Attendance and Membership Are Linked
Nancy Finney
Shoreview, Minnesota, USA
From: LEAVEN, Vol. 35 No. 5, October-November 1999, p. 119
When we think about improving
Group attendance or Group membership, it's a good idea to keep in mind
that the two are linked. One way to advance Group membership is
to increase Group attendance and once the Group has more members, attendance
will go up. Here are a few thoughts on improving both.
Good publicity is a key
to good attendance.
-
Does the Group have a
clean, readable meeting notice? There are so many wonderful
things that LLL has to offer new mothers that it can be tempting
to try to cram a lot of information onto the meeting notice.
The new mother, however, is basically looking for meeting time,
location and how to contact the Leaders. Keep the meeting
notice simple.
-
Consider having a Group
Publicity job. This can be a fun, mother- sized job for an
enthusiastic member. She can go out and find new places to
post the meeting notice and put ads in the local newspaper after
approval by your District Advisor.
-
Make sure members have
access to meeting notices. Are they mailed to members regularly?
Available at meetings? Remember, Group members are the best publicity.
Make sure members have an up-to-date meeting notice when they want
to share LLL information with a pregnant friend or a mother with
a new baby.
Attendance: When a
mother comes to a meeting, make sure she wants to come back!
-
Personally greet each
new mother and spend a few moments chatting with her at the beginning
of the meeting. (Ask her about her baby. How old is
he? Is this her first? How is breastfeeding going? Will she
be staying home or returning to work?)
-
Show her the Group Library
and how to check out a book, where the refreshments are and how
to get a nametag. Help her to her seat.
-
Give her a new mother
packet. When putting the packet together, think of the things
you would like this mother to know about LLL if she heard absolutely
nothing at the meeting! Be sure the packet includes:
Information
about LLL;
How to contact a Leader;
Meeting location, day, time;
Membership benefits;
Basic breastfeeding information.
-
After the meeting, be
sure to thank the new mother for coming and see her to the door.
-
A day or two after the
meeting, call the mother and ask her if she has any questions.
You can send a postcard instead, but taking the time to personally
call the mother and ask her how she is doing is much more effective!
-
Make sure to mail meeting
reminder cards or phone before the next meeting.
Membership: becoming
"one of the group"
There are several important
reasons why we as La Leche League Leaders ask mothers who attend our
meetings to become members.
Membership (subscription)
provides funds for the Group, Area and LLLI; increases mother participation
in LLL; and indeed, guarantees the continuation of LLL. When you
think of how you will present membership, I suggest you focus on the
benefits of membership to the mother. When a mother becomes a
member of LLLI, she becomes one of the group. She receives the
regular support of NEW BEGINNINGS, even if she doesn't attend meetings
regularly. Most importantly, she is more apt to breastfeed longer.
It is in the best interests of the mother to become a member of LLLI.
Here are some thoughts on
presenting membership:
-
Have a Leader (not
a member) make the membership pitch. A Leader is better motivated.
-
Point out that the
Group and LLLI are supported by memberships. Many mothers nowadays
are no longer familiar with nonprofit groups. It may not occur
to them that we are not "government funded. "
-
Let them know that
when they support LLLI, they are helping mothers in their area and
all over the world to breastfeed. You may want to mention
specific examples of how LLL and you as a Leader help mothers and
babies.
-
Highlight new library
books, etc., bought with membership funds.
-
At the end of the
meeting, remind mothers again how they can become members.
Consider appointing a Treasurer
or Assistant Treasurer to be available to take checks (cheques) and
answer questions about membership after the meeting. Give her
a special nametag/button. Point her out at the end of the meeting and
ask her to stay in a prominent spot (maybe seated at a special table?)
so mothers can easily purchase memberships.
Once a mother has purchased
a membership, be sure to recognize her contribution to the Group and
LLL. In doing so, you show that you appreciate her joining the
Group, as well as let the attendees know that other mothers are purchasing
memberships. Here are some ideas:
-
Have special membership
nametags/buttons.
-
Have a space to indicate
interest in membership in the sign-in sheet. Encourage mothers who
have already joined to write "member" in the space.
-
Have a small membership
gift to hand to new members with a "thank you" during the next meeting.
-
Consider making other
meetings (Couple, Toddler, Enrichment, etc.) open to members only.
If a mother doesn't join
on her own after a few meetings, what can you do? Some mothers
may respond better to a personal invitation to join; ask her at the
next meeting or call her between meetings. Thank her for coming
to meetings and mention how much you've enjoyed her contributions to
the meeting discussion before asking her to join.
If the mother hasn't purchased
a membership by the following meeting and the Group can afford it, consider
offering her a membership payment plan or a membership scholarship.
If you do offer her a payment plan or scholarship, follow up your phone
call with a letter outlining her options so that she has time to think
about them before the next meeting.
All mothers deserve the opportunity
to become members of La Leche League. If we make that opportunity
available, mothers will join and La Leche League will flourish.
Page last edited Sun Oct 14 09:31:38 UTC 2007.
