Effective Student Organization/Recruiting and Membership

This section includes solutions to problems of recruitment and retention.

Recruitment refers to the process of screening, and selecting qualified people for a job at an organization or firm, or for a vacancy in a volunteer-based. Some components of the recruitment process, mid- and large-size organizations and companies often retain professional recruiters or outsource some of the process to recruitment agencies. Other ways that recruitment takes action is by getting the word out there for a certain organization to attract attention to the field of interest.

For example, a lot of clubs have a difficult time recruiting members, but many clubs have come up with strategical and effective means of recruitment. How clubs recruit members often depends on the nature of the club. A lot of Western’s clubs rely on word of mouth, and can often be found advertising their club at information fairs or in Red Square. In this section you will find many recruitment methods that have been successful for current Western clubs.

Recruitment

Recruitment refers to the process of screening, and selecting qualified people for a job at an organization or firm, or for a vacancy in a volunteer-based some components of the recruitment process, mid- and large-size organizations and companies often retain professional recruiters or outsource some of the process to recruitment agencies. Other ways that recruitment takes action is by getting the word out there for a certain organization to attract attention to the field of interest.

For example, a lot of clubs have a difficult time recruiting members, but many clubs have come up with strategical and effective means of recruitment. How clubs recruit members often depends on the nature of the club. A lot of Western’s clubs rely on word of mouth, and can often be found advertising their club at information fairs or in Red Square. In this section you will find many recruitment methods that have been successful for current Western clubs.

One of the key features for successful recruitment includes accessibility for the all too busy lives of many college students. The WWU Strongman Club is based at the Wade King Student Recreational Center (SRC) and is open to all Western students. The club administrators either work or spend a significant amount of time at the SRC which allows constant access by the members of this club. Unlike most other clubs where the club meetings and events are really the only time club members interact with the administrators and other members of the club, the WWU Strongman Club provides day to day opportunities for all members to talk with and benefit from the insight of the leadership. Since the main goal of the club is to inform the members on how to train, lift weights, and diet properly the success of this stems from being able to access the administrators who are well informed and experienced in sport science. The club has a Facebook page with 60 members and it provides a great way to keep in touch. It holds plenty of discussion topics and even more links to useful websites. Such websites have great information on healthy eating, the best and cheapest supplements and effective stretching. I would consider Facebook one of the club's main most effective recruiting method.

Another great way to feel part of the club is that the majority of the members train at the rec on a daily basis. Everyone is very willing to help each other out. I have asked multiple times for advice on a certain workout routine or for a spotter The SRC is open every day and is located on campus which allows ease of access by all on and off campus students. Becoming a member is as easy as putting your name on a list and sustaining membership means working out and dieting properly. This similar success has been noted by Allie Paul, Art Gallery Assistant Coordinator, who says that her job is a little easier to accommodate because the Art Gallery at Western is open every day and has a wide range of hours that let students wander in and out on their own time.

Another example of a club which has been successful in recruitment in a creative way is the Dead Parrot Society; The Dead Parrot Society has an interesting recruiting process for their club. You cannot automatically become a member, instead the members must specifically ask you to join their club. It is a try-out based recruiting process in which anyone can drop-in and participate every Tuesday night. On Tuesdays they, both the parrots and the drop-ins (however not all drop-ins want to be members, some go because it's funny and a good way to let off steam, but most of the drop-ins go because they eventually want to become members, but it does take a while). They play different acting games for two hours, improving their skills while having some laughs along the way. To advertise Tuesday drop-ins, participants tell their friends, use social networking on Facebook, and members announce open drop-in sessions after they present a show. In the croquette club they also use social networking and word of mouth as forms a recruitment. With more recruited members the club will grow and become much more popular. Doug, a three-year member of Dead Parrots, stated that he enjoys having a small group of Dead Parrots but the group is lacking popularity. Popularity is important to a successful organization and therefore recruiting is crucial to success.

Like the Dead Parrot Society the Rugby club is open to all new members and welcomes all. The difference between the two is that the Dead Parrot Society needs to keep its talent at its highest level when putting on shows to keep the fan count high. The Rugby club is more interested in allowing all members to participate in all aspects of the club. According to Jason and Rowan, members themselves, the club is "open to anyone who is interest about the sport." The goals of the club are to promote the sport, practice techniques, spread enthusiasm the sport, and most importantly to socialize. It is therefore not important whether a person looking to join is a seasoned veteran or new to the sport. In addition, members of the club are encouraged to talk about the club with their friends to continue to increase the publicity of the club.

One aspect of the Ritmo Salsa Club that is a big strength is the number of members for a club of its type. At the meeting that I attended, there were about 25 advanced dancers getting a lesson from two instructors as well as three or four beginning members being taught by two instructors. According to Rachel Mortan’s interview for the tango club, they have about twelve members that attend meetings each week. That is way less than the Salsa Club which shows that the Salsa Club is superior in getting a large number of members, especially towards the end of the year. Like many other AS clubs on campus, Ritmo Salsa Club recruits new members by word of mouth. Getting people excited about dancing is important when trying to get people to actually join the club so hearing about friends that are excited about it gets others involved. A strength of the Ritmo Salsa club is their ability to get word out about the club and get people interested. The person I interviewed at a meeting of the club said that they had heard about the club simply by word of mouth and hearing about her friends attending. Also, especially for clubs that involve activities such as dancing, a good way to get people excited about it enough to actually come to a meeting is to demonstrate. Performances give students a chance to see how much fun salsa actually can be which inspires them to go out and join the club.

The WWU Body Building Club is able to recruit all sorts of people, because a lot of students are into going to the Wade King Rec. Center and the club is open to anyone and everyone. You don't have to have a specific physique or even want to compete in competitions to be part of the Body Building Club. A lot of students go to the rec center whether it's to socialize or to work out, but the point is that the Body Building Club is located in a central popular location. A club similar to this (strength of easily recruiting members) is the Croquet Club. The Croquet Club, according to Zachery Stratton: "A major strength that the club has is recruitment; they are never short of people when they host events, such as tournaments and championships." In a town like Bellingham, sports and fitness are everywhere, clubs supporting any type of fitness do not have an issue with members. The Rugby Club is somewhat similar, as according to Marisa Mikelson's transcript they don't have a problem getting members, but they have a problem keeping them. The Body Building Clubs organization really contributes to the recruitment, the main leader (Stephanie Singer) is very personable, making it easy and no hassle to join!

The Scottish Country Dance Club at Western Washington University has trouble with recruitment due to the fact that the leaders of the group are very old. Their age gives them a disconnection to students which in turn contributes to the lack of members compared to many other groups on campus. At the same time, there is members of the group now because they were brought in by Tom or Rosemary. The fact that this elderly couple has such intense energy for the group is inspiring to some students. Another factor that leads to problems with recruitment is that the main student member that does the recruiting is a woman. If the one male in the group were to go out and try to get more men to join there would be a better chance of increasing the male members. If there were multiple girls to go out and just target men to join they would have better luck than one girl describing and talking about the group by herself. I think the number of members will increase because this group is so welcoming and more than willing to work with a new group member.

(A) A great place for a club like Students for Slum doctor Program to advertise their club would be around the fairhaven branch of Westerns campus, in south campus. There seems to be a good amount of knowledge in the students and faculty there regarding social issues, so recruitment for the club Students for Slum Doctors, or any other Social club could be very effective around Fairhaven. I have seem many clubs working outside red square for recruitment and fundraising activities, including the men against violence club, but many people are too busy when on campus to stop and look into clubs that interest them. I feel like getting deeper into the schools themselves, like Fairhaven or the anthropology department (especially for social issues clubs), would be a better place to advertise clubs and activities. Another good way to advertise events may be to ask a teacher in one of these classes to let you give a brief introduction to ones club and goals at the beginning or end of a class period, and possibly teachers could give extra credit to those people who choose to help/join. In all, It seems that recruitment must find its way deeper into the classroom in order to become more effective.

One aspect of Croquet Club, founded by Devin Spencer, that is never lacking is recruitment. Many different types of people come each month to have fun and compete in the age old sport of Croquet. The club is open to anyone and everyone, whether you are a student, alumni, or just someone who enjoys Croquet. Recruitment is simple and effective. Devin has made his own Croquet Club Facebook page especially for recruitment. It has descriptions of when each meeting/ tournament will be as well as a description of the previous week for those who could not make it. The page itself boasts over 100 members, with at least 20 or so members showing up for each event. The club is a very popular one, to say the least. They also recruit by rampant word of mouth, taking in all of those who wish to play an original, fun, exciting game complete with snacks, a leader board, and trophies up for grabs. Large groups of friends tend to come together to play and new, lasting friends have been made through Croquet Club. The pure fun factor of this club is all that’s needed to encourage different types of people, friends, acquaintances, or alumni to come back each month. Devin says that “we are starting the new wave of Croquet players. This is not a granny sport.” This quote illustrates that contrary to popular belief, Croquet is a blast and young people, especially college students, are enormously attracted to its fun, laid back, competitive qualities. Another club that has little problems with recruitment is The Photography Club. Similar to Croquet Club, you do not have to be of a certain skill level to show up and have a great time, so people of all backgrounds will show up for Photography Club in large, willing numbers. The WWU Body Building Club is also open to many different people of different physiques and skill levels, which attracts a large number of people interested in getting in better shape. Recruitment is based on different things throughout different clubs. The enjoyment that Croquet Club offers is more than enough to recruit many people effectively and without too much effort.

The Scottish Country Dance Club has been an established club at Western for the past 15 years, so they have been able to promote their club affectively and recruit new members consistently. Most of the members are recruited by general word of mouth, by friends of friends etc. Several of the members, however, were recruited by either Tom or Rosemary Read, who have been involved in the club since the beginning. Tom is a math professor and Rosemary teaches a dance class at Western so they encourage all of their students to get involved in the club. The club’s generally welcoming attitude and fun feeling attracts first timers to continue coming to club each week. The Scottish Country Dance Club is not intimidating because the current members are easy going and love teaching new dancers the steps of country dancing. So, everyone feels welcome and wanted.

The WWU Scottish Country Dance club founded around 1994 has seen a number of members come and go. The club currently has 9 members who come on a regular basis, but is always open to new members. Generally recruitment is done by word of mouth, or through the help of the founders Tom and Rosemary who are both teachers on campus. What’s great about the Scottish Country Dance club is you can be of any skill level. Their club ranges from very experienced dancers to some inexperienced ones, all are welcomed. In most clubs or sports this may not be the case. Usually, the more advanced or skilled players are the ones chosen to join and the less experienced are usually excluded. Instead the Scottish Country Dance club welcomes with open arms and is wiling to take the time to make sure each member not only develops as a dancer but also has a lot of fun.

Recruitment for Western Washington University's Scottish Country Dancing Club has been somewhat of a challenge. The club doesn't have a lot of regular members that attend the class every week. There is around nine regular members to show you how little of a group it is. There is roughly give-or-take 15 people that are present for the club weekly. There are several different ways of recruiting for the club. One method is simply by word-of-mouth. The regular attendee goes around in between classes and in their classes as well. They also try and wear shirts that support Scottish Country Dance to hopefully get other people to ask questions and be interested in the club. Another way of recruitment is simply just having posters to advertise the time the club meets and it gives the contact information for those who are interesting in getting more information about the club if the poster or flyer did not meet their needs. Recruitment has been a little bit of a struggle, but is still hopeful and expects to get more people interested in Scottish Country Dance Club.

