October 2010Kathy Schramm

Wisconsin ARES/RACES, ASEC Marketing and Recruiting

Promoting ARES – Bring Out the HAM In You!

What are Your Biggest Challenges When You Recruiting New Members?

FindingEducatingPersuading

When do you talk about ARES?

At a dinner party? To a total stranger at the grocery store? Anywhere, anytime, I just can’t stop Only to other Hams' during HAM functions

The The “LOOK”“LOOK”

Why Is It So Difficult To Explain Who We Are and What We Do?

It is hard to put it into words . There is nothing to compare it to. It’s not mainstream It’s not understood

Do You Want ARES/RACES To Thrive?

You have to be willing to promote it

Recruitment is a year-round responsibility of everyone.

Be willing step out of your comfort zone.

How Do You Convey to Others What ARES Is All about?

PERSUASION

What will joining DO for me? What will it ENABLE me to do? What will I GAIN? What will I SAVE or PROTECT? What will OTHERS Say?

Keep Your Perspective

We are all volunteers. We are all the caretakers of ARES. We are really preserving and growing this

organization now, to pass it on to future generations of HAM’s.

We want to leave this organization in better shape than when we joined it.

What Attracts People To Join An Organization And Get Involved?

GRAPE: Acronym For The Five Most Common Reasons People Get Involved

G – To GrowR – To Be Recognized A – To AchieveP – To Participate in a Cause E – To Enjoy

Promoting ARES Starts With YOU!

Believe in yourself. Believe in your ideas. Enthusiasm is your greatest recruitment

tool. You attract others—be a magnet. Take risks. Get your “HAM”” out and have fun!

Actively Spread the Word to Everyone

Being in the right place at the right time is to be everywhere all the time.

The more people you tell about ARES the further the word will travel.

Never assume that others don’t want to hear about your love affair with HAM radio.

Live, Eat, and Breathe ARES

Like any skill, promoting your passion requires practice.

Write an elevator pitch

Elevator Pitch Target Audience and Topic

MS Office template

ELEVATOR PITCH SPECIFICS YOUR ANSWERS

Specify your target audience:(Examples: customers, employees, suppliers, partners, investors, personal networking contacts, business networking contacts, family, and friends)

Specify topic:(Examples: product/service, company, personal, new job)

Message Component Development

QUESTIONS YOUR ANSWERS

Who do you do it for?(For example, start with “For small and midsized healthcare providers”)

Why do your customers/clients care? Or, what’s in it for them?(For example, include “so that they can,” “who can no longer afford,” or

“who are tired of”)

What does your company do?(For example, start with “We provide”)

Why is your company different?(For example, include “as opposed to” or “unlike”)

What is your company?(For example, start with “We are an insurance”)

Optional questions

OPTIONAL QUESTIONS YOUR ANSWERS

What environment is your company operating within?(For example, start with “Our industry is challenged to implement Sarbanes-Oxley compliance”)

What single thing does your company do better than any other?(Example: “We are the best in the industry at mitigating risk in this critical area.”)

Put it all together

YOUR RESULTS

Assemble the combined results here:

Write An Elevator Pitch for Yourself

Say what you do in one sentence

BEST

B E S T

Write An Elevator Pitch for Yourself

BEST

B icyclists E veryone S afety T o Give back

Write An ARES Elevator Pitch for Yourself

Say what you do in one sentence

I am a volunteer who has taken the appropriate training so I can communicate by radio, and especially during an emergency and this can help save lives.

Write An Elevator Pitch for Yourself

VAPOR

V olunteer in a Amateur Radio organization called ARES/RACES

A RES = Amateur Radio Emergency Service P ractice to be ready in case of a disaster ---

Wisconsin “Katrina” O perate our radios per FCC regulations R adio is my passion, help save lives

The Six R's of Recruiting –Dr. Judy Esmond, author of Count Me in 501 Ideas on Recruiting Volunteers

Research Reveal Relate Reach Respond Recruit

Research - Attracting New Members

Can you answer the when, where, what, who and why about your existing volunteers? 

