Snagging Members on the World Wide Web: For Nonprofits, Website Content is the Bait that Works Best
By David Jenkins, Director of Conservation and Public Policy, American Canoe Association.

A new entry in the membership recruiting field is the World Wide Web. Any group that has a Web site can, and should, be using it to recruit new members. While most experts doubt that the Web will totally replace other strategies, there is agreement that the Web will become a more and more important way to communicate with, and motivate, existing and prospective members, and the time is coming soon when any organization that does not have a presence on the Web will be at a distinct disadvantage.

Web recruiting strategies can be as simple as providing prospective members with a telephone number to call for membership information, or as sophisticated as an online form that prospects can fill out and receive an instant membership certificate! The important thing is to construct a web site that is interesting and compelling, and a method for joining that is simple and clear, for prospects who find you on the Web.

10. Telephone Recruiting

Experts say that recruiting new members by telephone can work under certain circumstances: 1) you must have access to highly motivated, experienced volunteer callers who believe in your organization and are not afraid to ask for money; 2) the cause must be compelling and dynamic; 3) you must have access to telephone lists of “qualified” prospects, such as expired members, or people who have called your office for information. The good thing about telephone recruiting is that you don’t need a lot of money to do a test. You can do a round of calls and find out very quickly if there is enough interest in your community to make this a cost-effective strategy. You can also fine-tune or modify your “pitch” very easily with telephone recruiting based upon the intelligence you gather in your calls.
One caveat. This is a specialized area. If you decide to try a telephone effort, be sure to involve a consultant who has expertise in this field.

11. Canvassing

Going door-to-door asking for membership support is a strategy that has worked well for some groups (Clean Water Action, Public Interest Research Group), but for new groups with limited resources, it probably is not a good choice. Most successful canvasses require full-time salaried or commissioned employees and extensive training and support for these employees. Furthermore, members generated by a canvas must be renewed by canvassing (as a group, they are usually not responsive to renewal letters), so the canvassing operation must be ongoing. If fundraising is your principle objective, there are other more cost-effective methods to use.

Canvassing works best when: 1) you have a burning local issue to discuss; 2) your issue is easily communicated 3) You operate in a densely-populated, low or middle-class urban area (canvasses don’t work well in affluent neighborhoods); 3) your organization is committed to ongoing public education and outreach; 4) You can demonstrate success; 5) your organization has credibility and is unique, or can be easily distinguished from other organizations in the area working on the same
issue

12. Public Relations/ Outreach

In an ideal world, the good work your organization does would motivate hundreds of people to spontaneously join your organization, Unfortunately, with so many groups and causes competing for people’s attention, this does not usually happen. But creating a “buzz” in your community by frequently getting your organization and issue into the public spotlight should still create a small but steady stream of “over-the-transom” members. At the same time, it can make all the other member recruitment strategies you employ work much more effectively. There are whole books written on this topic (two of the best are River Talk! Communication a Watershed Message, by River Network, 503-241-3506 and How to Tell and Sell your Story, Parts I and 2, by the Center for Community Change, 202-342-0567), but here are a few quick tips to stimulate your thinking:

• Identify a clear mission and goals for your organization and a clear message which resonates for your public;
• Develop a public relations/communications plan which targets key audiences and strategies
• Develop a logo, symbol or other identifying element for use on all of your materials
• Repeat your message over and over again in as many forums as possible
• Always include your telephone number, address and web site on public communications
• Keep your existing members and supporters well informed about your accomplishments
• Personally cultivate reporters, editors, TV producers, and radio announcers who cover issues that are central to your work.
• Become known as a quick, dependable source of accurate information for your river/watershed

Complementary Members
If you feel that certain people MUST receive your publications, although they probably won’t send money, you can classify them as “complementary” members and provide them with a “free” membership. “Complementary” members may be influential politicians, civic leaders, or other people you want to keep informed. However, too many “complementary” members can clog up a database and make mailing costs exorbitant. In order to be able to delete these members at the appropriate time, it is important to record the name of the person who requested that they be given a “complementary” membership, as well as the date and the reason for the membership. If you do this, it will be possible to review complementary memberships periodically and purge those that are no longer important to maintain.

Conclusion:

In my experience, the best strategy for membership recruiting is to create a culture of ongoing and continuous outreach to new members by staff, board and volunteers. If you are successful at doing this, using a combination of the strategies mentioned above (and probably several we haven’t thought of), you will create a constant stream of new members in your door which will allow your organization to grow and flourish.