AR Handbook – 13 few years ago has become a steady stream as the upper end of the baby boom generation retires. The days of signing up new members only in the fall are over. As more and more members retire mid-school year, organizing new members has become a continuous task. In addition, your association needs to go beyond just recruiting new members. They must develop a year-long program to engage new members. The most important factor in organizing and engaging new members is personal contact by the association as soon as possible after the new employee is hired. Some suggestions for doing that are: • Get the names, home address, phone number, and e-mail addresses, of new employees as soon as possible after they are employed. Don’t wait until September. Your superintendent, board secretary, or payroll office should be the best source of information. • With the traditional welcome letter, send new members a thank-you note for joining the district. • Invite new members to a social event before the start of the school year. Remember to keep it a social event and limit the amount of association business. • Communicate success to members regularly through a newsletter, flier, e-mail, website, or personal contact. • Generate segmented and targeted fliers for each category of membership. • Send a special year-end certificate of thanks to first-year members. • Make additional personal contacts with first-year members that are above and beyond the norm through phone calls, e-mails, special newsletters, etc. • Establish a buddy system for new members. • Send a member profile form to new members to gain details. Employees already on the payroll: Unfortunately, in some school systems there are a few people who do not pay their dues. They have found a “reason” that makes them comfortable as nonjoiners. They don’t pay their share and tend to resent being asked to do so. You should first orchestrate with your association membership chair to making sure these individuals are reported to NJEA as representation fee payers. The best time to recruit these people is the same time you are doing the recruitment of new members. Remind them occasionally during the year that the association has negotiated for their salaries and fringe benefits, that the law requires you to represent them, and that their colleagues expect them to pay their share of the costs of representation. When all attempts to recruit these people fail, negotiate the Representation Fee as permitted by law. New legislation (Assembly Bill No. 2372), enacted in August 2002, now requires public employers to deduct a representation (agency) fee for nonmembers in certain circumstances. Contact your UniServ office for assistance. Good luck as you proceed. Recruitment tips for success Always try to . . . • Have a membership application, pen, and ”New Member Employment Folder and Brochure” with you. • Use a personal contact. NJEA’s new member materials are only a means to an end and it is not the way to promote membership. Call attention to specific benefits or programs in the materials which might be important. • Know your prospective member. Try to learn something about the potential member’s interest prior to meeting. • Work in pairs, but don’t ”gang up” on the nonmember. Enlist help of those members who have a good rapport with specific potential members. • Make appointments to discuss membership at a time when full discussion of issues is possible. • Be constantly optimistic about what the association can accomplish. • Convey a friendly, helpful attitude. Regardless of what’s said, keep your cool. Exude confidence and enthusiasm. • Show your personal conviction for membership. • Ask questions designed to involve the listener in thinking about the situation. • Listen carefully to learn biggest problem(s) or interest(s). Ask for suggestions for improving the organized profession (take notes). • Be prepared to answer questions. • Help potential members find details they seek. Don’t forget to show them the new member section on NJEA’s website njea. org. • If you can’t get membership during the first discussion, make an appointment for another meeting before leaving. Leave the materials with the person
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