KUGS the local radio station on campus at Western Washington has been established for almost 35 years. They have a successful system down of recruiting paid employees along with volunteers. KUGS starts reviewing applications for volunteers for the upcoming quarter during dead week. Each volunteer will receive their own two hour spot of reading the news live on the air. After news reading for a quarter a volunteer can move up in the radio station to having their own speciality show where they get to choose the music they want to play on the radio. Along with volunteers the radio station is ran by eight paid employees who are responsible for making sure all the behind the scene work is taken care of. KUGS begins its hiring for its paid employees during spring quarter along with the Associated Students. The method of applying to become part of KUGS is traditionally different from other clubs on campus like the sailing club where students are recruited primarily by word of mouth and from the sailing class. However I feel that KUGS method of applying creates more motivation and dedication from interested students because it allows for flakey students to be eliminated at the very beginning of the application process. KUGS has a place for anyone interested in learning more about how a radio station is ran and what goes on behind the scene.

The VOX: Planned Parenthood club at Western Washington University has very little difficulty attracting students with a membership of over 40 people, but they have struggled to attract members of both sexes. The vast majority of VOX's members are female. They believe this is because men feel that Planned Parenthood is a "female organization" and that VOX is a "female club." Western's Tango club struggles with a similar problem, having a female to male ratio of 3 to 1. VOX members regularly set up booths in red square and hand out information and free condoms in an attempt to attract students of both genders to come talk to them, but they have continually found that girls are much more likely to join the club. Booths in Red Square are the clubs main form of recruitment, but they also recruit by word of mouth of current members. The club continues to thrive with its female majority, but would greatly benefit from a more even ratio. While not all clubs will struggle with this problem it is generally beneficial to have roughly equivalent representation from both genders, especially in matters concerning sexual health.

From what I've learned by being involved in Students Against Optional Clothing, organization and event planning seems to be a definite problem. An organization strategy that I believe would be effective for this group would be informing more people of this specific group. Before becoming apart of this group I had never heard of this club before. I think if the club wants to recruit more members they need to make themselves more available to the public. By posting flyers around campus, creating a Facebook account, and possibly word of mouth they will be able to recruit more members. Since the club lack members planning events and meeting are difficult. The more people that are aware of this club the more people they will be able to recruit. Which will make organizing events easier and more efficient. Looking through other groups the Harry Potter Club and the Ritmo Salsa club also seems to have a problem with recruitment and organization. As I mentioned before, these clubs need something to make the people more aware of these clubs. Posting flyers, handing out pamphlets, and word of mouth would be a good first step in informing people and gaining members.

WWU's A'Capella Club is a recently formed club as of 2008. Because of its recent creation, the group and it's leader are still in the molding process in making it a solid group so recruitment of new members is open to all, similar to what you would see with Campus Christian Fellowship. If you have talented singing voice and are willing to show what you've got to the public than you are more than welcome. Generally recruitment will be done through word of mouth in order to gain popularity amongst students, but later on they are hoping to set up some signs and posters amongst the campus. One of their goals is to have a culmination on some of the most talented voices at WWU to create an award winning a'capella group. The group does offer a more exclusive male singing group run by the leader that does require a try out. Through this members can gain a better loyalty to the group which would help them carry on the groups traditions, rules, overall organization.

From the many different posts above it shows that the clubs on our campus use many different techniques for recruitment. Some of the most common threads between these clubs is word of mouth and social networking. Most of the above clubs have a Facebook group to try and interest new students into joining the club. But without word of mouth from current members of these clubs, recruiting would be a very difficult task, and this seems to be the most effective method for recruiting new members.

The number of players that need to be recruited can be a careful balance. For certain sports, such as the Croquet Club, the numbers need to be kept low in order to have enough materials since croquet materials are not easily come by. On the other hand, there must be enough participants to keep the fun up. Also if more students participated, there would be a greater opportunity to fundraise and a stronger drive to find the money. Although clubs such as World Injustice Awareness Club and Western Men Against Violence clubs feel that they have a problem with recruitment to their clubs, sports clubs such as Croquet have effective organization when they realize what an appropriate number for their activity is.

Invite Based Recruitment

The underlying goal behind every Associated Students Club is to bring students together around a common cause or concept. Every club does their very best to appear welcoming and appealing, but gaining new members is a constant challenge. Invitation based recruitment is likely the most effective method of recruiting new members given that it establishes a sense that a person's presence truly is desired at the meeting, it affirms that the club is legitimate, and it instills a personal tie into the group so that the new person could truly feel welcomed and important.

The A'Capella Club at WWU is new as of the 2008-2009 school year, yet they have employed some recruitment techniques that prove very useful. Although the group is open to all students, there is an exclusive performance subgroup of male singers which is put together by the group's leader. As this is the first year the group has been together, it has been possible for the recruitment and shaping of the ideal group to be done by the original members and leader. However, in future years, there will be no original members. By word of mouth and the use of invitations, personal recruitment can ensure that future members will meet the standards of the original group. Also, by handing down leadership positions to a trustworthy and loyal member, the group can maintain the same organization and codes of conduct. Similar to the A'capella Club, the Rugby Club personally invites members, continuing and ensuring a club full of members that would be approved by the original members.

Campus Christian Fellowship (CCF) is an evangelical Christian group the meets on campus at WWU on Friday nights. The group was created in the spring of 1972 and is still growing with over 300 members. Although CCF has over 300 members from Western Washington University, Skagit Community College and Whatcom Community College, they are always open and wanting more. CCF is a group that recruits members solely by word of mouth, events and invites by current members. CCF is not a closed group and is open to anyone and everyone. There is no process to becoming a member; simply show up. One quality of CCF that is appealing to visitors is the passion that the group contains. There is a passion among the members of CCF for what they believe that is almost overwhelming as a visitor, but yet a sight that can't be experienced elsewhere. In an interview with Brady Bobbink, who is the head pastor for CCF, he said, “Over years the essential structure that any student who comes in is cared for, helped along.” When a new student comes to CCF they are welcomed with open arms and every Friday night there is a form of a treat to welcome the new student or member. Much like CCF, the Tango and Salsa clubs have such a passion for their club and are open to anyone who would like to join. These three clubs at WWU are open groups that gain awareness by their own members and by word of mouth.

The Photography club is a fairly new campus club that takes pride in the art of photography. The club was recently started by Carmen Daneshmandi and meets at 6pm on Mondays. The club is open to all people interested in photography. There is no requirement besides having a camera so you can take part in photographing images you wish to share with the club. There is no camera that will not work for the club, for example some great pictures have been taken from camera phones. Again all people are welcome and the only requirement is that you find your own camera.

Word of Mouth

Word of Mouth is the most effective way of recruiting members in community of another's interest. Often including passing on information through group members by dialogue to other about unique skills or interest of the club/group in question. Usually attracting new recruits who already know at least one member and can acclimatize/ be more comfortable in starting activities free from nervousness. In making peers and community members relate to members it is possible to perhaps all move forward in a united effort to accomplish goals. Examples of ways to use informative word of mouth used at Western Washington University clubs include:

The Students Against Civilization don't go out of their way to recruit members; the club grows in the same way as the CCF, tango, and salsa clubs, via the mechanism of word of mouth. They have the advantage of a club that is so immensely intriguing and important that kids come simply to hear what there is to be said on the topic. After seeing that there is no fee or other requirements for membership, they tell all their friends how great the club is and in this way the club grows all the time. The club elders warmly welcome newcomers and the whole atmosphere is very open and inviting. The intellect on display draws students back time and time again as their contemplation over night of the prior discussion gets the inner cogs turning and the student finds themselves unable to resist the savory debate.

Just as The Students Against Civilization, the Creators of Visual Art and Literature Society also do not make it a priority to recruit their members. Aside from an information fair towards to beginning of the year, they receive most of their members by word of mouth. As most groups do, the members of this club all share common interests and attend to create. Because most of these members share common interests they often fall into the same social groups. Several of the members are in other clubs together or joined because they were already acquainted with members of the club. Different from The Students Against Civilization club in that they are content with a slow in flux of members but similar to the A’Capella club in that “If they wanted, they could become much more well known”, the members of Visual Art and Literature Society seem to be very content with their quiet status, they are happy to meet once or twice a week and create just for the fun of it.

In the A'Capella Club members spread the word of this club through the main use of verbal communication. Many of the club's audience consist of friends, and the passing crowd. However, because their club revolves around the use of auditory methods it can be heard from all around. So for example over the next school year, the A'Capella Club will be losing two members after graduation. In consequence they are now searching for two new members to audition for next years group. Using the word of mouth and communicating through their network of close friends and colleagues they are forming a tryout list that will consist of a typical song that the group will sing and a piece that the person auditioning could "show off" with. So in this case the methods of verbal recruiting is very effective due to the fact that they people informed are already interested and involved with the A'Capella club. Therefore, giving that passion that is associated with an effective and strong club.

Word of mouth has quite another meaning for spreading information about the A'capella Club. Since the group has quite a few performing members, it's very easy to go out on any given night and see the talent that the club has produced. By making themselves visible within the community they also give curious people a chance to talk to club members about what they like and (in rare cases) don't like about being in the A'capella Club. By making information easily available the information permeates every level of the school and that allows even the people that don’t attend the events to be aware of the club’s activities. This is remarkably similar to clubs like the Dead Parrot Society. They are both clubs full of performers who are out sharing their art with people and when they share their art they also leave people with an opinion of the club and its members. When people are constantly learning about student run organizations such as these it becomes easier for organizations to gather members even with members of the club graduating every year

(A)Unique skills give the club an extra boost in the word of mouth way. The A'capella group has members that compose their own music they provide a unique quality to their group. When people learn through word of mouth that original pieces are being performed this adds to the buzz about the group. When a club provides this kind of unique originality it gives them added popularity. As the Dead Parrots have the publicity of improvisation and the A'capella group have their original composition, each group finding their staple adds to how well they are known by word of mouth.

While some groups experience low attendance perpetuated by word-of-mouth reliance, as noted by Kendall Ring's analysis of Women in the Woods, the Campus Christian Fellowship's experience has been quite different. Despite the significant attendance clubs like CCF enjoy, word-of-mouth has one substantial failing as a recruiting tool. Garnering only members of similar inclination, the word-of-mouth technique has resulted in a homogenized community. Organizational unity is certainly a positive result, but the best interest of all clubs is served in diverse membership; humanity learns best not from harmonious solidarity, rather through clashes of thought. To this end, it is preferable for clubs to actively campaign themselves. Only by such means can disinclined individuals be introduced to club ideologies, potentially giving rise to altered evaluations.

Just as CCF, KSA (Korean Student Association) also recruits its members through word of mouth. However, unlike CCF, KSA could not have done information fair at the beginning of the quarter because KSA is a new club that is just created last winter quarter. In the interest of sharing Korean culture with other people at Western, KSA members introduce their club meeting to their friends and classmates. They also go and participate in other club meetings and other school events and tell people about the KSA. They are all very welcome for new members and let people to enjoy the time together. Furthermore, they have a Facebook group which is to make convenient for their members to communicate. That way, newcomers can make oneself more familiar with other club members.

The Dead Parrot society has a few problems, one of them being spreading the word around to be able to get new people interested in their organization. Even though they try to spread the word around through all the shows and they also try to tell people about it as much as they can to get people excited its still not enough and there's really not a lot of people that join. Its really hard to get people to join such a small group because there's really not a big fan base and there's not a lot of people that can spread the word around as there would be if there were more people to do it.