That is, when did they hear about your volunteer recruitment message, where did they hear it, what attracted them, who did they connect with and why did they volunteer? 

Reveal

Reveal your recruitment message to the world through numerous forms of publicity.  Newsletters, flyers, the internet, website, newspapers, radio, television, social networking (Twitter & Facebook) etc.   

Why should they join? Include information about the advantages and benefits to the person if they become a volunteer.  Aim to write material that will 'grab' the prospective volunteer's: Attention, Interest, Desire and motivate them into Action to join up!

Relate

Relate and network with everyone. Best recruitment tool: word of mouth. Enthusiastic happy volunteers are your greatest

publicity. Volunteer recruitment and volunteer retention is all

about selling the volunteering experience. Question what is the volunteering experience that Wisconsin ARES/RACES is selling to our volunteers? Is it a positive experience or a negative one?

Respond

Respond to changing trends in society (Social Networking).

Stats from I strategy Labs 1.7 Million people on FaceBook In Wisconsin 18+ over 90% 35+ over 35% 50+ over 15% - Group with rapid growth 65 Million users access it though mobile phones.

Reinvent organization to combat decline in membership and make it attractive to the younger generations.

Recruit

The role of the entire organization. Learn to network any where and any time. Always carry ARES business cards. Reach out to people you don’t know. Expect to network in unexpected places.

Publicity Is Attention you Attract by Participating in Your Community

Free publicity is the best advertising. Prepare a clear easy to ready press kit. It includes who you are. What you are doing. Photo’s and past press . How the community is benefiting from your

services.

80 Ways to Recruit New Members

Ask someone (everyone) Bring a guest Advertise in newspapers. Advertise on public access TV Sample or demonstration meetings Letters or personal contact with local businesses Public meetings at malls, outdoors, etc Booth at malls, fairs, festivals etc. Host an Open House Pamphlets in doctors’ offices, hospitals, cafeterias, libraries,

etc.

80 Ways to Recruit New Members

Hold membership drives and contests Warm greeting Guest information packet Guest introductions Hold high-profile meetings Commercial display-local business setup a display in their store

front Advertise at local colleges Have a guest speaker Have a special guest day Create more fun

80 Ways to Recruit New Members

Have a program for non-members Make prospective members feel important Have enjoyable programs Make some meetings social events Have a web page Use email Use Social Networking with Twitter, and Facebook Have a reward program for those who bring in new members Recruit at VE Sessions Invite the media

80 Ways to Recruit New Members

Use word of mouth Network with coworkers, friends, and family Follow up on guests Have educational meetings Have friendly meetings Lead by example Display the awards Field Day SET Weekly nets

80 Ways to Recruit New Members

Participate in community events Publicize successes, appointments, contests, in local and

national newspapers/publications Have a newsletter Have a brochure Have a planned agenda Members should be prepared Encourage attending meeting in other counties Hold public workshops Wear your ARES pin to all functions Make it look easy

80 Ways to Recruit New Members

Smile and be happy Attract a wide age spectrum Give testimonials Get testimonial for your web site Make meetings more interactive Send thank you's to guests Have table at trade shows, swaps Send your upcoming meetings to your local radio station. Get interviewed on the radio. Be a guest on a radio talk show.

80 Ways to Recruit New Members

When someone notices you’re a HAM, tell them why and invite them to the next meeting

HAM radio drawing/poster contest at schools Have new member kits Hand out flyers and brochures Have a meeting greeter/ schedule a rotation each month to greet

each new guest Members constantly promoting and raving about ARES Meet at a good safe location Tap into your childhood curiosity Form a member speakers’ bureau so club members with public

speaking skills can go into our community and speak at schools, Chamber of Commerce, Rotary or Kiwanis club meetings.

Never give up!

Always Be Positive

Positive Creates Positive Perception is reality A positive attitude is contagious and

persuasive. Keep in mind that our members invest a lot of

time and energy to get involved. Value their involvement. Appreciate their ideas. Show them it is time well spent.

Be An Eternal Optimist

SeeMagic In LifeEvery day