Membership Resources

Dale Reddick, Third Vice President 2024-2026

Theme for Membership: Solving the Mysteries of Membership

There are all types of mysteries in our world of club work. However, the mystery at the top of everyone’s list is always membership. Where are the “lost” clubs/members and what is the secret to locating new “sleuths” and new clubs.

Goals

Our goal for this administration will be to increase our overall state membership while we retain our current members. We will accomplish this by recruiting new members, forming new clubs and continuing to offer volunteer opportunities and leadership training for our current members.

What is the status of your club’s “mystery”?

Is your club actively working on solving the “Mysteries” of getting your club to grow.
Does your club provide a welcoming atmosphere for guests and new members.
Are you providing opportunities for all members to volunteer without overwhelming members.
Are you encouraging/and helping your new members/shy members find opportunities in your club to volunteer.

Conduct a club assessment. It can be helpful to keep current members engaged and active while you also ensure your club is attractive to prospective members.

It can be hard to be reflective and take an objective view of your club; but it is important to reveal both your club’s strengths and areas in need of improvement.

You can send a survey out to your club members. You can use the state’s Constant Contact account to send that survey, or if you have the Forms app on your Office 365 account – send out the survey to your members with that tool.

By asking open questions that require detailed answers, you should receive more helpful information. Ask members what their favorite projects are, favorite programs, opinions on changes made, and suggestions for improvements. Also ask your members what they feel hinders getting or keeping new members, as well as getting current members to volunteer and assume leadership positions.

Please make sure someone designated in your club responds timely and with a welcome attitude to all inquiries about membership in your club.

Recruitment

The General Federation of Women’s Club is one of the world’s oldest and largest women’s volunteer community service organizations. Communities across the country benefit every day from projects and programs supported by local women’s clubs.

Clubs are important, as they help hold communities together and preserve civic values. Continuing that tradition and offering to others the opportunity to be a part of that tradition are vital. Introducing women to the personal rewards of membership in a GFWC Georgia club and actively encouraging them to become part of your club will guarantee that GFWC Georgia thrives into the future.

Clubs cannot wait for members to come to them. It is time to take a proactive role by reaching out and offering women the opportunity – and the privilege – of becoming part of what we know is a wonderful organization.

Your community is unique. Your community members and needs are unique. Therefore a “one size fits all” approach to membership recruitment will not work. Adopt or adapt ideas and approaches that best suit your situation and your potential new members. Most importantly – have fun. If you are having a good time, your fellow clubwomen will, too.

Focus on your members WHY

Use the What’s your Why guidelines to learn more about the impact of GFWC through sense of purpose, networking, skill development, resume building, community engagement, personal growth, health benefits, time management, cause impact, civic responsibility, cultural understanding and passion pursuit. Encourage your current membership to each have a positive “Why Speech” when talking to potential new members or current members that seem to be losing interest.

Public Relations and Recruitment Tips

Look around at the ladies that are involved in your community. These ladies have a heart for service and are the ladies that should be on your list of invites to join your club.

Do not let your club be the best kept secret in your community.

