While recruitment is vital and important to the success of a student organization, that doesn't mean that it doesn't come with issues as well. Here are a few potential issues that your organization could face while recruiting members.

  • It's hard to keep members: You may find new members for your group, easily, but find they don't stick around after one or two meetings. The act of keeping recruited members is called retention. Learn more about membership retention.
     
  • New members don't feel welcome: It is often easy for the leaders or existing members of an organization to talk with each other and not with new students attending meetings and programs. But this pattern of behavior can result in feelings of alienation for the newer members - the feeling that they are not a part of the group. Left unaddressed, these feelings of alienation can lead to new members' discomfort, disenfranchisement, and resentment toward the existing members. New members may choose to not participate any further if they don't feel welcome. Remember: You can talk to your friends any time, so use time at meetings and programs for the benefit of all members. Introduce yourself to new students and help them feel welcome.
     
  • It's hard to socially connect to new people: When new members feel alienated, often it's not because the existing members don't want them there, but because the existing members don't know how to talk to new people. Talking to someone you do not know may be difficult, but these simple conversations go a long way toward creating a welcoming environment and friendly atmosphere. Do your best to connect with new members. It may feel uncomfortable or weird at first, but it is relatively easy once you get over your initial shyness or awkwardness. Try pretending you're an actor playing the character of a good conversationalist, and work off of a script:
    • "Hi, I'm _________, the [officer role]. What's your name?"
    • "Nice to meet you! I'm glad you're interested in our club. What made you want to check us out?"
    • "We want to create a welcoming environment, so just enjoy the meeting today and soak it all in. If you have questions, or if you want to talk more about how you want to be involved, let's set up a time to meet and talk."