LEAD is a very well run organization/AS club. They are both effective at recruiting volunteers and members, as well as, getting funds to support the organization. LEAD is able to get many volunteers due to their collaboration with environmental studies/sciences classes here on campus. By partnering with and thus offering extra credit to volunteers, LEAD is able to get a very large pool of able-bodied volunteers. This is especially true for classes such as Environmental Science 101 that has upward of 500 students, with at least 200 of them a quarter vying for spots in work parties. Also helping them get volunteers is the fact that they are also partnered with the Bellingham school district and general word of mouth. Since they have become a respected and generally well-regarded student run organization, people from the community also volunteer. This is unlike other AS clubs, in that most are advertised from word-of-mouth only and don’t usually involve collaboration with Western Washington University classes. This, however, has proved to be a double-edged sword, as the ease at which they get volunteers has since reached the point of where it hurts LEAD more than it helps. This is because of the fairly low number of work parties. With so many people constantly trying to volunteer coupled with their limited members leads to a bottle necking of volunteers. This year for instance, has gotten to the point of where they couldn't even accept people for their wait lists. A way to solve this budget constraint would be to use word of mouth to make more clubs similar to LEAD. If they were to do this they could recruit more people because the budget would get split. When making more groups they can keep in mind that they can make the environment better, because not everybody is the best at everything. The other group could specialize in half the activities and LEAD could take the other half of the responsibilities. When they are specializing on the activities that they've chose, both groups will get farther in what they want to and they could actually double the process that they would be doing the following year. To get the word out to the interested young adults they could just announce it at the next meeting. They would saying "we will be splitting up (for example) in to LEAD A and LEAD B and each one will have different requirements," or something along those lines. Splitting this club would also mean, more people would be participating and less people will be on the waiting list, might even make Western Washington University have a better reputation.

Word of mouth combined with interest is a common theme for many AS club recruitment tactics such as the Western Men Against Violence group and the Homeless Outreach group. They utilize low key and non-aggressive recruitment tactics while still being active members of campus life/activities. This approach helps create a group that has a relaxed and communal feeling to it. Even though overall numbers are slightly hampered by it, the quality of each individual member seems to compensate for any lack of sheer force/manpower. Also, this style of recruitment blends extremely well with the theme/goal of the WMAV of non-aggression and control. However, this style also requires the current members to feel comfortable speaking with others about their involvement in the club. During interviews with WMAV, it was commented on that even (or perhaps especially) the older members were unwilling to speak to their friends/acquaintances about the club, because they were frustrated with the negative reactions they sometimes received. So, for some clubs the word of mouth style is theoretically a good idea, but in reality is ineffective.

In the Women and the Woods club most of their membership recruitment is through word of mouth. This technique works well for them. This works better for them because then it is directed toward people that want to be involved with the types of activities they participate in. Word of mouth also ensures knowing someone when entering the club. It can be easier to interact with new people when there is a familiar face next to them. They also post their activities on Facebook and welcome anyone to join in on the activities without being a member. This gives people a chance to see how well they enjoy the activities that happen within that club. This is a very inviting group that will take anyone who wants learn more about outdoor activities. Even though it says 'Women' in the Woods it is welcome to men as well. When talking with one of the leaders she mentioned that their boyfriends often come to their activities. With that advertising is not extravagant with the Women in the Woods but it is filled with members that want to be there and enjoy the same type of things.

With over 16,000 students circulating around Western Washington University's campus every day, word of mouth can serve as more than enough to influence and persuade these students to check out a new club. Because the idea of some clubs are so intriguing, the mere suggestion that one should join a club, or at least check it out, from a friend or acquaintance can act as the necessary push for many students to join the numerous clubs and activities that Western has to offer. People with similar interests tend to come together and talk about those interests. Word of mouth comes in handy with this process, because if you are interested in weight lifting, croquet, photography, art, literature, film, politics, recreational activities, or even Harry Potter: there is a club for that! Word of mouth comes in many different forms, including from friends, acquaintances, teachers, Facebook, fliers, or even people walking by you in Red Square. So keep your ears open and you will undoubtedly hear about a club that might interest you and make your experience at Western that much better.

The Tango Clubs only recruitment is through word of mouth. This technique works well for them because they aren't looking to spend a whole bunch of time making fliers or trying to recruit. This is partly in order for the group leaders to maintain a close contact with its members. Word of mouth is often much more convincing way of recruitment because it is more personal and often done by friends of members. The Tango Club also uses their Facebook page as a way to spread their news and club updates to current members and potential members. Other clubs such as the Women and the Woods club uses the same techniques as the Tango Club to recruit members through word of mouth.

With Making Western diverse being brand new to the Associated Students line up for clubs, in the beginning the word of mouth method was all that the few members of MWD had to use. Then as the club started to progress on to being more official, the use of social networks like Face Book took over as the main ways of getting the club noticed by the student body here at Western. Unlike the A’Capella club who used their main way of publicizing their club with the word of mouth, MWD uses the word of mouth as a secondary tool. With social networking websites, reaching out to many different people at the same time is much easier than solely using the tool of word of mouth. With the use of this Face Book, the club can efficiently connect with more diversified crowd, instead of the word of mouth strategy whereas the people who are spread the word are usually spread the word to their friends only. The only spreading the word to their friend, allow room for the people in the club to be in the same social mind set.

The Sailing Club also uses word of mouth methods, for successful promotion. Many students take sailing classes or other classes at Lakewood, where the Sailing Club mainly participates. So the club gets a lot of exposure through students talking about sailing classes. Many newer members on the team weren’t recruited by elder members, but instead approached the Sailing Club on their own. Often these students have taken one of the sailing courses offered through the school and find that they like the class and would like to sail more. The Sailing Team is easy to contact and promote the sailing club as there is nearly always a member of the club at Lakewood where outdoor and water sport enthusiastic students are likely to visit.

Word of mouth methods are effective in getting people involved with the different groups around campus. This method requires people to actively seek others who might be interested in a group, and this is where many groups, such as the Tango Club, have benefited from social networking tools such as Facebook. The Dead Parrots Society is another example of a club that uses Facebook to gain followers. When using Facebook to promote it is a good idea to insert video demonstrating what the group does or to place links that will provide more information about the group.

Interest

In the beginning of the school year, Western Washington University does an excellent job introducing the clubs at the university with the info fair. At the info fair, all the clubs at Western have their own booth where people they can tell potential members about their club. The initial interest of a club is usually made at this fair. Beyond the initial interest, the following clubs show strengths and weakness in how interest is either kept or ways that people lose interest in their club.

Not always does interest have to be catered to by booths or other forums of advertisement. Many times if a student is interested in a particular subject or is from a certain race or creed, that student will want to seek out others who share similarities with them. Word of mouth is also another way that clubs can gain popularity, as popular or fun clubs are more likely to be talked about.

The Dead Parrot Society gains interest by inviting people to watch the shows that they put on. Advertising the upcoming shows is a great attention getter for students interested in improves. This is a great way to allow people who are interested to see what the final product of their hard work is. After this gains the attention of new possible members, they are very open about inviting everyone to their open meetings every Tuesday to evaluate the talent of the new members. By using their own shows as advertising to students they save the time and effort they would spend by going out and asking people to join.

One of the Photography Clubs' main goals is to find people who are interested in photography. A way to observe interest in the community is to find a reliable place to hold meetings. This would secure members continuing to come to the meetings and share this common interest. Another way to find interested people is to have more people leading the club. There can be one president but more officers is needed for the clubs' survival. More people promoting the club means more interested people are likely to show up. Unlike the sailing club and the weight lifting club there is no facility for the club members to meet every time.

When students are trying to start a new club or gain new members to their existing club it is very important to think about who would be interested. When you are thinking about starting a new club it is important to make sure that there would be enough people interested in the topic of the club. Furthermore, if a club has too specific of a topic it may be hard to find members. Once the leadership of a club has thought of who might be interested in their club it will be much easier for the club to advertise. This is because they can start advertising in venues where students who may be interested spend their time. It can be very helpful when advertising and starting a club to think about those who would be interested and try to cater to them.

The Sailing club is an organization lucky enough to have a arena for there club meetings as well as a location to sail that is given from nature. Lakewood is a student run facility where team members practice, hold meetings, store equipment, and run their club. This is beneficial because Lakewood is open to the public where students can rent sailboats, and in turn enjoy sailing so much that they look to pursue it further by joining the club. Other clubs such as the weightlifting club are blessed to have facilities (student rec. center) that help in the broadening of group interests to other students on campus. Western Washington's student clubs can use facilities such as Lakewood to expand their membership base and continue to recruit members for years to come.

The Hui O' Hawaii cultural organization has found that advertising in off-campus recreational sites are good for membership interest. One function they put on is to teach Hula dancing at the local YMCA. This allows for awareness to be spread across the community and not just within a group of people that share an interest. Advertising off campus can be very helpful by way of recruiting a significantly larger number of participants then could be found on the Western campus alone. This increase in interest would make fund-raising a thoroughly successful operation and would encourage community wide knowledge and acceptance of the club in question.--Sharpc2 (talk) 20:17, 29 May 2009 (UTC)

The Hui O' Hawaii club has an open-door method when it comes to recruiting new members. Members are generally recruited by word of mouth from past or current club members but they are not opposed to anyone who shows up with an interest in the club. This method allows the group members to become very close knit with each other as there are not that many of them and those who are there express a great interest in the Hawaiian culture; a few members still live in Hawaii but are here during the school year and they offer great insight.

A strategy that has worked quite well for the Harry Potter club is always having open door meetings. Any time during the year, people can walk into Harry Potter club and join at any time. In addition they do not take attendance or require that you be there every time (although they would prefer that you were), allowing a very non-hostile environment. Also, they have the door to their meetings open at all times, so that people passing by might hear that they are having a good time, and will pop in for a few seconds to see what is going on. Their primary active recruiting goes to those whom would be interested in the books, such as having large stuffed animals from the book series, however the club is extremely warm to anyone who enters their doors, which reinforces the idea to return to the club.

The A’capella club recruits members that have a singing ability that adds to the vocal range of the group. The strategy most effective for seeking out these individuals thus far is word of mouth. If someone has the vocal ability and wants to join the club all they need to do then is to set up an audition with the group leader. Since most talented singers are proud of their talent it is easy for them to seek out this club. You have to be exclusively interested in competitively singing with a group to become a member, that’s the bottom line and the basis for this club. The Campus Christian Fellowship (CCF) works in a similar manor by seeking out followers of the Christian faith via word of mouth, and they have upwards of three hundred members. Although singing is a rarer quality than being Christian the interest based recruitment is a functional method based on interest.

For some clubs Interest is the only thing that keeps it alive. Clubs such as Sexploration might harbor a few non-committed members for the free pizza but it is a club that depends on peoples interest in sexual education that keeps it alive. Another example is people will join Frisbee club because they like Frisbee, not because they want to travel and get free food. The Submarine club however is an exception. The group does not depend on any one faucet to be successful. They have a small group of kids that aren't simply just "interested" in submarines. They have a multi-tiered interest in engineering which is the main focus of the club. Problem solving, work groups, budget meetings, and many other structured activities keep the interest of the members without adding extra "bling" such as perks and pizza to draw in unmotivated, part time club goers. This is a more serious club at Western and Their achievement show it.

The most crucial factor in recruiting members for Slum Doctor AS club at Western has been, by far, finding people who already hold some strong interest or passion for their cause of creating awareness and helping promote education in sub-Saharan Africa. Club president Kasey Hostetler discussed with us the modest beginnings of the club, starting with fifty dollars and two committed members with a passion for providing as much aid as possible to those in Africa fighting the AIDS epidemic. She told us that without a solid, passionate foundation and the slow increase of members equally as enthusiastic towards their cause, the club would be nowhere and likely have already died out. A new club, and an extension of the Slum Doctor Program of Bellingham, they have found the most interest in Fairhaven students, many of whom she says are already very passionate and have been excited to partake in their cause. While some groups such as the Rugby club use strategies such as extensive advertising to promote their club, advertising for the Slum Doctor Club has been difficult, with limited funding and not much recognition as such a new club, Kasey said. However, a technique that may be affective for the club in the future, and seems to have been working for the Students against Civilization club is to hold educational events. Many people on Western’s campus seem to be passionate or at least strongly intrigued by the cause Slum Doctor Club has been formed around, and holding events to help promote awareness of their existence while simultaneously educating people about their cause would likely increase membership and interest.