Print business cards for your club’s members with the GFWC logo and club contact information printed on them.
Publish a Meetings note in the Community Calendar section of your local newspaper. List the details of your meeting and invite interested ladies to attend.
Join your local Chamber of Commerce and attend networking events. Hand out those business cards!
Have a float or entry in your community parade.
Offer your members as speakers to other civic organizations in your community.
Ask your Mayor for a Proclamation for Federation Day and the National Day of Service
Have a “WHY Speech”. Talk about your club everywhere you go – from work, family gatherings, neighborhood get-togethers and parties.
Put your club on display. Are there any vacant storefronts on a nearby street or in a nearby shopping mall? If so, contact the owner and ask if your club can use a front window to display a poster and other information on your club. Make sure to provide the names and phone numbers of some club leaders who can be contacted for more information.
Write and publish press releases about programs and projects your club holds. Make use of internet resources such as Facebook, Instagram, Tick Tock, Podcasts, local newspaper, and local radio stations. Place flyers with your club’s contact information around town to publish upcoming events and meetings.
Put prospects to work. If your club is planning an upcoming service project, ask several prospective members to get involved. Why wait until they join the club? Perhaps hands-on involvement in a service project may be just the thing to prod some good prospects into making a commitment.
Plan a fun event. Not sure you want to put prospects to work before they join? Then how about organizing a party or other event? Invite as many prospective members as possible, along with all members and their spouses or significant others. While having a good time is the main objective of the get together, you can also work in some federation education and even a soft-sell invitation to join.
Increase your circulation. Does your club send a newsletter to members before every meeting? Why not increase its circulation? Send copies to prospective members, to media professionals, to the Chamber of Commerce and to former members. Add a personal note on each, inviting the recipient to attend the next meeting.
Recognize recruiters. When a member successfully recruits a member, publicly thank her for a job well done. Do something special to show that member (and everyone else) just how important it is to bring in new members. You could ask both the recruiter and new members to sit at the head table, send a handwritten thank you card to their home and recognize their work in the club newsletter.
Roll out the welcome mat. Whenever guests come to a meeting, make them feel right at home. Encourage your members to introduce themselves and talk up the club. Many clubs assign one or two longtime members to accompany the prospect and make sure he or she gets a good introduction to your Club. First impressions are important.
Set up shop. Does your city or town have community fairs, farmer’s markets or trade shows? If so, consider renting a booth and handing out information on your club. Make a short video on your phone about your club. Set up a laptop and play the club video. A good video is worth several thousand words.
Look up old friends. Pull out some of your club’s old membership rosters and circle the names of those who have left the club. Give those members a call, their situations may have changed since they left, and they may be ready to return to your club. If for some reason they are unable to rejoin, ask them for the names of some people they think would make good members.
Have club t-shirts that you wear, put a GFWC decal on your car and drink out of a GFWC mug at work.
Set monthly new-member goals. If you miss, you can increase a later goal.
Have a “greeter” stationed at the entrance to your meetings to make sure everyone gets a warm, friendly “hello and thanks for coming.”
Ask members to list their membership in their professional bios, such as on LinkedIn. It gets your club’s name in front of more people, builds your organization’s prestige, and reminds members to talk about it.
Create a club website. If your potential members can find you online, even a simple site can do the trick!
Add a “Join Us” section to your website. People need to know you’re accepting new members and how to join you. You can also include convincing elements like testimonials from current members and the benefits of joining your organization. Make online registration as easy as possible. If you include online member application forms, anyone coming across your website will be much more likely to register than if they have to mail in a paper form.
Create a welcome packet for guests. Include things like the mission, calendar, and contact information, as well as information about becoming a member.

Encourage members to share club activities on social media. Create a photo release package so that you get permission to tag them in pictures. This will ensure the photos show up in their friends’ feeds as well.

Encourage Flexibility in your Club

If there is one thing that we all have too little of, it is time. Lack of time is one of the most common reasons that clubs lose members. Respect the limits of your members’ time by being flexible and efficient, and they will be more likely to make GFWC a permanent fixture in their lives.

Streamline meetings to ensure they are as convenient and as productive as possible, ensuring they meet the needs and diversity of club members.
Schedule meetings at a time that accommodates as many members as possible or consider a “Division” such as “Day Time Division”, “Lunch Division” or an “Evening Division.”
Email the Treasurer’s Report and minutes of the past meeting prior to a regular meeting so they can be reviewed in advance for corrections and/or additions.
Make an agenda and stick to it. Typically, two hours should be adequate for a full meeting.
Keep reports brief and to the point by sharing lengthy program considerations and project and personal news in the club newsletter. Don’t use club meetings to plan the details of an actual event or project.\Allow time for discussion but set a time limit on debate.
Ensure an outside speaker’s topic will be interesting and relevant to the club’s goals. Inform the speaker of the time limit and be sure it is respected.
Schedule a period of social time with refreshments before or after the business meeting, so members can attend as their time allows.
Consider scheduling some social opportunities outside of meeting times. These opportunities can be on a regular basis, like a “Morning Moms” group that meets once or twice a month for coffee after dropping children off at school, or intermittent, such as an impromptu lunch, or after-work “wine down.”
Invite members to start a yoga group, walking group, book club, or other common-interest activity.

Remember rules, regulations, requirements, and traditions are not set in stone and can be changed/updated with the proper procedures.

