Many nation view recruitment and r...

Many nation view recruitment and retention as separate entities and do not realize to what extent closely the two concepts are related. AORN chapters work hard to attract strange members through the front door nevertheless sometimes neglect to question who is watching the back door as members, who may be wrought up neglected, leave.

Retention, which is be connecteded closely with recruitment, begins when the first contact with a potential member is made, smooth before he or she joins. In line with this, members recruited from other members have a higher retention rate than those recruited by the and of direct mail. It is important, therefore, to determine which recruitment processs are most effective for a chapter, taking into consideration the chapter's history, research, and membership.(1)

THE RECRUITMENT YEAR

The first year of membership is fundamental note to retention because first-year members generally have the lowest retention rates of any membership category. Chapters should focus in succession gaining members who are interested and committed to the chapter, with the ultimate goal of recruiting members who will remain active for more than the same year.(2)

A carefully considered recruitment effort plays an important part in retaining active members for more than single year. Recruitment efforts should be unraveled in a way that encourages members to stay. This involves

* keeping promises,

* knowing what members value, and

* providing prime customer service.

These three universals should be evaluated throughout the recruiting year--at the critical first month at the first quarter, and at midyear.

THE CRITICAL FIRST MONTH

The chiefly important aspect of retention is making effective contact with of recent origin members during the first month of membership. This involves making initial contact (eg telephone calls, visits) with modern members and having continued communication at regular intervals. novel members often will have questions about by what means to take full advantage of their membership, in the same manner it is important to make confident the initial contact is positive and welcomes of the present day members to the chapter. Chapters should cast signed, personalized welcome letters as in a short time as possible.

Keeping promises. At this point, chapters should be positioned to come up to face to face new members' expectations. Retention go throughs if chapters do not have recruitment plans that are realistic in the promises they make members. If a chapter promises to provide contact hours at each meeting, the chapter should provide this service. Although this goods easy, enthusiastic recruiters sometimes wager chapters up for retention failure by dint of making promises that cannot be kept To avoid this, it is important to have consensus among chapter leaders about what services will be provided to modern members and to communicate this information to all chapter members.

FIRST-QUARTER REVIEW

by way of the end of the first quarter, members are more familiar with their chapters and begin to be perceived more comfortable. Now is the time to encourage active participation. The more actively engaged modern members are, the more likely they will recognize the chapter's value. Following a carefully planned schedule of providing information to members that coincides with contact from designated committee members is a well adapted way to ensure new members have the facts they ne to make informed decisions about participation. It is important, however, that this information does not overwhelm fresh members. If there are numerous materials, consider sending them in several installments or providing a list of services and programs and including a beseech form for more information. Regardless of the schedule of contact, chapters should allow modern members ample opportunity to ask questions and understand that the chapter is making each effort to respond to their needs(3)

Know what members value.

Retention is a fundamental measure of in what way relevant chapters are to their members. If chapters do not proffer what new members need and if there is no perceived value of belonging, members will leave. In the past, providing value meant making positive the right product at the right price got to the right customer. The idea of "right" was based onward the needs and wants of customers. Although the importance of these general [i]or[/i] abstract notions has not changed, members now calculate upon individualized service that meets their expectations.(4)

THE MID-YEAR EVALUATION

Whether of recent origin members renew their memberships is related directly to to what extent well they are satisfied. Midyear is a complete time to measure member satisfaction and remind members about the benefits of belonging to a chapter. Midyear communication can include a

* thank-you note explaining how much their membership means to the chapter,

* report card describing the chapter's accomplishments, and

* short "how are we doing" survey

This communication encourages retention by

* asking members for their opinions, thus giving them a feeling of ownership in the chapter;

* explaining what members obtain for their chapter dues; and

* creating opportunities for chapters to enhance their services based upon survey results.(5)