Membership Recruitment and Retention

New Branch Members

New Branch members wishing to join ACEI need to complete an ACEI Membership Application and return it, accompanied by a dues payment, directly to Headquarters. International, State, and Local dues must be included in this dues payment.

To ensure that a new member is added to the appropriate Branch, it is important to include the Branch name (or code) on the application. (A line is provided on the application.) A Branch code is given to a Branch upon receipt of their Constitution. Membership applications are available on ACEI's web site at ACEI Mail-In Application.

ACEI Headquarters will distribute rebates to the State, Local and Student Branches as explained in the section of this manual on rebates in the Financial Information section.

Renewing Branch Members

Branch members (and the entire membership) will be billed directly from Headquarters. Renewal forms should be completed and returned to Headquarters. Renewal forms are also available on ACEI's web site at www.acei.org. Click on "Renew your ACEI Membership."

Membership Recruitment

Once you have established your Country, State, Province, Local or Student Branch and have a slate of officers, you will need to recruit members! Membership recruitment is a continuous process, not limited to one campaign drive. The officers of the Branch and/or the Membership Committee should be responsible for the initial membership recruitment plan. It is up to each member, however, to continually spread the word about ACEI and seek out new members. In fact, ACEI offers an incentive to members to recruit a colleague with its Member-get-a-Member campaign. (See Appendix 2 to request cards.)

Membership Recruitment Tips Motivating Educators to Get Involved in Your Branch

When you first joined ACEI, what clinched your decision to join?

Chances are, it was the enthusiasm of someone who was already a member. Nothing sells ACEI like you!

What is the most common reason for not joining an Association?

"No one asked me."

If Headquarters invited 200 teachers to join ACEI, we might get one new member to join. If you, as a Branch leader, invited five of your colleagues to come to a meeting or join, you would get at least one new member. Why?

Because you are their colleague. They know you.

No one can sell the benefits of ACEI more than you can.

I. Here are some things you can do to motivate others to want to get involved:
A. Talk about how much fun you had at your last Branch activity

B. Share an article from Childhood Education that is pertinent to them

C. Distribute ACEI Speaks brochures to fellow teachers

D. Bring ACEI up in conversations when discussing a hot topic

E. Mention how much fun you had at the Annual Conference

F. Invite a colleague to attend your next activity with you (offer to take them)

Remember, you are the "I" in ACEI.

New Member Recruitment

Identifying Potential or Prospective Members. Potential members are everywhere!

Colleagues - who do you know that would benefit from joining your branch. ACEI's Member-Get-A-Member program can benefit you while adding strength to your branch. Members receive a $5 coupon for every colleague who joins! Coupons may be used toward Membership Dues Renewal, ACEI Publications, or Annual Conference Registration
Business contacts
Mailing list purchase
Other Associations like SECA, OMEP, NAEYC or PTA
You will need to qualify lists and make sure you are not approaching people who are already members of your branch.
Keep in mind, that in order to receive referrals from people, you sometimes need to offer incentives. For example, if you bring in 5 new members you receive your next branch meeting free or the member who brings in the most new members will receive a reward.

Making Contact

Develop the prospect list. (Headquarters can provide a list of prospects in their database to add to your branch list of prospects.)
Mail an ACEI membership brochure and application along with a branch events calendar and a cover letter to the prospect. (Request generic or personalized membership brochures from Headquarters. Personalized brochures can be printed with branch and specific event information.) The cover letter should point out the benefits of joining ACEI and your local branch. Take the time to make sure the letter is addressed to the appropriate individual. *
Invite the prospect to attend the next branch meeting. This may involve a number of telephone calls, but is worth it in the long run.
Give the prospect about two weeks to respond, then follow up by telephone. Be prepared to answer any questions the prospect may have and encourage them to attend your next branch meeting. If they can't attend the meeting ask them to send someone else on their staff.

*Do not send a letter addressed to a title e.g. Principal. Do your homework! When the prospect reads your letter you want him/her to believe that you know who he/she is and you know what he/she does for a living. Only then is "how you can help" important to him/her.

At the Meeting

Assuming these guests will attend your branch meeting, members should be assigned to watch out for them, greet them, talk to them then pass them on to another member that will do the same.
Introductions to others help get one off to a good start. Some people are naturally gregarious; others need a little hand-holding. Walking into a meeting where you do not know anybody is very intimidating. Introduce them to everyone (especially the President).
Use name tags to promote conversation. Consider color coding nametags to identify newcomers. It is the job of every member to be friendly and open. When a person is at ease, he/she is more likely to have an open mind. An open mind enhances your chance of selling membership. Have a good topic and good presenters to encourage attendance.
Recognize all new members at your meeting.
Ask them to participate in some way.
Recognize them in your newsletter.
Find out their interests or concerns.
Match their interests with a job.
Show them samples of ACEI publications.