Parliamentary procedure outlines a set of rules to assist a club with maintaining decorum, to ascertain the will of the majority, to preserve the rights of the minority and to facilitate the orderly transaction of the business of the club.

Routinely review club bylaws and standing rules. Amend those that no longer serve the club or routinely make it difficult for members to remain in the club.

Membership Event Ideas

Every program, every project, everything you do as a club is a membership event. You should always be thinking about recruiting new members. However, you should also arrange events that are just membership events. We want to hear about your membership activities. Your event just may be the “Clue” another club’s need to use to solve the “Mysteries” of their Membership.

Orientation

The next step in recruitment is Orientation for the new members to give them the opportunity to learn about your club and our organization. Have a meeting just for orientation. New members need to know what the club and Federation are all about. Invite current members to attend too —- it never hurts to remind everyone of the goals and mission of the club.

The club president, officers and community service program chairman should attend and lead.

Orientation is an important opportunity to welcome new members. Informed members will remain active and enthusiastic for years to come. Consider providing your new members with an orientation notebook that includes history of your club, GFWC Georgia, and GFWC and most important upcoming dates.

Prepare

New members may be honored at a regular club meeting, at a special luncheon or dinner meeting or at an open house. Once your club has set the date for a new member orientation, send an invitation to each prospective or new member to attend. Encourage all club members to attend and involve experienced members by asking them to serve as greeters or hostesses.

Orientation Meeting

Use an Ice Breaker as an opener to get members’ attention and interest and as a way of getting acquainted.
Share an organizational chart. Show the relationships between GFCW International. The State, districts, and local clubs.
Distribute a map of the six districts of Georgia – highlighting where your club is located.
Provide overviews of the Plan of Work. Have each Community Service Program chairman give a summary of the projects they are doing and planning for the club to do.
Have a long-standing member of the club give a brief history of your club.
Ask a couple of current members to share their membership story.
Provide a copy of your club bylaws.
Explain your club fundraisers and/or Major Projects. Tell what is expected of each member during these fundraisers/events.
Share where the funds from the fundraisers go. Distribute a copy of your club budget.
Explain the financial obligations of being a member– how much are the dues, and where they go – how much goes to district, state and general federation.
Explain other obligations of being a member.
Do not overwhelm them. All of this is a lot to absorb at one time. Be brief, let it soak in slowly. The yearbook and orientation/new member notebook, and other handouts are easier to understand after a brief overview of the club.
At the end of the meeting, ask questions about your local club, district, state and international organizations and give small prizes for the correct answers.

Icebreakers

Icebreakers are a simple and fun way to begin helping people bond. Without a sense of belonging and friendship, club members won’t stay.

It’s important to use icebreaker activities that are easy to learn, non-threatening and fun. Since bonding is the goal, they should have an element of bonding. When you choose an icebreaker for your club, think about the people who will be present.

What are their personalities like?
Are they friends already with one another?
How will people respond to a game or to being asked questions?

It is also helpful to think about which icebreakers work best during different seasons in the life of the club. In the beginning stages of a small group, it is helpful to do more get-to-know your games and questions, so people feel known. As time progresses, changing the icebreakers will bring new energy to the group. You can always ask your small group members what types of icebreakers they enjoy most as well and plan from there.

Most Unique

Description: Go around the room and have each person share something that makes him or her unique or unusual, such as “I’ve never left the state I was born in” or “I am one of 10 kids.” The more unique the facts, the more fun the icebreaker becomes.

Tips: Give examples of unique or unusual facts and be willing to share your answer first. This activity often creates starting points for conversations between members.

Get-to-know-you questions

Description: Most people will not know each other well in a club that’s just forming. Using this icebreaker helps create friendship and community within the club. Simply ask one of these questions and give everyone a predetermined amount of time to answer.

Your goal is not to answer all these questions, but we have provided them to give you options.

What do you do for fun?
What would be your ideal vacation?
What is the most memorable activity you did with your family as a child?
What quality do you appreciate most in a friend?
What is one characteristic you received from your parents you want to keep and one you wish you could change?
What is a good thing happening in your life right now? What makes it good?
If you knew you could not fail and money was no object, what would you like to do in the next five years?

Reasons for Joining a Club – A survey was conducted asking all of the GFWC membership——why did you join a GFWC club. Never forget HOW and WHY you and your fellow club members joined.

