Building Membership: Part II
This article originally appeared in Exchange, a
newsletter of the Wisconsin Historical Society. (Volume
42, Number 2, 2000) It is the eighth in a series
of articles titled Public
Appeal. The series deals with public
programming and public information. It was
written by Tom McKay, retired local history
coordinator for the Wisconsin Historical
Society.
A large, active historical society membership is a little bit like a lush, green lawn: everybody would like to have one. Just as a beautiful lawn brings the necessity of hauling out the lawn tools regularly, building strong membership requires a consistent commitment to recruiting members. Tending the beautiful lawn often means employing an array of trimmers, rollers, mowers and seeders, and historical societies will also find themselves using an array of tools and attempting a variety of approaches to recruit members.
Avenues of membership recruitment can range from written appeals
to word of mouth, from on-site solicitation at historical
society museums and events to information posted on
a society Web site. Each historical society develops
its own personality and finds its own strategy for
recruiting members. That strategy will pick and choose
from a variety of ways to recruit members and create the best combination
for the historical society's particular community.
Simple word of mouth always plays a significant role in signing up
new members. That underscores the need for planning
and presenting enjoyable events and activities for
members. A current member who enjoys participating
in the historical society will tell others and naturally encourage
them to join the society. A personal, face-to-face invitation to join
the historical society will be among the most important membership
recruiting tools. As leaders of the organization, historical society
officers and board members should stay alert for opportunities to
tell people about the society and invite them to join.
Historical society leaders need to show patience with the interpersonal dynamics of inviting someone to become a member of the society. Often a young person or someone who is not a native of the community may show a true interest in history but fail to respond to an invitation to join. Such people may feel uncertain if they belong in the organization because they do not feel they know as much about local history as an older person or someone who has lived in the community many years. In some cases, a second, simple and low-pressure invitation for such a person to join may result in a new member.
While word of mouth recruits many historical society members, societies
also need to put information about membership in writing.
This written information may appear as part of a brochure
about the historical society, may be handed out as
a membership enrollment form during a society event, or may be posted
on a society web site. Anyone receiving the written information must
be able to see at first glance that it is an invitation to join the
historical society. Accordingly, the piece should have a simple headline
in larger type with a message such as "Please Join Us." The name of
the society should appear prominently, as should the logo if the society
has one. The written text should describe, in very brief paragraphs
or in bullet style, the main activities of the society such as operating
a museum, publishing history, marking sites, or organizing programs
for local schools. The text should also succinctly state membership
benefits the society provides such as a newsletter and membership
meetings.
Printed materials should provide a clear and easy way for people to respond and join the historical society. The best approach is a membership blank that can be torn off or copied and used to respond. The blank should include a list of membership categories and their costs, with spaces for the new member to mark a choice. The form needs lines to fill in address information and a phone number for the new member. The address to which the new member should return the form and payment must be clearly indicated along with the name of the society as it should be written on a check to pay for membership. Some societies print a list of volunteer opportunities on the membership form with boxes that can be checked. Responses from the members increase the pool of volunteers and directly draw people into the work of the organization.
Successful local historical societies develop the habit of seeking members at every opportunity and having printed materials to solicit members always at hand. Society members or staff who give historical programs for meetings of other community organizations should take along brochures or handouts seeking new members. The society membership brochure or handouts should be displayed at activities sponsored by the society and community events in which the society plays a role, such as a food or exhibit booth at a local festival. However, a pile of membership materials sitting passively at a meeting or on a display table achieves few results. Handing out the membership materials at a close of a talk or offering them to people browsing over a display will produce new members.
Historical societies can engage in a little creative thinking as they attempt to promote membership. The Sheboygan County Historical Society asks visitors to its museum, "Would you like your money back?" The society museum charges an admission fee to the general public but allows free admission to members. Visitors who pay admission receive a flyer that offers to refund the admission fee if they join as members on the day they visit. The flyer highlights the benefits of membership and the important contributions members make in supporting the historical work of the organization. Other historical societies encourage the giving of gift memberships to family and friends at Christmas or for birthdays. A creative historical society might offer free memberships as door prizes in drawings at community events.
Recruiting members accompanies the twin task of retaining members. Announcements at meetings and reminders in newsletters help secure renewals. However, sending a letter or, in small societies, making a phone call directly to members at renewal time works best in retaining members. Some societies print the names of all members in an annual report or year-end newsletter to acknowledge their support and encourage them to remain part of the society.
Some county and local historical societies look at neighboring organizations and wonder how they attract and retain large memberships. Part of the answer will appear in the services provided to members and the opportunities for membership involvement. Historical societies will also find that if, "the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence," as they compare their membership numbers to nearby groups, the neighbors may simply be making better use of more membership recruiting tools.
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