Recruitment doesn’t start on the first day of school. It can be a year-round process, and while your chapter is planning the annual banquet or senior sendoff, it might be a good idea to get your membership team together to start drumming up some personalized recruitment tactics.
Effective Recruitment
Hosting large introductory events can be an effective way to attract many potential members. These events can showcase the community aspect of DECA and how our organization works when we come together.
However, for the interested students who are on the fence, one-on-one conversations are the most effective strategy. Students want to know what they can get from DECA and may have questions about how their involvement will fit in with their interests and existing commitments. For these students, it’s all about the personal connection and showing them how DECA can change their lives.
Approaching “Why DECA?”
At any organization fair, kickoff event or open house, one question your chapter is guaranteed to get is, “Why DECA?” Interested students want to know why DECA is worth their time and why they should consider joining it. This question can determine a student’s decision to be a part of your chapter, so be sure to take it seriously.
This is a great time to share your own DECA story, your most powerful recruitment tool. Talk about why you love DECA, what made you stay and get more involved, and how your life would be different without it. Share with the potential members how DECA can benefit them, and highlight various opportunities DECA offers to get involved, from competition to leadership to community service. At the beginning of the school year, students are presented with endless options of organizations to join. Answering “Why DECA?” is your opportunity to position DECA as the organization they should call home.
Making It Personal
Effectively answering questions is important for anyone looking to recruit for their DECA chapter. Make sure that in all of your conversations, you are tying the point back to how DECA can benefit the potential member. While these personal conversations may seem small on the grand scale of more significant, flashier recruitment events, they hold weight when new members send in their applications. Think back to your thought process when you decided to join DECA. Use those memories and apply them to your conversations to encourage students to join. Your interested students are looking for a place where they can feel comfortable, grow, succeed and belong. Make sure that in every action you take, you are intentionally showing that to them.