The number ONE answer…I was asked.

A group of ladies invited me to join after I moved from another state and the members assured me “ We will take care of you”.
Moved from another state and six days after moving into my house, I was asked to join a club.
A good friend asked me to join a new group.
Postcard from a local club invited me to join.
Moved from big city to rural area and invited by club to join.

Why I joined

To belong and be a part of something
To learn to do things I have not done before
Leadership skills
Meet and Make friends
Support group
To work to mold public opinion for betterment of community
Personal accomplishments
Had things to offer and could make a difference
Wanted adult friends and interactions
Gives me confidence
National organization that I can follow as I move
Broaden horizons
Strength in numbers
Diversity of programs offered

Why I Stay

Friendships
Meeting others
Improve the community
Help the less fortunate
The projects
Ability to Serve
Learning new skills

Membership Packages

You can create Membership Packages to distribute at a club meeting. It is a fun way to show your members that you matter. Some clubs have a Member Thank You lunch/dinner/cookout — you could have a Membership Package at each place setting. Candy can be used to make a Sweet Thank you to members or a “Care Package” of personal items.

Retention

It is just as important to retain your veteran members as it is to recruit new ones. Most people do not leave a club because the volunteer work was unfulfilling—-it was because a connection was not made with the members. Spend some time being reflective about your club members and if everyone is doing everything, they can make connections with veteran as well as new members.

The top Eleven retention tips:

Speak to people at meetings. There is nothing as nice as a cheerful word or greeting.
Smile at everyone. It takes 72 muscles to frown and only 14 to smile.
Call people by name. Having everyone wear club name tags can help with this.
Be friendly and helpful at meetings.
Be cordial. Speak out and act as if everyone you do at a club meeting is genuine pleasure.
Be genuinely interested in our fellow club members.
Be generous with praise and cautious with criticism.
Be considerate of and with the feelings of others– it will be appreciated.
Be thoughtful of the opinion of others. There are three sides to each controversy. Yours, the other person’s and the right one.
Be alert to when help needs to be offered. What counts most in life is what we do for others.
Say what you need to say in a positive, friendly matter, but don’t keep talking just to be talking. Know what to say, when to say it and when to finish

Overall Membership Retention Tips

Plan programs and projects your members want and will enjoy.
Survey your membership to determine interests in future projects and feelings about current ones.
Have a shared meal when ladies turn their dues in. Call it Dues Dinner.
Make sure you send notes and cards to members for congratulations, get well and to extend condolences.
Have a line item in your budget to help defray the cost of members attending district or state meetings/conventions.
Do not impose excessive financial obligations on members.
Be sure all members receive recognition and appreciation.
Focus on the friendships and connections members make.
Have a club newsletter.
Have a club website– that you keep current.
Keep members informed of district, state and national GFWC news in the newsletter—reaffirming for them that they belong to a larger organization.
Have a Member Feature in the newsletter that focuses on a different member each month.
Give awards to your club members—-ie Clubwoman of the Year, Outstanding Citizen or Outstanding Volunteer of the Month.
Make sure all members have and wear club name tags.
Hold an event on your club’s anniversary. Invite current and past members to attend.
Offer leadership training to members.
Have fun social things to do too—from having a Book Club, to a Scrapbook Group, to a Walking Team to a Movie Group.
Respect your club members’ time– have an agenda and start and stop the meeting on time.
If you have club members with children—offer to provide child-care during meetings.
Provide opportunities for families to be involved in club projects.
Make sure members are receiving the GFWC magazine (it’s online now) and the GFWC Georgia newsletter– which is emailed.
Mail Anniversary letters to members.
If you meet in a public location with a sign or placard out front, ask the facility to promote your club’s meetings on it.
If attendance drops off, consider a new meeting place. People enjoy a “change of scenery” and a new location may be better for some members.
Does your club meet all summer? It should. Attendance at summer meetings has dropped, but it’s better than stopping and then trying to start all over again.
Do not cancel a meeting due to poor attendance. A small core group that meets consistently can often turn things around by spreading its enthusiasm.
List the best things about your club. These are the “features and benefits” that you should be promoting in your membership brochures.
Present an annual report to members.
If a member announces that they are moving, help them connect and transfer their membership in their new town.
Send a Thank You note to each member who renews their membership.
Have a Membership Day of the Week in your club—-where you post on social media a photo of your club doing a project—always inviting others to join.

