Are you ready to be the one…with the largest Collegiate DECA membership growth in the next academic year? Although school may be on break for the summer, your campus is buzzing with freshmen and transferring college students looking to get involved in the fall semester. This time is a great opportunity to engage prospective members and work on retaining current members. Below are some ideas to help you set your chapter up for success in the upcoming semester.
College Orientation Events
Your college or university may hold orientation events over the summer break for incoming students. Check with your student involvement center to see if there are any tabling or speaking opportunities for your organization to participate in so that you can get in front of prospective members to share more information about your chapter.
During your tabling event, make sure that you have an enticing pitch to get the prospective members to remember you and stay connected. For example, provide giveaways if they follow you on social media so that they can see your updates. Or, enter them into a raffle that they can be eligible to win if they attend your first chapter meeting or event. Remember to have them sign up with their emails so you can reach out to them when the fall semester begins.
Keep Current Members Engaged
While it’s important to introduce new members to your chapter, retaining your existing and former members is just as critical. Making sure that they feel valued year-round is important to encourage them to renew their membership. As a chapter, you can plan informal activities or meetups over the summer to keep your current members engaged, get them to bond with each other and keep your chapter at the top of their minds when the semester begins. Additionally, involve your members with your recruitment activities as they will be the best people to share their first-hand experience of Collegiate DECA with prospective members.
Work On Your Chapter’s Digital Presence
This is the perfect time to develop and enhance your chapter’s online presence. Continue staying active on your social media accounts. Share quiz questions, highlight what your members are up to during this #SummerofDECA, or simply engage with your college’s social media by commenting on their posts. By doing this, incoming students and the general community can be exposed to your chapter’s name. If an opportunity presents itself, get your college’s account to spotlight your chapter so that a broader audience can learn about you.
If a prospective member types in your college name and “DECA,” will you show up in their search results? Whether it’s a search engine or a social media platform, make sure that you exist where your audience is looking. Also, ensure that all of your contact information and important details are updated so that it is easy to reach you.
Don’t Forget Alumni and Professionals!
Recruitment doesn’t just have to include student members; this time is also an opportunity to recruit alumni and professional members. Reach out to your recently graduated members to keep them involved. Take this time to invite them to any gatherings you have planned over the summer, provide them opportunities to mentor, get their personal email to stay in contact and keep them updated on future events.
Get alumni involved in your recruitment efforts as well. Share post-grad profiles of your alumni on social media, get their Collegiate DECA testimonials and stay in touch with them. The more connected they feel to your chapter, the more likely they’ll stay involved as an alumni member.
Plan for the Upcoming Semester
Use the summer to establish your membership goals and plan out your fall semester recruitment activities. Organize a calendar of all campus-wide events that your chapter can be present at, plan the chapter leaders who will commit to being at those events and develop your marketing plan for when students are back on campus.
While summer is a good time to relax and reset for the new year, also take this time as an opportunity to grow and strengthen your chapter. Collegiate DECA has brand resources including templates for social media and flyer designs for recruitment that your chapter can edit to fit your audience. Best of luck in your recruiting efforts!