Having truly passionate members is a key component to having a successful organization. When people are interested in something they are more likely to participate, and remain committed to the organization. For example, most of the members of the WWU Body Building Club are very dedicated to body building and it has become a lifestyle for them. These members are the people who are out participating at every event, advertising for the club, and potentially recruiting new members. When there is interest in a particular subject, recruitment will not be a problem. In clubs such as the WWU Body Building Club and also the Cycling Club at Western, word of mouth is the main form of advertisement and recruitment. This strategy is effective because it is an intimate, face-to-face situation that allows a person to really understand the club. Creating interest and having members who are excited and willing to participate is an extremely important asset to any organization.

Such as the WWU Body Building Club and other fitness based clubs are related to the Rugby Club and the interest that students show through the bond with the other teammates as well as showing dedication and commitment to the sport, Rugby. Megan Nakamura said, "The Rugby Club's main asset is the building foundation of the sport". During the meeting with Connor Nelson, a freshman on the Rugby Club, he mentioned that team members get together whenever they can. He also mentioned that being a part of the Rugby Club, his social life with friends changed as well; he spent majority of his time with the other teammates and this was a similar case for other members. Because of their friendly orientation, it helps them to show others that they are always welcoming new members, which sets a positive outlook on recruiting.

The strategy for the Korean club to recruit members and to have constant members joining is word of mouth. The members spread the word about their club by telling all their friends, and acquaintances. This is a good idea for the club so then they are always trying to bring in more people, and it will keep it a smaller group of people, but there wont be much diversity in the club. The club allows Korean and Non Korean members but only spreading the word about the club by word of mouth is solely bringing in certain group members. A couple times a quarter the Korean club will go out and sell cookies by the VU and place up posters around campus. This is very different to other clubs like (the planned parenthood) plans of recruiting new members once a week in red square. One of the big problems associated with the group and their meetings is since there are not many members in the Korean club it is difficult finding a meeting time for everyone to show up. Other than that the Korean club has shown some growth and will be able to continue to recruit members and share their culture.

"Recruitment for KUGS is relatively easy", Melissa Derry, Specialty Music Coordinator. They consistently host events such as their "birthday", celebrated every five years. In my interview with Melissa she talks about how they DJ at events such as their "birthday" and when Jurassic 5 came and performed at WWU. People see what them DJ-ing and see how much fun they are having. From there all it takes is them asking how to get involved, and thus a student and volunteer base is formed fairly simply. Very similar to the way the Dead Parrots Society invites people attend their shows; KUGS promotes their own events. This is easily the least labor-intensive way to recruit new members in any club or organization. By advertising and giving publicity to the amount of 'fun' the organization has, KUGS furthers their fan base and recruitment simultaneously. As suggested by the paragraph regarding Dead Parrots Society, recruiting people in this way is a good way to attain members who already have a strong curiosity or interest in the group.

Among the many students on Western's Washington University, there has been a lack of diversity. This is what brings many students to Making Western Diverse. This club is strictly focused on reaching out to different people from all walks of life to focus on making Western a more comfortable feel. One effective strategy that was used to recruit members was effective planning. The club officers worked really hard on planning events and then bringing their ideas to their club members. This allowed the club members to have a say and also let them know that they were still working towards their goals. Every member of the club was asked to bring someone new to every club meeting. This helped increased members because they were always educated by other members about the club's main purpose. Making Western Diverse also has a Facebook group online that allowed anyone to join. The members were able to invite other Facebook friends to join the group.

With the many clubs offered at Western sometimes it's hard to get word out about a club but the Ritmo Salsa club has come up with an effective way of spreading information. Instead of relying heavily upon posters and flyers the Salsa club took a different approach by showing the Western community what they are actually about. Through out the year the Salsa Club hosts dancing events which gives students an opportunity to see what they actually could be doing and learning, through this display Salsa Club members can spark interest in possible new members. Because many people may never hear about these events more posters may help, for example, the Swing Kids swing dancing club puts fliers in common areas, cafés, and the dining halls making their club information available to anyone who may be interested. Though the Salsa Club does set up a booth during information fairs their club is less visible than the Swing Club.

Event Recruiting

Many times student run clubs or organizations need new membership to fill slots absent from graduates and other lost members, this results in a strategy that involves recruiting. There are many strategies for recruiting members, event recruiting is a method used by different clubs that works in creating a larger membership base. Whether these events are hosted on or off campus depends on the club and its intentions. One of the Student Homeless Outreach Team’s (S.H.O.T.) greatest strengths is their recruitment for their quarterly event “Be Our Guest.” Each quarter the club rounds up enough students to donate their meals to feed a hungry person in the community. Each quarter the club has seen an increased number of participants because of word of mouth and new recruiting strategies. This quarter instead of “tabling” in Red Square S.H.O.T. took a new approach and recruited in front of the Viking Commons, eliminating the need for the question, “Do you have a meal plan?” Other important recruiting devices include posters, banners and flyers around the school campus. Other clubs such as The Korean Club, Women in the Woods, and Dead Parrot society that utilize posters and other related recruiting devices find that they increases participation in their on campus events.

LEAD’s effective recruiting methods include offering extra credit for various classes on campus. The club works with the professors of ESTU 202 and ESCI 101 and sends them the sign-in sheets from work parties. Extra credit gives students an incentive to sign up for LEAD activities, and LEAD has an easier time filling up work parties. LEAD co-directors are responsible for going to these classes and getting the word out about work parties. LEAD also has a website where students can sign up for work parties with the click of a mouse. Students fill out an online form with their name, student number, class (if they want extra credit), and email. The website has the work party schedule for the entire quarter and lists which work parties have spaces available. LEAD uses email to communicate and confirm with volunteers, and sends out reminders and directions via email as well. The Tango Club also uses a website for recruiting new members and advertising events. Tango Club also uses posters and word-of-mouth to spread information on club activities.

This strategy of advertising in classes by word of mouth is effective. Also, the choice to advertise in relative classes such as ESTU 202 and ESCI 101 also help bolster and increase attendance at LEAD's work parties. This strategy has been very effective as the work parties fill up quite quickly and are often difficult to get into after the first couple weeks of a quarter at WWU. The fact that they advertise to relevant classes sets them apart, as their goals have been achieved more than Tango Club's, since the work parties normally fill fast; this may also be because of the incentive, i.e. extra credit in an environmental class the student is currently enrolled in (as long as it is offered for that class).

Unlike the Harry Potter Club, which has a problem with membership, LEAD has developed a very good and stable way to recruit people for their events. They have spoken to and kept ties with professors in environmental studies/sciences classes (ESCI101, ESTU202) and built a system where extra credit is offered if a student participates in a LEAD work party. LEAD comes to the classes and presents how to sign up and what they're about and find themselves overflowing with participants. This is not the only way to participate in LEAD because they also accept drop-in volunteers who are not there for extra credit.

Western's LEAD club speaks to ESCI 101 and ESTU 202 classes shortly after they start to let students know of opportunities where they can both earn extra credit for their class, as well as helping out the community. These "work parties" are first-come, first-serve and can be competitive, since professors encourage participation. I am enrolled in ESTU 202, and a member of LEAD gave us a brief presentation of what the club was about, why their work is important, as well as showed us how to sign up for the weekend work parties. This is done online and students can see which time slots are taken and which are still open. The extra incentive for extra credit appeals to many, so recruiting doesn't seem to be a problem. The only other group I came across that uses online recruitment is the Tango Club. However, they also use posters which I have seen on occasion across campus, but I rarely see posters for LEAD. Spaces need to be available for those enrolled in the ESTU and ESCI classes first, since they have an opportunity for extra credit.

An excellent way to gain new members is to hold a large exciting event that is capable of drawing a crowd. The idea would be to of course get as many people as possible to hear about your club. For example the Student Homeless Outreach Team gets noticed by everyone who enters one of the commons when they are advertising for their "be our guest" event. This is similar to the WWU Body Building club holding the Westerns Strongest Man competition. The strongman competition was a big event that drew out a big crowd and most definitely increased the popularity of the club. While at an event with such a big crowd, simply have a sign up sheet on a table somewhere and you will be guaranteed to get new members. This can also be a good idea for other clubs who do not have as much popularity or success recruiting.

There are many exciting events held at WWU with the intention of recruitment for different clubs. Unlike many clubs such as the strong man club, many events are held off campus. The cycling club holds events for recruitment during races. This is a great way to show students what the club is all about as well as what they could be a part of if they joined. Events like this are also a great fund raising strategy.

A common type of event that some clubs use for recruitment are performances, most commonly used by dance clubs. When a dance club does a performance, it has the added bonus of spreading awareness about the club. The WWU Ritmo Latino Salsa Club, for example, does many performances and actively spreads awareness about the club along with the performance. Sometimes they even offer a small lesson in the dance after the performance, to get people interested. The advantage to this is not only is it inexpensive, but it previews what the club actually does to prospective members.

Many people are unsure of what they are interested in and most groups prove to be intimidating because they are focused on one topic. There are many world injustices, and many do not feel educated enough to fully participate in a certain club. The World Injustice Awareness club is a good starting point for people to talk to others about all the world injustices. It is like a beginner club because they are interested in all world injustices, and are not focused in on only one. After people are involved in this club they can join more focused clubs to really get involved in issues they find themselves passionate about. This club appears to be less intimidating to students because it is more broad and through this club they can find what they are passionate about. They don't have to feel as if they need to already know about an injustice and be already passionate about it to join this club.

Many clubs use a Facebook page to show when events will be. For the croquet club, event recruitment lies mainly in the club’s use of Facebook. The president, Devin Spencer, has done an absolutely marvellous job putting the club together and getting the word out using Facebook. When a match or meeting is going to be held, an event invitation can easily be sent out to every single member in the club. Devin has done a great job putting together the Facebook page so that the members can get the information that they need. Out of about 100 members, at least 20 will show up to events for the croquet club because they were easily alerted. Many members initially join the croquet Facebook group before going to any meetings and then go to a meeting or match when they get the event invitation. This is a good technique because learning about the club online is much less intimidating than going straight to the event in person. The Dead Parrots Society is another club that uses a Facebook page to get the word out about upcoming shows. Many clubs put a link to their Facebook page from the Western’s club page. Members can easily be alerted of the next club event. Technology has made getting vital information to all members a very easy task. Facebook seems to be an extremely helpful tool for many clubs around Western.

How to become a member

Who to contact

Often, new students come to college and decide to join a club, however, many are confused on the process of joining clubs. Often the best way to join a club is via a club fair. This is when the clubs spend some of their budget on advertising their clubs and provide a wealth of information. The president of the club is often there and will be happy to answer questions about joining. Also, all clubs are listed on the school's website most of the time, and attached to the club is contact information to the club leader. A simple email or a phone call is highly effective and somewhat more personal than a busy club fair, and the club president will often gladly explain functions, dates, and other useful information about the club.