Survey your members regularly

It is great practice to survey your members to make sure you are meeting their needs. There are many tools you can use—Survey Monkey or even Forms on Microsoft Office 365.

After you receive the survey results, your club leadership should meet and review. You have to be open and ready to have thick skin and not take personally any comments ladies made on your survey. Do not ask the question unless you are ready to hear the answer. Even if the answer is not something that will happen- you need to understand what your members think and feel and respond to it. For example, if a member stated she did not want to spend time writing reports and did not think the club should report. Well, we know that we are not going to stop reporting, but what you can do is take the opportunity to educate the member on why we report so that she understands how vital that data is to the federation.

Survey questions you can ask:

How long have you been a member of our club?
Are you involved in any committees/subcommittees? If so, which ones.
What is your favorite activity in which you have volunteered in our club?
As a club, what can we do to encourage you to volunteer in activities?
Do you read the club newsletter?
What type of additional content would you like to see in our newsletter?
Of our current events, which ones are your favorites?
What types of events would you like to see us host in the future?
What topics/programs/speakers are of the most interest to you right now?
Do you currently follow our club on social media?
What would you like to see us post about on social media? Events- volunteer opportunities, member spotlights, etc.?
How do you prefer to receive news/announcements from our club? Via email, social media, newsletters?
What do you currently like most about our club?
What changes do you feel would improve meetings?
How welcome do members make guests feel?
What do you currently like least about our club?
Is there a role in the club leadership you would like to serve?
How likely are you to renew your membership in the upcoming year?

New Clubs

Does the town next to you not have a club? Does your club only meet during the daytime, and you are working outside the home now and need a club that meets at night? Are you now older and retired and want to meet during the day and not at night? Do you feel led to start a new club? There are many options for new nontraditional clubs in addition to our Woman’s, Junior and Juniorette clubs.

Special Interest Clubs: Special interest clubs are active clubs paying per capita dues that function in different ways than traditional clubs.

Collegiate Clubs: Colleges and universities often face the same challenges as traditional communities. A collegiate club functions in the campus setting and provides service opportunities that accommodate the student lifestyle. Juniorettes who have graduated from high school can maintain their GFWC affiliation with a Collegiate Club.

Cyber Clubs: This type of club is designed for members who want to engage in volunteer service and membership opportunities but cannot attend meetings. Club business is transacted through electronic means. Some traditional clubs may even have cyber members, who attend meetings via Teams, Zoom, Skye or other electronic means.

Single Issue Clubs: GFWC offers a diverse array of Special and Community Service Programs, but clubs alone determine their work. It is okay for a club to work on a single issue.

Workplace Clubs: Members who work together already have something in common and often spend many hours together. They have the flexibility to meet during work breaks, such as at lunchtime or outside of work. Meetings scheduled just before or after work can be very convenient.

Retirement Community Clubs: Retirement Communities often gather retirees together from various states. Connecting with other clubwomen offers a ready group of friends with common interests.

Steps to Organizing a New Club: Contact GFWC Georgia Third Vice President Dale Reddick for the New Club Information Packet. After you have received the packet and reviewed the information:

Invite several friends to discuss organizing.
Decide on a name for the club. The club’s name will always need to be GFWC____________.
Call Dale Reddick with any questions you might have.
Decide on a day of the month, time and place to meet.
Create a list of prospective members.
Create an invitation and set a time to send the invitations. Send an invitation to a member of the state membership team so they can come and visit and be a part of the first meeting.
Write a beginning set of bylaws. You can use examples as a guide.
Create an agency for the first meeting. Include the election of officers as determined by your bylaws. Also go over the bylaws, make changes as needed, and vote on them. Collect dues and set up a banking account for club money.
Fill out the state membership form and send it along with a list of officers, a list of members, a copy of your bylaws and dues check to the state office.
When this is received at the state office, the Membership Chairman – Dale Reddick, will apply for your Club Charter with GFWC. It will be presented at the next state convention.

