Membership within Collegiate DECA isn’t just for students and advisors! We also welcome alumni and business community members to join in the fun of our division. Learn more about how your chapter leadership can participate in alumni and professional recruitment and what these members can do for our division.
Who Are Alumni Members
Collegiate DECA alumni are those members who have graduated and want to stay involved with our program while paying the appropriate DECA Inc. and, where applicable, chartered association dues. These members receive the value of supporting an organization that has impacted them and over 1 million additional emerging leaders and entrepreneurs. Alumni members may have a variety of involvement and experiences during their time in the program, but they still want to stay involved.
Who Are Professional Members
This membership type is open to anyone who wants to contribute to the growth and development of your chapter, an association or our division. Examples of business professionals can include professors, faculty and staff, employers, parents or relatives of active members, committee members from local non-profits, business owners and so many more. These members can get involved locally at the chapter level to help their members “Be the One” through professional development, networking or even job and internship preparation.
How to Recruit
If your chapter has kept track, your alumni could be a quick phone call or email away to recruit for our division. Reaching out to ask about their time in DECA could get you a foot in the door to recruit them as an alumni member. Maybe they won glass at ICDC one year. Or, they may have gotten their internship or job thanks to DECA. Reminding them of the good times and the advantages DECA has provided them will allow them to relive their experience. The more they reminisce, the more likely they will be open to returning as an alumni member!
For business professionals, you can reach out to local business owners, professors and faculty at your school beyond your advisors or others in the business world. In the past, our chapter would give professional memberships to any guest speakers at our meetings to provide a “thank you” for volunteering their time.
Developing Connections
One way to create a highly individualized connection with these members is to get them involved in your chapter meetings. Maybe it’s by having them as guest speakers, attending field trips to their place of work or even just keeping them in the loop on all things Collegiate DECA.
These members can add value to your chapter by getting involved beyond just paying membership dues. They can provide connections that could ultimately lead to employment in the future. They can also offer advice or resources beyond just monetary support. By developing deeper connections, you can maximize their membership for your chapter.
Thank Them!
A personal or handwritten card can go a long way. Make sure to collect office addresses (if your members are okay with it) and send them a little something to thank them for donating their time, talents or money to your chapter. Or, maybe send them a virtual video from your chapter officer team. Some chapters even have their own newsletters, so shouting out these members and thanking them via email that spreads far beyond just a few members is a great opportunity.
Utilize The Membership Portal
If you’ve ever had the opportunity to peek inside the DECA Membership Portal, you may have seen tab selections for students and advisors. But, if you look further, you will find sections for our alumni and professional divisions. These tabs will allow your chapter to keep track of these membership types, send emails and communications,and get them involved in your local Collegiate DECA programming.