Becoming involved in a Campus Christian Fellowship Core group has both similar and different methods as of recruitment compared to other groups. There are three ways to become involved in a core. The first way is the more traditional way that people become involved is by finding the location and time of the weekly Core meeting in their building (or the closest building to them) on the CCF website. The second way to become involved is a method that is shared by many clubs, such as the Dead Parrots Society and the Ritmo Salsa club, is to sign up for more information at the yearly Info Fair. The third way is the more unique way. As CCF Cores are a subsection of a larger organization, one can become involved in a Core by attending the CCF Friday night service, and filling out an information card. At that point, a leader within the community will contact you, and your information will be passed on to the Core leader closest to you, who will then personally contact you.

KUGS is the school radio station, and positions are paid. Before you can begin paid work at the station, you will read the new on air for a period of time without pay, during which they will train you for a position. KUGS has a great website you can find off the WWU homepage. This website has more information on how to apply and get involved. KUGS is located in the Viking Union, which is a nice central location for people who are interested. A successful strategy for KUGS is that they allow volunteers that do not attend WWU to become involved and help them out. If more clubs did this they might find better support and possibly more experienced people to help the club grow and expand.

The Croquet Club is a very easily accessible club. Start by searching the Western Washington Club Page online and one will be able to find general information about the club and how to contact its most current president. The club has also created a Facebook page, which is continually updated by its members. On this page, you can find past croquet tournaments with pictures and information, current events and tournaments that are about to take place and many members who are readily willing to talk to new recruits. Other groups such as SMASH club and Ritmo Salsa club have used Facebook as well to help recruit new members and list current events. Since the Croquet Club does not host very many meeting, new members or recruits can talk to members on Facebook about attending tournaments and events.

First meeting for a new member

The first impression is the most important determining factor in whether a potential new club member will continue with that club they are checking out. What goes on during the meeting when that new member comes has a lot to do with the recruitment numbers. If the new member likes what they experiment they will tell their friends and encourage others to join. In this section there are several examples of what the first meeting is like for new members in clubs across the Western Washington University campus. The following observations discuss the things that clubs are doing good and the challenges that the clubs are encountering.

The Scottish Country Dance Club has been up and running for about 15 years and is comprised of a diverse group of loyal members. After attending a couple of the club’s meetings, it is obvious why this club has been such a success and why its members enjoy it so much. Upon entering the meeting for the first time my group and I were warmly welcomed by not only the leaders, but by every member of the club. They insisted upon our participation and were willing to take time out of the meeting to teach us the basic steps. The enthusiasm of the leaders and members was enthralling and it quickly became clear why people would enjoy participating in a club with such communal feeling. It seems as though many of the other dance based clubs such as Swing Kids, Hui O’ Hawaii, and Tango Club noted the same kind of enthusiasm and welcoming of new members whether experienced or not. It seems as though the goal of the Scottish Country Dance Club, along with other clubs, is not so much to compete and be the best, but rather to provide a comfortable environment for people who want to meet new friends and experience new activities.

The Scottish Country Dance Club at Western Washington University has trouble with recruitment due to the fact that the leaders of the group are very old. Their age gives them a disconnection to students which in turn contributes to the lack of members compared to many other groups on campus. At the same time, there is members of the group now because they were brought in by Tom or Rosemary. The fact that this elderly couple has such intense energy for the group is inspiring to some students. Another factor that leads to problems with recruitment is that the main student member that does the recruiting is a woman. If the one male in the group were to go out and try to get more men to join there would be a better chance of increasing the male members. If there were multiple girls to go out and just target men to join they would have better luck than one girl describing and talking about the group by herself. I think the number of members will increase because this group is so welcoming and more than willing to work with a new group member.

The Scottish Country Dancing Club (SCDC) is a club fueled by the passion of its members. Their love of dance and the Scottish culture is what bonds the group together. Luckily the club has strong leadership. Jenny and Rebecca, the other student leader/teacher are both very committed. They attend all meetings and events and promote the club. However one of the needs the club suffers from is its low membership. 8-20 people attend the club each week. This is not a very large or consistent number. This makes it hard to plan events, rehearse, integrate new members, hold onto new members, and challenge the old members. This also makes it hard to access other needs of the club such as financial needs or needs for costumes and music, when not everyone in the club is present. One major need the club has is the need for recruitment of more male members- as of now there are significantly more females in the group and I have only ever seen 3-4 men even attend the club meetings.

The Dead Parrots Society has open rehearsal meetings on Tuesday nights. These rehearsals consist of games that make you comfortable with acting in front of a group. These games make you think on your toes and are improv' based. The leaders of the group are voted on by present members. Currently, the leader, or Artistic Director, is Kris. He decides who has sufficient ability to perform in the group. If you show a lot of enthusiasm and talent, then Kris will let you know and you can become a member of the group. Once you are a member of the group then you can perform in the shows. But unlike the Scottish Country Club the members don't introduce themselves individually to newcomer.Dead Parrots Society also has a unique way of inducting its members. In the past, call-ups used to consist of just a phone call telling the person that they were officially a “Dead Parrot.” Now, the system of calling someone up consists of a kidnapping and cake.

The Creators of Visual Art and Literature have a unique method of interacting with a new member. Generally, the new member is left alone and not considered part of the group, unless they conform to standards that are familiar to those who are already part of the group. The member may work quietly or try to communicate with the members of the club. However, if they are not already friends or have a relationship of some nature with a member of the group, they are not always accepted. The first meeting is a crucial step for any aspiring member of any club because it is the first impression and is a deciding factor of whether they will come to more meetings. The lack of members for most groups may be a lack of advertisement, but the members of the group must also realize that they must be somewhat welcoming, otherwise the potential members will not join.

As a new comer, the first meeting for the Ritmo Salsa Latino Dance club was a little unnerving. Having never salsa danced before, I wasn’t sure what to expect. As many people can attest, doing something you have never tried before can make you a little self conscious, especially if you have to try for the first time in front of a crowd. this is pretty much the same for any performance club, including, but not limited to, Swing Club. The dance coaches are very pleasant and patient, and willing to work with you 1 on 1 if the need arises. Over all it was a very good experience.

The first time a new comer walks into the Viking Commons Multi Purpose Room to attend a meeting for the Ritmo Salsa club they may feel intimidated by the beautiful and seemingly effortless dancing of its seasoned members. However, that intimidation goes away quickly because the group’s members are very friendly and love to see new people interested in their club. Unlike in the Creators of Visual Arts and Literature club, new members are welcomed with open arms no matter their skill level or if they have connections in the group. The Ritmo Salsa club offers different classes that range from beginning to advanced classes for the new members and members who have been around since the club began. New members are encouraged to take the beginning class as many times as they feel they need to until they are comfortable with the movements in the Salsa dance. Unlike the Dead Parrots Society, there is no one there who is judging how well you dance and no one is there to tell you that you cannot be a part of the club. All of the Ritmo Salsa club members are there to have a good time and they want new members to feel comfortable and find new confidence in their dancing abilities.

Western offers a variety of clubs and each one offers something different to the university. Though the first meeting for a new member may be intimidating and a little scary, there will come a time when that person feels at home. Western’s campus can seem like a big place at first and clubs allow the university to seem a bit smaller. Clubs offer a safe place where students can feel a sense of belonging. It is just a matter of getting over the initial fear of being in a new setting with new people. Once the new member feels comfortable, however, that is when friendships are made and a great time at Western can begin.

Info fair

During the first week of school of every year, Western Washington university holds an information fair in the central courtyard “Red Square”. Thusly, the event is called the “Red Square Info Fair.” In September of 2008, the information fair was a venue for some 125 of the school’s 231 clubs to publicize their group.^[1] The information fair also allows local businesses and departments of the college to advertise. Clubs and organizations interested in participating in the “Red Square Info Fair” should contact the Info Fair Coordinator. Events like the info fair are an excellent way for clubs and organizations to make their information readily accessible to a large number of people and is a great opportunity to recruit potential members. Since the fair is held at the beginning of the year, it allows members to get engaged early on and maximize their time and involvement in the club.

Materials to have at info fair

For the World Injustice Awareness Club, the main way they recruit members is through the Red Square Info Fair that is held before school begins. For the WIAC, this is the main way for the current members to let new students know about the group. In order to set up a booth at the info fair, the group leader must sign up for a booth spot ahead of time. Once they have a spot confirmed, it is very important that the group has many pamphlets available for new students who are interested. The pamphlets should have the name of the group, a short description of what the group is and what they do, as well as contact information of the leader of the group and the date, time, and room where the group meets.

It is important to have a sign or something to catch the eyes of the students walking around at the info fair. There are many different booths, so it is important to have a colorful, big sign, or some sort of game where you give prizes away in order to catch the attention of the prospective students. Having something that will catch the eye of students, as well as pamphlets that is short, and to the point, but has all the important information is the key to recruiting students at the info fair. According to the Harry Potter Club, the Dead Parrot Society club, and Ritmo Salsa club all depend heavily on recruiting students through the info fair. All of these clubs, including the WIAC, take the same approach to recruitment and base it off of the info fair. Because the info fairs are the main source of requirement for these groups, it is important that the pamphlets have the correct info about the group and start an email list. Most groups at the info fair will have a list where people can write their name and email and thus the groups are able to email prospective group members about the events and meetings that are being put on.

The info fair would be a perfect chance for the A'capella Club to get their name out. For word-of-mouth as the only type of advertisement makes it difficult for the club to gain more members. Instead, they could set up a station in Red Square and advertise by preforming. They could have sheet music of popular songs to hand out to people who would like to join the performance of the moment. But also, along with the sheet music, they should hand out the traditional pamphlets that contains information about their club.

The process of recruitment is a very important one for school clubs. Since all clubs are organized by the students and the members are students that all eventually graduate, it is vital that new members are constantly joining. Without recruitment many clubs would die out. The process of getting new members to join can be a tricky one because there are so many different ways to go about it. Usually recruitment happens by word of mouth or interest gained after public events. Recruitment is easy once you find the right technique.

Western Men Against Violence (WMAV) is great club but is lacking in recruitment. This is a club that I have collected information about in regards to recruitment. Initially, the club had had a booth set up to spread the word during the beginning of the school year. This seems to be true among a lot of clubs; there is a beginning engagement but no activities or lack effective activities that follow. The awareness of the club is mainly spread through word of mouth. Also, due to lack or recruiting there are some misconceptions about what the club actually represents. If the club worked more on recruitment the size of their club would definitely increase and they would make even a great direct impact on the community. A group member pointed out how there was a “slightly increased involvement after the vagina memoirs.” That is to say, events and activities may catch someone’s interest. Another club on campus that faces this problem is the World Injustice Awareness Club. They are not a well known club on campus and have few members. They should address their advertising strategies so that they are more likely to recruit people. These two clubs provide insight for recruitment when running a club.

Barriers to Membership

In some groups, there are certain constraints for becoming a member. Some clubs have requirements to obtain membership. These can range from certain skills, such as singing in the A’capella group, to equipment, such as lifting weights for the bodybuilding club. Another way some groups have a barrier to membership is through fees. Some clubs simply can’t function without an initial capital investment. These barriers hold some people back, but for the most part it is not a huge problem.

Requirements for membership

A.) While most clubs on campus are open to all students, there are some clubs which are specific to students who share certain traits. These traits can be specific to religion, gender, sexual orientation, or cultural heritage. These clubs are meant to provide a safe environment for those students who share innate common bonds and allow them to celebrate what is unique to them. Students who qualify for these exclusive clubs are encouraged to join and strengthen the ties that bring them together.

