As a new school year begins, the next class of leaders are waiting to find a place they belong. This guide is full of selling points and recruitment techniques that you can use to grow your chapter for years to come.
Three Selling Points
When pitching to a potential new member, here are three selling points to work into your sales pitch.
1. Joining DECA guarantees you will still be able to spend time with your friends.
Use this selling point for incoming freshmen. The idea of seeing and spending time with the individuals and friends they have grown up with will make high school seem less scary and DECA more appealing. (Hopefully this means they'll also recruit their friends!)
2. DECA allows you to spend time with members from other schools.
Whether the student you are recruiting or one of their friends opted not to go to their feeder high school, there is a major feeling of comfort in knowing that the student can still see their friends. This selling point is especially effective before members can drive on their own.
3. You may get the opportunity to travel to many new places.
While not all competitions are in far away, exciting locations, students are often drawn to the fact that they get to experience a new area and spend a day away from their "everyday norm."
Three Recruitment Techniques
Now that you have perfected your sales pitch, use these three techniques to put your recruitment plan into action.
1. Eighth grade nights/ Freshman open house
These events may be called something different in your chapter, but they all serve the same purpose–recruitment. Utilizing these events to have current members talk to possible members is a great way to make students feel safe and welcome before they even enter the school building as freshmen.
2. Marketing materials
Objects that a student can hold, take home with them and see at multiple other points over a more extended period are constant reminders of DECA. Using this method of recruitment is also a great way to create a more loyal member.
3. Social media
Social media has been a major part of recruiting, especially if the pandemic is still restricting in-person opportunities. Creating and sharing interactive posts will help your chapter reach a larger audience of people.
