INDIVISIBLE

HOW TO MAKE NEW FRIENDS!

(I.E., RECRUITING NEW GROUP MEMBERS)
This document will help you get started on creating a recruitment strategy and how to move
prospective members through the stages of recruitment: from contact to consideration to
connection to commitment.

Thanks to Trump and his crazy cronies, we all have a lot to do these days! Building up the size of
your local group is essential to effectively #standindivisible. Whether its to increase your capacity to
tackle your goals, to make sure your group reflects the amazing diversity of your community, or to
demonstrate the strength of your opposition, you need to be recruiting.

To help you grow your group, this document shares some best practices around member
recruitment.

GETTING STARTED
Designate a recruitment lead. This can be a committee or a single person, depending
on the size of your group. They should be tasked with creating and reviewing the plan to
grow your group, but everyone should be involved in the recruitment process.

Set a plan. We are all busy people these days, so we need to prioritize our recruitment
work where we can have the most impact. Setting a plan, with goals, will help you stay
focused on efforts that are effective.

Engage your current membership. Share the plan! Get buy-in, as your members will be
your ambassadors for recruiting more volunteers.

MAKING CONTACT
In getting the word out about your group and participation opportunities, be creative and go big.
You should think about what works best in your community, but here are some popular options to
consider:

Having a booth, flyers or some other type of presence at community events.

Using your groups social media channels to talk about volunteer opportunities. Make
sure to tap into hashtags that are popular in your community.

Posting flyers at community hubs and on college campuses.

Including member recruitment messaging in local media interviews.

Giving recruitment remarks at meetings or events for like-minded groups.

Posting recruitment events on community calendars and local websitesand of course

dont forget to put it on the Indivisible website!

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HOW TO WRITE A MEMBER RECRUITMENT PLAN

1. Review where you are and where you would like to be by asking these questions:

How big is our community? How many people voted in the last election, for
example, or what does our town census say? How many people do we need to
accomplish our goals this year? Use these figures to set a specific and realistic
growth goal of how many people you think you need to accomplish your goals.

Does our group reflect our community? Do we represent the diversity of our
community, or do we need to build more connections to certain communities?

Are there specific skillsets of volunteers we need?

2. Evaluate what has worked most effectively for your group by asking these questions.
Reach beyond hyper-committed members, and make sure to pay attention to answers
from marginalized groups to ensure your answers are inclusive.

How did you hear about the group? What was your first contact?

What personally motivated you to join?

What were your questions when you were in the consideration stage?

What made you feel welcome? What was your connection?

What keeps you coming back? Why are you committed?

3. What are the channels for reaching new members?

Where do most people in our town/state get their community news?

What are the community events that bring people together?

What social media channels are popular with our town and the people we are
trying to engage with?

Which community groups share our values and may have members who want
to also join our group?

4. How will your group welcome and incorporate potential new members at each step of
the volunteer process (connection, consideration, and commitment)?

5. What are the resources we have/need for our recruitment campaign? How much will it
cost to print flyers? How much time will creating social media posts take?

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 If youre seeking to improve your groups diversity, talk to groups that focus on
inclusivity or represent marginalized communities for their advice on outreach. If youre
approaching a group for the first time, you should start by seeking to learn about their
work and needs, and how you might be able to support them. This should be the
foundation for any potential partnership.

Most importantly, your current members are your most effective ambassadors for your group.
Here are some suggestions of what your current members can do:

Bring-a-buddy meetings: encourage everyone to bring a friend to your regular meeting

House parties: invite people to someones home for a mixer or potluck to meet current
and prospective members

Social network sharing: ask everyone to post a recruitment message on their personal
channels

Note: Not all of your members may be able to participate in these activities. Remember to be
sensitive to the considerations that different people may have in regards to personal safety and
public involvement.

MOVING TO CONSIDERATION
Personal engagement helps move someone from tossing a flyer or an email in the things to look at
later pile to seriously considering joining. In the Indivisible Guide, we share tips on how to have an
organizing conversation to recruit them. Remember that the first step is to start the conversation
around identifying shared values!

A couple other things to keep in mind:

On a first date, you dont (generally) ask someone to marry you. Think of member
recruitment as a step by step approach to introduce them to the groups values,
purpose, and potential opportunities.

Focus on the big picture of what your group is trying to achieve and how each member
can personally have an impact.

You dont know until you ask. Dont assume someone isnt interested.

Listen to what might be holding them back from saying yes so you can address their
hesitations.

Always bring it back to the shared values youve identified in the conversation.

MAKING A CONNECTION
Youll want to make sure that every new member who engages with you is ushered through the
process of joining to help them understand your group and their potential role. This requires
investing some time, but will pay off with active and committed members. Here are some things
you can do:

1. After someone has said theyre planning to attend your next meeting/event, give them a
call (or text) beforehand to remind them and see if they have any questions.

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 A NOTE ON VETTING

Unfortunately, we know that some people who oppose our work will try to crash our
meetingsideally someone in the group can vouch for them, but thats not always
possible. Its good to have a quick conversation with every new memberboth to make
them feel welcome and to make sure theyre not trying to undermine your group. (Ask
your group for volunteers who can have these quick vetting conversations!) Make sure to
explain the groups values and the expectations to which people attending meetings or
events or participating online must adhere.

2. Encourage them to bring a friend. People feel more comfortable when they have
someone in their support network with them, plus you get two new potential members!
3. Make sure someone is at the door to greet any new attendees specifically.
4. Have a handout or email that explains the various roles members can take on within the
organization, and who they should contact to work on that project/committee.
5. Run your meeting in a way that works for new people too. Check out our tips on that
here.
6. Follow-up the day after the meeting to thank them for coming, answer any questions,
and agree to their next step.
7. For those who arent ready to commit, offer ways to stay involved in other ways.
Encourage them to sign up to your email list or like you on Facebook to keep informed of
big developments or events. A low stream of information can build up to a commitment
over time.
COMMITMENT
So much about getting people to keep coming back is about making people feel like they are
valued; its fun; and its worth their time. Well expand on member appreciation in future resources,
but heres a good baseline to make sure youre hitting:

1. Make it worth everyones time: Run efficient meetings. Offer members defined
opportunities with clear directions and purpose. Be respectful that not everyone has the
same amount of time to give and offer opportunities with varying levels of participation .
2. Feeling valued: Dedicate a portion of your regular meetings to celebrating success. Use
your closed Facebook or email groups to credit people for their hard work. Send thank
you emails. Try to be specific with praise.
3. Have fun: You are dedicated community members fighting the good fight every day,
but we need to prepare for the long haul and make sure we dont burnout. Have a social
event: do a potluck in a park, attend a community fair or event together, recognize
birthdays at team meetings, organize a happy hour at a local watering hole.

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