Identity

Although the A’capella members are new to the WWU AS Club scene as of 2008, they have by no means had trouble keeping up with some of the more experienced clubs. Recruitment has, without a doubt, been the A’capella Club’s strongest attribute. Unlike many clubs at Western, the A’capella club is one of the few to have an auditioning process in order to gain membership into the club. Because the group only has on average about ten members total, there is never a huge need for new performers. The small membership of the club gives it an immense advantage over clubs who constantly stress over popularity and size. The only real need for new members comes when a singer in the club has to leave, usually due to graduation. . Because the administrators of the club have a personal knowledge of each member in the club, including when a singer will leave the group, the person in charge of recruiting and auditioning has months in advance to find replacement members. Much like the Western Men Against Violence Club, the A’capella club uses their recruitment strategies to overcome their weaknesses. In Wesley Baker’s transcript of his interview with members of WMAV, club members stated that their “being less aggressive and active in [their] ‘recruitment’ efforts may actually wind up being a huge benefit, we just have to utilize it more often." The less effort administrators have to put into recruitment, the more they can focus their efforts on other aspects of the club, such as booking gigs or improving rehearsals. However, because recruitment is done on an invite-only basis, it is ultimately the potential members, not the administrators who suffer. Acceptance into the club is entirely dependent on a person’s musical ability. One must not only be able to sing and blend well with the group as a whole, but also must be able to read music, learn pieces individually, and have a strong work ethic. This limits a great many people who may have an excellent voice, but that do not know how to read music. Essentially, the members of the group are nearly all comprised of music majors who have had extensive musical training. The probability of having non-music majors admitted into the group is very slim. Overall, the identity of potential members being so detailed and specific does not do any harm to the club, but rather it helps the club. By having a group fully comprised of music majors, the club is able to operate at a much higher musical level. There is no need to go into detail on basic musical elements because all members in the club have been musically trained. Therefore, the high level of success that the A’capella club has been able to achieve in its first year has primarily been due to its strong recruitment strategies.

While many have heard about the Student Homeless Outreach Team many may not know what this club is all about, it is much more than helping the homeless. The Student Homeless Outreach Team is about breaking down barriers for those in the community to identify with the homeless citizens and this is a problem when it comes to helping people understand the Identity of the club.

The Creators of Visual Art and Literature have a broad interpretation of their name which leads students to perceive a club with no real focus and may hinder them from joining. Their identity should be labeled in a more accurate manner so as to entice people with similar interests.

Beyond finding a specific identity in a club, it is important to know the bottom line that club members are given an opportunity to identify with each other in the first place. Although there may be auditions or 'rights of passage' to official positions in the club, everyone can identify with one another in their share of interest for that specific club. These clubs offer a sense of community to nourish their passions and create identification with one another.

Interest

In the beginning of the school year, Western Washington University does an excellent job introducing the clubs at the university with the info fair. At the info fair, all the clubs at Western have their own booth where people they can tell potential members about their club. The initial interest of a club is usually made at this fair. Beyond the initial interest, the following clubs show strengths and weakness in how interest is either kept or ways that people lose interest in their club.

One strategy the Hui' O Hawaii club found successful in finding new members (and then keeping those members) was to open membership to anyone who is simply interested. If the club had chosen to include only people who had at least one Hawaiian parent - or even more strict, to have been born in Hawaii - they would have had a much harder time finding members. And some of those members might not have liked such a harsh rule. But by keeping the club open to anyone who was interested in Hawaiian culture, no matter the background, they kept a very friendly and open atmosphere that attracted many more people. The less limitations the club had on membership, the more members it drew in, and the friendlier the atmosphere tended to be.

The effective strategy that the Dead Parrots society use is having open rehearsals creating a relaxed environment for the participant to see whether or not he/she likes the group. It also gives everyone a chance to become a certified member. When you have this type of rehearsal its more relaxed because the participant can continue to attend even if they haven't been asked to join the performing members. Another club that uses a similar strategy is the Hui' O Hawaii club. It is similar because you do not have to be Hawaiian, you just have to be interested in the subject. This is efficient for acquiring new members.

The WWU Bodybuilding group does a good job of including new members or those that are interested. The one problem for students that may be looking to enter the group is that the group does not have meetings on a regular basis. Aside from that the group's focus is bodybuilding and the group members can always be found in the gym. The group is fairly large already, about 60-80 members, and they are always welcoming new members or ready to tell anyone interested what it is about. The one area where they do has less interest is the groups female involvement. Although the group does have some members that are female, including one of the head organizers, it is much lower in numbers compared to males just because of the object of the club and the stereotypes that accompany bodybuilding. This is similar to the Dead Parrots Society in the sense that it is easy for members to get involved quickly.

KUGS is Westerns première radio station and they have a very organized way of getting people interested. KUGS advertises a great deal to incoming students as well as current students. They do this by advertising with fliers and during tours of the Viking Union. Anybody who is interested in music can be part of the KUGS family but it can be a scary thing to try out. To officially join KUGS you have to go through a series of volunteer work helping around the studio then working your way up to be a DJ, if that is what you want. This is different from other clubs such as the Hui' O Hawaii club because other clubs you can just join because your interested. With KUGS you can try it out if your interested but then have to work to be a part of the club. This is an effective strategy because KUGS members get paid for their work and so to weed out those who are not really interested they have a process that people must go through.

Equipment

Many clubs on the Western campus require specific types of equipment to function. For sports oriented clubs, much of the necessary gear can be found and used within the rec center. Others may have a more difficult time finding accessible equipment, requiring things either brought from home or purchased for the club. Some clubs require equipment as simple as a kite, a room, a book, or one's own body to participate. Regardless of what is necessary, and regardless of one's ability to obtain the equipment, it seems that AS clubs find ways to stay afloat and functioning, so long as passion in students can be found for what the club is all about.

The WWU Bodybuilding Club is based around weight lifting, which requires a lot of equipment. The equipment needed is things such as dumbbells, bench-presses, and a variety of machines. This equipment is very expensive and would cost the club a fortune. Fortunately the WWU Rec Center has all of the necessary equipment for the clubs needs. However, you need a membership to the Rec Center to be able to use the equipment, but all WWU students receive a membership included in tuition costs. So for the most part, membership to the Rec is not a problem. Other types of equipment such as workout clothes and lifting accessories must be provided by each WWU Bodybuilding Club member.

The Photography club allows anyone interested in taking pictures to join. A false stigma linked to the club may be that new members would need high quality cameras. This high expense may deter possible members. In actuality, the club only requires that you provide a device capable of taking pictures. This includes digital and disposable cameras and even the camera on your phone. So, the requirements fit every budget just like the Students of Optional Clothing.

When joining the LEAD group they have all the supplies provided for the members. There will only be exceptions like if you need sunscreen, or if you need an inhaler, or if someone is allergic to their surroundings. Other than that all the members have what they need to plant or participate.

Skills

The A'capella club is intended for members that have a specific skill ( singing, vocal) and without this skill you cannot be a member, a problem in that maybe they could attract a few fans or followers to help them expand their audience. C) Unlike the A'capella club, the WWU Weight Lifting Club accepts anyone; people who have never picked up a weight or people who have been lifting their entire life, as long as you have the desire, you are welcome.

The specific skills that members of A'capella club are required to have are both beneficial and harmful to the strength of the club. Because A'capella club requires potential members to audition they are able to pick only singers who have the necessary skills and who will work with the dynamics of the group. This allows the A'capella club to maintain a quality group of singers who are all capable of performing together and who all get along. Unfortunately because of the specific skills needed to be a member of A'capella club there is a very small pool from which they can pick members from. These required skills make A'capella club unlike just about all other clubs who for the most part allow any and all to join. However, it is very necessary for the A'capella club to be seclusive if they intend to improve the quality of their music and form a larger fan base.

Much like the A’capella group, the Dead Parrots Society also requires somewhat of an audition to get in; but don’t let that scare you off! A seemingly ongoing audition through many open rehearsals will give you the experience needed to improvise in front of a crowd. The quick to learn, hilarious warm up games invite everyone and keep a consistent flow of newcomers. Many of the current Dead Parrots never improved in high school and starting out at WWU was their first experience in it. Although it takes an immense amount of skill to be funny on the spot in front of an audience, just getting involved in the preliminary games and watching the members during rehearsal effectively aids your mind in being able to come up with new material at the drop of a hat.

Unlike the A'capella club, the Photography club is open to anyone who is interested. This tactic is useful in attracting and maintaining membership. Although lack of skill may discourage people from joining, they will often tell the story of how a girl takes pictures from her camera phone. Becoming a member of this club can potentially advance you skills in taking pictures by collaborating and learning from other photographers. You can also learn to understand and accept the beauty of the work that it takes to produce these images.

Although you do not necessarily have to have any specific skills to work at KUGS radio, there are qualities that help. Because you're not actually on the air until the second quarter, you don't have to know how to DJ a show when you sign up, but a general knowledge of musical electronic equipment will help loads. When it gets around to the third quarter when you can design your own music show, is when average volunteers are separated from dedicated DJs. This kind of distinction works well with this club, because those who have huge music libraries and a burning desire to share their tastes can have successful shows, and those who are more interested in the technical or organizational aspects can maintain positions helping out in that way. Unlike many other clubs, KUGS is more like a workplace, with different responsibilities assigned to different people, and many levels or organization.

A great strategy for getting people to attend a club is opening it up to all skill levels and backgrounds of the clubs topic. Allowing people of many skill and age levels into a club helps the club attract an extremely diverse range of people and will increase the attendance of the club overall. If the club is free to join, with absolutely no standards and no prerequisites, then many more people will be enticed to join the club. If the club is opened up to anyone, it allows for the leaders to have a slightly less stressful job in which less structured organization is needed. In the photography club, they allow virtually anyone (with a camera) to join. On the other side of this equation, in the A’capella club, they have very strict guidelines for membership; you must audition therefore you must be a good enough singer to make the cut. This allows for about only ten people to be members. With this low membership, it allows for a very structured operation of the club, also leading to effective organization.

Although many clubs do not require any skill levels to a club, it is also important to be aware of certain risk factors, safety aspects, and levels of physical activity. In any sort of sports or dance club on campus, for example Ritmo Latino Salsa Club, attendees and members, if taking the dancing seriously, are advised to play safe. Dancing requires flexibility, coordination, and a high level of energy. Latin dancing is very passionate and a lot of fun, but spinning can cause dizziness, constant movement can cause dehydration, and stretching is absolutely vital. Obviously, the amount of preparation and safety precautions that must be taken depend on the level of intensity of the dance, but physical activity of any kind must be approached in a mature and intelligent manner.

Another attribute that is important to have when attending Ritmo Latino Salsa Club is the ability to leave all inhibitions at the door. The club is extremely welcoming to new dancers and trained dancers alike, and remaining self-conscious will only hinder a member's ability to learn to move and dance fluidly and skillfully. With a lot of energy, preparation to have fun, passion for life, and willingness to try new things, anyone can learn to Latin dance.

The WWU cycling club is welcome to anyone out there who can ride a bike and wants to race. Your skill level does not need to be at expert or even intermediate as beginners are also welcome. Although if you are good at the sport the cycling team's sponsors are willing to support the top 5 riders at certain races. There is a certain condition you probably should be in or get ready for as biking does exert a lot of energy. Since there is no skill level requirement, this club is great for improving a persons stamina and getting people into shape. Now as this club doesn't require a skill level, I know that there are choir groups on campus that you need to audition for, which requires a certain level of singing.

For the Women in the Woods club there are two very different pieces to the equation. The first piece is the skilled group of women and the second, the equally as important but less skilled women. The whole goal of the club is to provide a safe place for women to learn and grow in relationships with each other but also to grow personally. Just like lots of other clubs on campus such as Salsa Club, the experienced members are put in leadership positions to instruct and help the inexperienced members. For Women in the Woods, trips are planned in varying difficulty from simple day hikes to technical rock climbing. Technical skills aren’t needed for the majority of the activities but if you have the interest for technical and more intense activities they also have those options.