GFWC CAMPAIGN

Recruiting new members is vital to GFWC’s success, so it is important that we invite and encourage women to join our clubs. Recruiting and welcoming new members is an ongoing process that requires the focus and commitment of every member. The most important aspect of recruitment is the determination to succeed. Without dedication and follow-through, no recruitment campaign will be as successful as it could be.

Recruitment is a year-round process, and the campaigns and reporting of new members reflect this fact. For example, a club that recruits three new members during each season will end the year with 12 new members! In addition, clubs can plan creative membership campaigns and events around the many national awareness issues and commemorative days that are aligned with GFWC’s Special and Community Service Programs and Advancement Plans. So, join GFWC clubs nationwide and start

CELEBRATE CLUB MEMBERS’ RECRUITMENT SUCCESSES

Star Recruitment Pins and Circles are incentive rewards for successful recruiters. The first five awards, recognizing those who have recruited five to 29 new members, are small star-shaped pins with a butterfly clasp and small chain that attaches to the stem of the GFWC Member Pin. Members who have recruited 30 or more members will be awarded a color circle to wear behind their star pins. Awards are cumulative and can cross Administrations. There are 10 levels:

Membership recruiters earn a white star for 5 – 9 new members.
Membership recruiters earn a red star for 10 – 14 new members.
Membership recruiters earn a blue star for 15 – 19 new members.
Membership recruiters earn a silver star for 20 – 24 new members.
Membership recruiters earn a gold star for 25 – 29 new members.
Membership recruiters earn a white circle for 30 – 34 new members.
Membership recruiters earn a red circle for 35 – 39 new members.
Membership recruiters earn a blue circle for 40 – 44 new members.
Membership recruiters earn a silver circle for 45 – 49 new members.
Membership recruiters earn a gold circle for 50+ new members.

Send the names of your club’s successful recruiters and the names and contact information of the new, active, dues-paying members to your State Membership Chairman. Only this Chairman can order Star Recruitment Pins and Circle

Grants are available from GFWC to clubs to assist with recruitment efforts and to districts to assist with club building efforts. Funds are designated each GFWC fiscal year beginning July 1 and ending June 30 to help underwrite membership recruiting and rebuilding in your community. GFWC offers $50 for club member recruitment programs and $100 for district new club building programs. Click here to apply for the membership grant, or please visit http://www.GFWC.org/Membership, e-mail GFWC@GFWC.org, or contact 202-347-3168. Please note that you must return the application form to GFWC Headquarters at least 45 days prior to your event. While a GFWC club or district may submit grant applications for separate events, GFWC will award a maximum of one grant per club/district per GFWC fiscal year.

As we work to increase membership, we must continue to Promote the Value of GFWC, Educate, Engage, and Empower. We must also make it easy to renew membership, recognize years of membership, and celebrate club anniversaries.

During this administration, we encourage you to build membership and submit the number of NEW members joining your club quarterly. Join GFWC clubs nationwide and report your successes in membership recruitment and development.

Join GFWC’S Seasonal Recruitment Campaign: GFWC’s “EDUCATE, ENGAGE, & EMPOWER” RECRUITMENT CAMPAIGN REPORT

Please submit the names of those successfully recruited during your membership campaigns, please complete the GFWC Seasonal Recruitment Campaign Report Form and return it to GFWC Headquarters by the deadlines noted.

Summer – FOCUS ON: “Clear Communication” – (July, August, September; Report due October 1) Concentrate on providing your members with regular updates through email, newsletter, social media, and your club website. Be sure to note a way for them to contact leadership with feedback or any concerns they may have.
Fall – FOCUS ON: “Member Value & Benefits of Belonging” – (October, November, December; report due January 2) Clearly educate and communicate the value of being a member of your club and GFWC. Review membership benefits regularly based on member feedback and adjust accordingly.
Winter – FOCUS ON: “Diverse & Inclusive Programming” – (January, February, March; report due April 1) Be sure you are considering all members’ needs when organizing your calendar of events and activities. Ensure club programs are accessible and open to a diverse membership base.
Spring – FOCUS ON: “Professional Development” -(April, May, June; report due July 1)
Offer leadership workshops and seminars or training that could contribute to your members’ personal growth. Provide access to tools and resources that can help them advance in their careers, such as project management and public speaking.

Clubs achieving and reporting three new members as a result of their seasonal recruiting efforts will be recognized in GFWC Clubwoman Magazine.