After the Meeting

Make sure to send a letter thanking the person for attending the meeting, or simply a "sorry we missed you" note. Do not be discouraged if prospects do not attend the first meeting invited to, or do not join after attending one or two meetings. Include an invitation to attend or participate in a future meeting.
Keep all prospects on your mailing list for a few months to provide them with some idea of the range of meeting topics and the interests of your branch.
It is important to maintain phone contact during this time. Develop telephone trees among your officers. Each officer is responsible for maintaining contact with a designated list of deputy members, as well as, prospective members. Spread the work around. Remember, it is going to take time and effort before these prospects turn into members. The faster you act, the better the chance.
Leaders make a point of welcoming them back when they return.
Send their name to ACEI so that we can follow up.
Mention their involvement to supervisors.
Remind them of how much fun you had together.
Let them know their presence made a difference.

Don't take it personally if they say no

"I'm too busy to attend" does not translate into "Don't ask me again"
If someone says no, find out the reason behind the no.
a. Is it the topic?
b. Is it the meeting time or day?
c. Do they need a ride or childcare?
Don't give up, invite them again.

Finally, invite them to join

There are a number of things you can do to make members feel welcome, but you first have to invite them before they will get involved.

Send a personalized letter from the Branch President.
Send them a personalized membership brochure.
Give them options.
a. Professional membership
b. Student membership
c. Retired membership
d. Basic membership
Ask ACEI to send them an invitation to join.
Remind them that they will save money on their next event, or offer to waive the fee on the next event.

To Boost and Retain Membership:

Update branch mailing list (Headquarters provides a roster of current members quarterly).
Coordinate sending of meeting notices (these should go out in a timely manner to allow attendees enough time to decide if they can make it). Also, never announce a meeting with a "To Be Announced" (TBA) topic or speaker. Most members need to justify to their employer why they are going to the meeting, and can't with a "TBA."
Develop an address book with fax numbers and email address of members and non-members, this job although time consuming at first, only needs to be done once and will make your distribution of information faster and easier.
Develop a branch directory to help your members with their networking, and encourage them to attend the meetings to meet with each other.
Encourage your members to bring a colleague with them to the meetings. You might need to offer an incentive, for example, the meeting will be free to both attending, etc.
Ask your members what they are looking for from the branch. What topics would they like to see presented, what time of day seems to be best for your members, is the location centralized.
The Board of Directors will need to set a schedule for Branch meetings, pick a day or a date that works, and stick to it.
After meetings, distribute an evaluation form, your members will want to know that their opinions are being heard.

The following are suggestions for recruiting potential members and spreading the ACEI message:

Sponsor teacher pre-service activities.
Plan an installation brunch. Invite administrators and spouses.
Operate ACEI booths at school fairs, carnivals or at other organizations' meetings.
Put ACEI activities on the school district's master calendar of events.
Contact PTO's and PTA's about giving institutional memberships for school libraries, give a gift membership, or place a sample copy of Childhood Education in local school media centers or high school child development labs. Request sample copies from Headquarters.
Distribute an ACEI Branch Newsletter to both members and non-members. Offer incentives to schools with the highest number of ACEI members--free conference registration, free ACEI publication, etc.
Create your own ACEI Branch Poster to hang in schools, public libraries, community centers. Contact your school's graphic arts department to assist you.
Prominently display samples of Childhood Education and other ACEI publications, along with membership brochures, in faculty lounges, school offices, libraries, principals' offices.
Invite college students and student teachers to join.
Offer services that address local needs.
Personally contact prospective members.
Sponsor ACEI luncheons.
Hold Bulletin Board Parties--sponsor a monthly bulletin board contest with prizes for ACEI members.
Plan a new teachers' reception.
Organize an administrators' reception and invite:
1. School superintendents
2. Principals
3. City Council or PTA President (or equivalent)
4. School Board Members
Communicate with teachers about ACEI: Each ACEI representative at a school places an apple on every teacher's desk with a poem informing teachers about ACEI membership.
1. Form a buddy system between new and experienced teachers.
2. Hold monthly meetings, prepare handouts for each meeting, invite non-members to attend.
3. Try inservice workshops, sponsored by your ACEI Branch.
Hold your own Member-Get-A-Member contest.
Hold a Week of the Classroom Teacher event.
Give gifts to all teachers in your school.

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