GPA

I don’t think GPA is necessary for clubs that need people to volunteer. There are some people that have a low GPA, but they are really dedicated volunteers. Also, if a club needs a volunteer immediately, then they should not be checking GPAs because then they can’t get as many help as they need. In addition, GPA does not really say anything about how hard people work. In the real world, people don’t get jobs because they have high GPAs but rather of their skills.

However, this may be true, the other side to this argument is that a high GPA shows a sense of dedication and the skill to thrive which is useful for most clubs. It shows the club that the person is willing to work hard at everything they commit to.

Fees for membership

Many clubs choose to charge a membership fee for participants in order to fund activities and events for the club. The money is often applied towards supplies and materials necessary to have for the club to run smoothly. In the case of college clubs, a membership fee is usually paid directly to the club or through the University cashier. A club may require fees upon the time of joining the club either as a one-time membership fee or a scheduled set of dues, such as a yearly membership fee. Some people might think that fees should not be a part of student clubs, but sometimes these are necessary for the club to flourish and do fun activities. These small fees add up and could potentially help the club get more members as well as advertise for members to join.

Reasonable fees for membership

Two common strategies for club fees are: donations, and club members giving an equal share to cover the cost of events. The former, donations, can offer a more relaxed approach to the members while possessing the possibility of creating more financial stress for the leaders. It offers members to give as much as they want, which can sometimes leave the leaders being very short on the club’s costs. It does, however, present a fairly relaxed atmosphere. The other strategy shares the load with all members equally. For example, if a club puts on an event and the club has 20 members, each member covers 5% of the cost. Then, if the event makes any profits, the profits are shared equally among all 20 members. If a club member is not particularly interested in this event, however, it can cause stress and fracturing of the club due to a feeling of being ‘burdened’.

If some can not afford a fee for membership

If a member is unable to pay a membership fee they could instead do a service for the club. This could range from posting fliers to setting up for an event. At some point most clubs will need volunteers. Waving a membership fee is a good way to encourage members to lend a hand.

Member Retention

In many instances the retention of members is tied to the leadership and communication skills of the organizations leadership or to the activities and events that the club regularly hosts, these are discussed in detail in future chapters. Here it is important to highlight the key factors in member retention as well as several specific issues related to retaining student participation across the academic calendar.

Ways to keep members

Club membership is a top priority in order to maintain a club. During the school year, things happen and clubs can lose members along the way. There are ways to increase the chances of keeping members for longer periods of time in school clubs. Communication is key in keeping all members updated with information and helping them stay informed and interested. All groups should provide support and a sense of friendship. There are many different techniques that different clubs use to maintain their members. This section will give some examples of those techniques and how effective they are. Maintaining membership is what keeps clubs running. Without members, a club cannot exist. Also, it is important for clubs to stay in contact with their members throughout school breaks. Even over summer it is important that membership stays strong so that the next year, the club won't have to start recruiting members from scratch. Making sure each member feels involved is key keeping them.

While studying the Creators of Visual Art and Literature Society, a very strong asset was discovered, and one that all groups should have; a sense of security and friendship. During a fellow classmate's interview with a group member who was a new freshman this year, she stated that the group acted as a support group for her first year, something that she greatly appreciated. The weekly, even unstructured, meetings of a group of people can make all the difference in how you are able to survive during those first months on your own. Whether they are there to offer support, or just provide a sense of stability, having a small number of friendly face around really can help. This is an asset that, through fellow classmates' interviews, was only found within the Christian Campus Fellowship, but is one that should be underlying in all. Once you have this sense of support within a group, the member that you have are more likely than not to stick around for their remaining time in school.

As stated in the previous paragraph, friendship creates a sense of security and belonging in ones self. Friendship is one of the main reasons that the Smash Masters And Students Headquarters (S.M.A.S.H.) club is still around today. Even though the club is not as big as it used to be, the member's love for the game "Super Smash Brothers" has kept the club together as they still meet weekly to play the game even at one of the member's houses. One of the members said that they keep attending the meetings because of the friends and relationships they have developed with the other members. Without mutual respect and appreciation, any club has the potential to fail. Keeping the members coming back is what counts.

The Hui O' Hawaii club is an excellent illustration of the concept brought up in the previous paragraph: its simplest yet most potent asset is the incredibly strong group rapport between members. The meeting I sat in on was extremely relaxed and felt more akin to a giant group hang-out session among really close friends than a serious club meeting, except for the fact that they still managed to get a lot done, which shows that they have found a way to balance work and play and enjoy the best of both worlds. Brian Norvaisis, another member of my group, summed it up best when he wrote "This group's strength... is the warm and affectionate atmosphere they give off". They may have difficulty in recruiting new members, but once people are in I get the distinct impression that they are in for life (or at least for the duration of their life here at Western), as a result of the palpable bond between members. This friendliness and rapport is vital to other clubs, as well. Grace Kim wrote of the Rugby Club that "Their social life works to seek out new members by always being welcoming" and Cameron Harris, a member of CCF, said that he was won over when "These really friendly people just turned up and started talking to me and wanted to get to know me." Carly Hamilton was even moved to join the club her group is studying, which just goes to show that kindness and warmth go a long way!

As previously stated, the Hui O' Hawaii club of WWU has a very warm and inviting atmosphere that keeps members in the club. A good number of the members have some connection to Hawaii, whether it be family, grew up in Hawaii, or simply have some interest in Hawaii and it's culture. The people that originally came from Hawaii have a sense of home within the club. These people can talk and reminisce of Hawaii, and all the things they love about it. When coming to a university that maybe be vastly different than your "home" can make it stress full. The fact that Hui O' Hawaii brings "home" to WWU, it helps bring people closer together and keeps them together within the club.

Akin to other cultural groups, FASA is effective at getting people to have fun and get interested in Filipino culture. Establishing the importance of meeting as scheduled among new members is a simple way to prevent problems in fluctuating attendance, low attendance, and diminishing interest among members. When people within the club accept this as a passive imperative, there is no ambiguity over what is expected of members to people joining. Another key aspect is environment -- setting the "tone" of the club -- and for that purpose, making an attempt to connect personally with interested people. FASA does this by having more integral consciously practice this, setting it as the norm and allowing it to become standard practice.

At Western Washington University, KUGS radio station, a student based organization that is highly run by volunteers, has had continued success in gaining new volunteers, as well as keeping those previously involved. A major way KUGS has been able to keep members is by having a highly organized program with a consistent schedule and specific jobs within the station as a whole. With such organization employed, members get detailed information about events going on in their particular department. Everyone involved has a job to do that is specifically outlined. Many people have titles that help categorize their duties at KUGS, whether it is “DJ,” “Promotion Director,” “Music Director,” “Morning Show Host,” or something else. By having these different sections that are more focused on distinct and specific interests within radio, volunteers have many options of ways in which they can help KUGS while fulfilling their own desires and interests. This really provides members with choice, variety, and flexibility, making KUGS a very appealing organization to volunteers and staff. Plus, the radio operates all year long in a permanent location on campus, so you can always just drop by the seventh floor of Viking Union and check it out for yourself. Other clubs, such as Students of Optional Clothing, don’t have a secure or consistent meeting spot (as noted by Kyle Olsen), making it hard to find and hard to stay involved with for those living busy lives.

One of the greatest strengths of the Dead Parrots Society that I noticed when observing the group practice session is that everyone is involved and respectful of the natural structure of the group. There would be one or two facilitators getting the ball rolling on each of the activities, but everyone really tried their best to make sure there was order in the group. Each activity ran very smoothly because each member of the group was invested in making sure it did go nicely. It was encouraging to see everyone working together so well. Another strength of the group is that they're obviously having fun, but they're still primarily focused on improvement and learning. Nothing that the group did felt like a "waste of time". Every improv game they played was intentionally structured to teach and improve the actors and audience members. This indicates a lot of intentional thought on behalf of the directors of the group. To really retain members and preserve their interest in the events, it is important to allow them the freedom to "own" the group in this way. This can be compared to serious groups, such as the World Injustice Awareness group. In both groups, members have opportunities to participate, but the difference lies in the responsibility of the individual. The DPS asks each member to bring something different and unique to the group which makes their improv activities interesting. The WIA asks each member to work towards the same goal.

Western Washington University's rugby club team is also effective at keeping members. While in the beginning of the year the number of players who start out dwindles, the players that do stay tend to remain committed for all four years. I found that the thing that keeps the team together and so strong is the strong relationships that they have with each other and the fact that they're so passionate about the sport. The team members form a close bond that extends both on and off the field and players were quoted saying that some of their closest and best friends were on the team. Members of both the men and women's teams even made a coed softball team. This effective way of keeping members is similar to the qualities of the Hui o Hawaii Club. The Hawaii club gives off a "warm and affectionate" atmosphere with extremely dedicated members. It's apparent that a club's 'friendly factor' contributes to its success.

While learning and studying about the CCF club on campus I found that once people were members of the club they continued participating in CCF. The main reason for this is the sense of community that has been developed in CCF. During my interview with Kelli, a member of CFF, she stated that one of her favorite things about the club is the sense of community that she feels walking around campus and during CCF activities. Kelli said that while walking to classes she often sees many fellow members and loves the sense of community she feels all the time from being a member of CCF. She also said that through this sense of community she has created many good friends. After studying CCF it seems to me that the sense of community comes from a combination of different things. First, when someone new comes to a club meeting it is made sure that they feel very welcome. According to another CCF member that Victor Pendt interviewed, you are even given candy at the first meeting you attend. Furthermore, at typical meetings the CCF members engage in many group activities that strengthen this sense of community and friendship that is formed through the club. Finally there are so many different ways to get involved in CCF that you end up getting to know lots of different people, thus creating the CCF community. This sense of community and friendship is not only evident in CCF but also in the Croquet Club. Devin Spencer the leader of the Croquet club states that “he has met some of his now permanent friends through the club”. Through these two clubs it is obvious that friendship and a sense of community is a great way to insure your members will continue coming. The sense of community that CCF has didn’t just “happen”, however. Too often a club wants to have community, but doesn’t invest the time or resources to make it happen. In CCF and in other groups that are ‘tight knit’ such as the A Cappella Club, the sense of community is something that active members continually strive for by having regular meetings, small groups (Cores for CCF), and a laid back atmosphere. The leaders of CCF recognize the want and in some ways the need for the members of CCF to be a strong community, and thus sometimes there are special events that occur, for example the Fall and Winter Camps. These events can cost an amount of money that may be difficult for a typical college student to attain. Thus, if someone wants to go to such an event and the only thing stopping them is finances, they need only to talk to a core leader or one of the CCF leaders because of the scholarships that are available, in part made possible by the offering that is sent around every Friday night. The leaders will work with you to see how much you are able to contribute to the cost and will strive to create a reasonable percentage for you to pay based on your circumstances. This furthers the sense of community both through the event itself and through the reciprocation of funds from those who give to those who need.

