Secrets to their Membership Drive Success
AWC-Santa Barbara had its most successful membership drive ever this fall, providing evidence that our Central Coast communicators want to remain connected virtually even when we’re unable to meet in person.
Prior to October, our membership hovered around 50 people, and we were worried about the number of non-renewals. We weren’t sure what we could accomplish given the pandemic, economic downturn, and the high cost of living in our area. But, we have a strong and energetic board, and we decided to give it our best shot. Now we have 70 members, an increase of almost 40%! Here’s what we learned:
- Programming matters: Our board has been creative in coming up with topics and speakers that attract attention from members and non-members. Our programming calendar was created months in advance. Even after we were forced to abandon our in-person meetings, we were able to generate buzz with our Zoom programs by featuring hot topics and dynamic speakers.
“I joined AWC-SB in October looking for the company of creative, resourceful, and supportive women,” said Kate McGuinness, attorney/author/speaker/coach. “The November meeting delighted me with detailed information about Sizzle Reels. It provided helpful tools to create a trailer for my book Confidence Lost / Confidence Found. I’m now inspired to launch this long-delayed project.”
2. Be clear about benefits. When we met in person, our meetings featured good snacks and plenty of networking. Now that everything is virtual, we’ve made a stronger effort to identify the benefits of membership. We made our own list of twelve reasons to join AWC-SB and modified it to reflect the realities of living through a pandemic.
3. Emphasize connection. Because of the pandemic, we knew some of our members would lose jobs or be under-employed; others would feel the stress of working remotely. These difficult circumstances created a longing for community. Many of our new members joined because they crave connection with other women who understand what they do all day and are willing to provide encouragement.
“With the new reality of 2020, I embarked on new career paths and concluded that I couldn’t afford NOT to be a member of this dynamic and valuable organization,” says Certified Life-Cycle Celebrant® and freelance writer Justine Sutton.
4. Make use of what AWC offers. We mined the membership database on the national website to create targeted email lists. One included every non-member who had attended a meeting in the past year; the other listed all lapsed members from the past five years. Other chapters can also be a source for great ideas. When the Seattle chapter sent out a recruitment email that looked especially good, we borrowed the format and added our own information.
5. Get the Word Out. This year, AWC national produced strong graphics that we were able to plug into our website and social media accounts. We also wrote a news release promoting the drive at the suggestion of a member who is a top-notch publicist and generously shared the release with her contacts in local media. We got excellent coverage in local publications and, as a bonus, editors at three key media outlets decided to become members!
“I’ve attended AWC-SB events as a guest, but it wasn’t until I gave a presentation to the group and interacted with members that I was convinced I had to join!” says Giana Magnoli, managing editor of Noozhawk.com. “I’m excited to get to know everyone better, learn about what they do, and get access to the exclusive programming that comes with the membership.”
6. Use social media to celebrate new members. In our welcome email, we asked new members to send a photo and a short introduction, highlighting their accomplishments as communicators. Our president started sharing this information online about halfway through the month. Seeing so many new faces created a sense of excitement that contributed to a strong finish. We plan to ride this wave by continuing to use social media to draw attention to what our members are doing.
Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that membership ebbs and flows. Our success this year was the result of several years of building our board and doing outreach both to our members and our larger community. We now have outstanding leadership and partnerships with some key local communicators. Even in these unprecedented times, we’ve been able to position ourselves as energetic, optimistic communicators who offer each other inspiration, practical support, and encouragement.
About the Authors
Carolyn Jabs, Santa Barbara Chapter Membership Chair
Carolyn had a long career as a freelance writer, contributing hundreds of articles about families, ethics, environmental issues, and the Internet to publications ranging from Reader’s Digest and Family PC to Working Mother and Self. Her essays have appeared in Newsweek and the New York Times, and she self-syndicated a column called Growing Up Online that helped parents raise children to be as safe and responsible online as they are in the real world. She has been a member of AWC for many years and is Past President of the Santa Barbara Chapter.
Lisa Osborn, Santa Barbara Chapter President 
Lisa Osborn is the news & public affairs director at KCSB-FM 91.9, Santa Barbara’s community and educational radio station, located at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Before moving to Santa Barbara, Lisa worked as a news anchor in Los Angeles and was a host (deejay) at a national music network. Lisa also has a business that produces marketing on-hold messages and other voice-over narrations for transit agencies and corporate clients across the USA (www.LisaOsborn.com).