The current vice president of SRE (Students for Renewable Energy) said that the club has found that focusing on "projects that pertain to each individual’s interest keeps people interested in staying with the club." The club divides up their members into several different committees. SRE has noticed that by doing this, more members took on leadership roles, and thus, more investment in the club. This system allows people to work on whatever they are most interested in. Next year's president of the club said, "Being able to have involvement in different projects, members can choose what they are most interested in." Similarly, the Photography Club allows their members quite a bit of freedom to work on whatever project they would like. By taking pictures, people in the club are able to show their personality, interests and emotions and with the variety of projects, the members of SRE also are able to feel a connection and express themselves through their work

After attending various meetings of the Harry Potter club, I went into researching the strong bond the club has between members. The atmosphere in their room wasn’t only like that of a club, but also a family. I believe that this sort of relaxed feeling is a result of great leadership. With the Harry Potter series being finished for about two years, it’s been hard for the club to keep members interested in the idea of Harry Potter. Chris Godwin (future President) told me that keeping members interested in the club was one of their greatest challenges. However, they have solved their dilemma by talking about theories, future awareness, holding events, parties, theories about the movies and a lot more. After researching other clubs, the SMASH club seemed to be having problems with their leadership. The group is poorly organized and seems as if its being torn into two different clubs, which I believe, is hindering them a lot. The replay value of Smash Bros is a lot higher than rereading a book where the story doesn’t change. Also, the Harry Potter club isn’t split into subcategories like for example the movie and the book but rather integrates it all into two hours of shared devotion. If it weren’t for the time and devotion that the leaders of the Harry Potter club put into it, I don’t feel it would be as successful as it is now.

VOX: Voices for Planned Parenthood provides great incentive to keep members coming to meetings. They provide free pizza for all attendees and give out free condoms at the meetings. VOX also provides a place to socialize with others who have the same interests in social outreach and sexual health. The leader starts each meeting by going around in a circle and asking a funny question. For example, for the meeting I attended the question was: “if you could be named after a state, what state would it be?” This social element is important in lots of clubs. In CCF core groups, meetings start with all members talking about their “pows” and “wows” for the week, which means the good and bad events the members have experienced that week. The American Civil Liberties Union club similarly starts meetings with “balloons” and “baggage.” There are lots of activities at meetings. The Mt. Baker Planned Parenthood branch regularly sends representatives and educators to VOX to talk about sexual health, which keeps the meetings fresh and entertaining.

Because VOX: Voices of Planned Parenthood keeps meetings light and entertaining, members form a strong sense of community and friendship which ensures both high attendance and more effective dialogue. One member who I interviewed stated that the main reason she regularly attends is because she loved spending time with the other members in such a fun environment. The organization is very egalitarian; all members contribute as much as they choose during meetings, creating a feeling of ownership of the club's accomplishments, which in turn often results in dedication and higher meeting or event attendance. Members are all highly passionate about sexual and reproductive health, and this common passion further bonds the members together and facilitates their sense of community. This is very similar to the Ritmo Salsa Dancing club, where members come for their passion for dance, but continue coming for the welcoming, fun environment.

The Filipino American Student Association is one of the many strong diverse clubs of the Ethnic Student Center and much of what they believe in is sharing a part of their culture to others and connecting through what we learn from each other. What FASA aims for is to celebrate an avid interest in the Filipino Culture that attracts people of many ethnicities. At FASA we are able to come as we are ready to learn about a culture they either already know of or wish to know of. How FASA does this is making sure meetings are fun so that everyone participates. Participation is heavily stressed at FASA meetings as it is a way to get to know people. By having ice-breakers people lose their inhibitions in partake in a game. It's very casual and entertaining which ultimately reels people in for what's next in the meeting. As they feel more comfortable around the members in FASA we are able to move into the culture sharing which initiates discussion among members. Regardless of if they are new or not members have been seen to be more active after introductions and the ice-breakers. Hui O' Hawaii has also maintained the same kind of technique by holding meetings almost as "hangouts" while still being able to "balance work and play and enjoy the best of both worlds". It is casual enough so that novices do not feel intimidated to come to a meeting for the first, and it encourages them to return. Officers also take careful notice of who each person is that attends the meetings. That way they are greeted by name and feel instant belonging.

The A'Capella club needs to find a way to retain members. What tends to happen within the club, is once people graduate from Western, their spots don't get filled and the group gets smaller each year until its just ceases to exist. The group, like the Hui O' Hawaii club, has a strong bond of friendship, but it cant really be applied to keeping the A'Capella club together. The A'Capella Club isn't an actual as club, but more of a group of guys that just really like to sing, and so its hard to keep the group going if the majority of the group has left. If the group became a more "legit" group that was somehow affiliated with the music department or something like that, it might have a better chance of retaining members.

Like previously stated, The A'Capella club has problems invoking motivation into its members. Perhaps this is because of a sense of "illegitimacy," in terms of foundation in the AS. However, I consider the group as almost too much of a joke and hobby to be considered an actual "club". And despite what was previously mentioned, the group's bond of friendship--which brings strength to the Hui O' Hawaii club--is possibly more detrimental to the group's health than it is beneficial. From interviewing Doug, I sensed a lack of seriousness. Though the group performs, and some of the members are very into singing on stage, the A'Capella club is more for fun than it is for any other reward. Therefore, motivation dwindles. Without deadlines or obligations as a group, there rises a lack of determination. However, it goes without saying, the group is still enjoyed by its members, for it still provides a good time for all involved.

Through studying the Salsa club on campus it is apparent that member retention is key to a successful club. The Salsa club prides itself for keeping many members and almost always having new members at their meetings. The club has an effective strategy of keeping all new members at the same level. All beginner classes are the same which makes it possible to repeat them until a new member is satisfied with their performance. This level playing field keeps new members interested and makes them comfortable in their new environment. As members work their way up new dance moves and ideas will be incorporated into the classes always keeping members interested. Comparing this club to many other clubs one can see that comfort is key to retaining members. The salsa club keeps its members comfortable by keeping them on a level playing field.

While some clubs find creative ways to not only recruit new members, but also keep current members in contact with each other, such as the Strongman club -utilizing Facebook- other clubs suffer from lack of members.

An example of a club suffering from the lack of new members is the Cycling Club and Swing Dance club. Both clubs have a strong leadership position with people who are willing to put in their time to help members, along with strengthening their communication that kept their groups somewhat organized. However, a top priority was to acknowledge members who were interested in joining the Cycling and Swing Dance club and to recognize reasons why people were hesitant to join. This way, the Cycling and Swing Dance club can target these areas such as informing students that no experience is needed along with not being afraid to approach the club unknown. The two clubs could benefit from studying other clubs that have successful recruitment and communication, and brainstorm what they could do to make their clubs more effective.

Communicating With Members During University Breaks

Communication is one of the major aspects of keeping a club in sync by making the members feel more apart of a group, which is important in the structure of developing a successful club especially during university breaks. There are many ways to keep in touch with members within a group like organizing a meeting and texting each other through cell phones, but it seems the most efficient is through the internet whether it is through a message board on a club website, or Facebook.

The WWU Cycling group has a very young and technologically savvy leadership. On and off the race season they have taken to using the internet and message boards to keep in contact with the all of their active members. Through the message boards (www.wwucycling.com) club members contact one another to arrange logistical solutions such as attaining transportation to and from competitive races (Patrick Maloney 2009). The boards are also used off season to set up fun weekend, or training rides which are open to anyone in the community who wants to attend. The leadership has found that using these message boards and group emails has made getting information out to the members more successful than trying to set up physical meetings because with their large active membership it is virtually impossible to set a time where all can attend. Other groups such as the A’Acapella Club have started to utilize these technologies to garner more membership participation, as well as getting the word out about their clubs (Megan Jones 2009). The expanded use of message boards for membership contacts can only assist the WWU cycling club and other AS clubs with retaining their members and gathering new ones with such more and more demands on the time of their members.

Maintaining New Member Interest From Spring Quarter Through Fall

Clubs face challenges when the summer vacation arises. Many people leave and nothing happens with the club. It is important for the club leaders to think of ideas to win back their members when the fall quarter starts up and get them excited for the new year to come. Another important factor is to maintain communication. This can often be done through technology like texting or Facebook. This can help the members still feel part of the club and a valuable asset to the organization. Hopefully, good ideas could allow them to have consistent membership throughout the year.

Western Men Against Violence, like previously stated, does not use "in your face" advertising. They strive to create an environment where members want to be there and want to come back. WMAV looks to establish new ideas of masculinity and provide an outlet for men who just need to get things off their chest. The club creates passion in individuals throughout the year and therefore, has no need to win members back. This approach creates a desire to come back to the club in the fall. Summer additional communication may be important, but in a club as intimate as WMAV, many members communicate outside of the club anyway. However, if need be, it is easy to learn the new meeting time (and such) and the event fair.

Other clubs, like The Homeless Outreach Program or the A'capella Group, likely have similar situations. Those are both smaller clubs that provide some kind of fulfilment in the lives of members. That alone is enough for people to go back to clubs during fall quarter. This may be a more impractical expectation for groups with larger membership and groups that provide fun, but not necessarily personal gratification.

Overcoming Other Retention Challenges

Through my research of The Dead Parrots Society, the issue of retaining constant members seems to be a slight problem. Art related clubs of this nature tend to have such a relaxed feel about them, that members come and go inconsistently. Their regularly scheduled weekly meetings often have a great turnout. However, it seems that attendees are either new or just "hanging out" attending their club for once. There is a lack of rehearsal attendees that have graduated from the college. The club does not discriminate against attendees not associated with WWU currently. Those members of the Parrots Society have graduated and moved on to other things. Many groups containing adult members have this issue. I would not suggest they change their open organization and membership approach at this time. However, they may succeed in recruiting more graduated players if they showcased a few of them in their shows and/or got a few faculty members involved. Compared to the Scottish Country Dance Club, the Parrots Society is not facilitated by faculty members who teach dance at WWU. That is one less recruitment strategy that could be useful to the Parrots Society.

In Associated Students Productions, there are a few different leadership/recruitment problems. They have a hard time trying to find people to step up and take charge of certain events and have them stick with it. Most of the events are huge events, so all the Western’s students can have the chance to get involved and go participate in the events. So, this means that the people building and creating this event have to spend hours and hours trying to figure out what most of the study body would want to see at Western or do at Western. They also want to make sure that the people who are taking the leadership roles do a good job preparing the events and activities so that students are informed and want to go to the events. This is a big deal for Associated Students Productions because they want to reach out to all the students at Western and make them have a great time at college. In the discussion board of 7 World injustice society, in Lesley Gordon post she said that she interviewed Maria Zupan, which she asked about the leadership roles in her club. She asked if she thinks that the role of being a club leader has changed her in any way. And Maria said that she feels like she knows how to put things together and get things going. So this to mean helps me understand that ASP is not the only club out there that is struggling all of the time with trying to get things going and trying to people involved. It seems like this club also struggles with getting people involved and getting recognized around campus. Last there was A'capella club interview done by Reggie Peltier, and he interviewed Douglas Williams. In this interview Douglas mentions that there wasn’t a lot of leadership in with this A'capella group. So this shows that ASP is not like this group what so ever. It seems like ASP is very leadership based and this club is not. But with ASP, they have made many different strategies that help them out with recruitment. Some include work based study, some include just organizing different events in red square that may get more people involved to make them feel like they can get involved. And last, some include salary based work for people who wanted to work for Associated Students Productions.

References

↑ AS Review.AS Review.http://www.asreview.as.wwu.edu/?p=238

[1] AS Review.AS Review.http://www.asreview.as.wwu.edu/?p=238

[1]

Effective Student Organization/Recruiting and Membership

Contents

Recruitment

Invite Based Recruitment

Word of Mouth

Advertisement

Interest

Event Recruiting

How to become a member

Who to contact

First meeting for a new member

Info fair

Materials to have at info fair

Barriers to Membership

Requirements for membership

Identity

Interest

Equipment

Skills

GPA

Fees for membership

Reasonable fees for membership

If some can not afford a fee for membership

Member Retention

Ways to keep members

Communicating With Members During University Breaks

Maintaining New Member Interest From Spring Quarter Through Fall

Overcoming Other Retention Challenges

References