Area 1, Harmony, Inc.: Membership



		Building & Retaining Membership Harmony, Inc. Membership Tools & Resources (You need to log into the Harmony, Inc. site before you can view MEMBERSHIP: Tools & Resources on the Secure Site page) [From e-Note, Aug 2009] September SING! Harmony-wide Membership Drive Anne Leinen, Member Services Administrator Announced in the July E-Note as the September Membership Initiative, our Harmony-wide Membership Drive begins in September. For easier name recognition and a more fun approach, we’re now calling it “September SING!” The commitment and support of every chapter is vital to this effort. Members are our lifeblood: a vital part of every chorus. New members keep us young, vibrant, and generate new energy within our chapters and the organization. This year, as we celebrate Harmony’s 50th Anniversary, what better way to do so than to introduce new women to barbershopping and Harmony, Inc? In recognition of recent declining membership, now more than ever, we need new membership growth to propel us into our next 50 years. Take the rest of this month to plan your chapter’s September recruiting event. Your plans can be as simple or as grandiose as time and resources permit. Some better-known options include: Open Houses, Guest Nights, Free Singing Lessons, Open Rehearsals, Holiday Choruses, etc As you read through the rest of this E-Note, you’ll find lots of different ideas – find the one that suits your chapter best. There are also articles on ways to publicize your chapter to your community, and keeping guests and new members excited about your chorus. Take the time now to plan your “Sizzle in September” or “See You in September” recruiting event. Don’t forget the wealth of materials available to all chapters on the Harmony website in the “Membership Tools and Resources” section and also read the success stories from our last two year’s Operation Sparkplug winners in “Chapter Chatter.” This is our 50th Anniversary – let’s begin our next 50 years with a focus on membership growth! September SING! Membership Retention Ideas Louise Cowan, Membership Retention Coordinator As your chorus gears up for its September SING event, here are some ideas to keep your guests coming back: As your guests walk through the door, involve them right away. Have the Music team prepare a plan for teaching tags, prepare guest music folders /binders, and prepare upbeat songs that the chorus can sing to motivate and inspire younger prospective members. Be sure that a chorus member is always talking to or helping a guest. Newcomers need to feel a part of the group. Have a short, one-piece information sheet about your chapter available to guests. Have music packages ready that guests can take home, perhaps with a learning tape included. This will make guests comfortable and singing with the chorus sooner. Make voice testing a fun, non-threatening activity And once those guests become members…. Help new members feel a connection to the chorus. They must feel safe to be open with their opinions, needs, and concerns. Encourage new members to participate in the chapter organization by involving themselves on committees, fund raising initiatives, and recruiting members. Encourage social networking within the chorus that might involve extra practices at members’ homes, family barbecues, and special event trips. A chorus retreat is a great way for new members to feel a part of the chorus. Stay connected to your associate members and former members. Provide support networks that reach out to help members that have health problems, problems with transportation, learning and memory issues and economic concerns. Connect members to other Harmony, Inc. choruses by encouraging attendance at Education Days, HITS, Area and International Contest and Convention. Help members become more knowledgeable with current technology. September SING! A Great PR Opportunity! Margaret Lavictoire, Internal PR Coordinator All media (print, radio, TV, on-line) need to provide interesting, newsworthy stories and information to gain a following by their target audience. However in doing this, they are under constant (and increasing) pressures of tight timelines, limited staff, and limited space (number of pages, airtime etc). Given these constraints, they are going to follow the stories that give them the most interest and news with the least amount of effort. So, to promote your chorus and in particular, your new members recruiting drive, you need to make your event interesting, newsworthy, relevant, and easy to cover. Here are some ideas: Interesting – provide pictures; sound clips; have a spokes person that portrays the chorus having fun making top quality music. Newsworthy – what’s special this week; provide specific dates Relevant – highlight members from community covered by a local paper; tie in with health benefits of singing; September is a time for starting something new! Easy to Cover – send information well in advance; provide a press release that reads like a news story; be responsive to last minute inquires. Specifically for our September SING initiative, look for a PR template on the Harmony Website in the Membership Tools and Resources Section. Hard news items (political, criminal, tragedy) will always get more than their share of news coverage, but most media also want to provide some balance with brighter, human interest stories. Don’t be disappointed if you get pre-empted by a day or week of heavier news but do work hard to get your share of the coverage for local events. Questions or ideas to share: Link to http://groups.yahoo.com/ and search for HIPR (Harmony Inc’s Public Relations). Sign up and get in the conversation. More into Facebook - Search for “Harmony Incorporated” and start a discussion. Membership Tip of the Week [ From April 2009 e-Note ] Anne Leinen, Member Services Administrator Below are membership recruitment ideas that have been posted on the Harmony Connection during the month of March, just in case you missed them or you aren’t on the Harmony Connection. Look into placing a chorus flyer promoting free vocal lessons in bundles with other story flyers. You may find rates to be very reasonable. One chorus paid $90 for 2000 flyers. Be sure there are good quality posters, flags, banners, etc. identifying your chorus in public -- whether you are singing or using materials for publicity. Make up a chorus tee-shirt that says "Ask me where I sing!" Invite local high school groups to be on your annual show. You'll get more audience members and you'll be introducing barbershop to your local youth. Set up a concert that benefits a charity, and invite women in the community to join you for that concert. Offer complimentary show tickets to musical directors in your community, and to your advertisers in the show program. Get your chorus name out on Facebook (have an open page for your chorus), Craig's List and Community Calendars. Create a membership team within your chapter and assign each member one item to do, such as: Attend a Chamber of Commerce meeting Advertise the 50th Anniversary of HI locally Seek local corporate sponsors -- work with other area choruses together Contact home school groups and suggest having youth members join for school credit. Place copies of the "Key Note" or your Area newsletter in your doctor's waiting rooms (getting permission from the office staff), with a tear-off sheet with your chapter contact info inserted. Waiting areas in other businesses such as salons, beauty shops, etc. work as well. Membership Tip of the Week [ From March 2009 e-Note ] Anne Leinen, Member Services Administrator The Membership Team had a productive teleconference to brainstorm membership recruitment ideas awhile ago. From these recruitment ideas, I have been putting a “Tip of the Week” on the Harmony Connection. Since not everyone is on the Harmony Connection, each month in the E-Note I will provide a summary of the prior months’ tips. There were three tips for February: Visit local businesses and get permission to sing a few songs. Call it "Harmony Caroling", as opposed to Holiday caroling which is only done once a year. Hand out your chapter's flyers and information. Invite local women’s groups (red hats, church, sororities/fraternities) to participate in your fundraiser and share the proceeds. Give an incentive of a free performance to the group that helps the most (ex. sells the most tickets). This will also help provide a good turnout at your next annual show. Create a special flyer for members of the local BHS chorus, inviting their wives, daughters, and significant others to an evening of “Discover Harmony”. 7 Tips for Reaching Out to Young Women [ From February 2009 e-Note ] Janice Westphal, Youth Outreach Coordinator Go where the girls are! Schools, 4-H clubs, Scout Troops, church groups, Boys and Girls Clubs, etc. Have a “big sister” night. Every member brings a young woman to rehearsal (nieces, daughters, grand daughters, children of friends, etc.) Sing songs that appeal to youngsters (contact me for ideas) Sponsor a one day clinic for young women singers Introduce a program to your local high school Be “young in heart.” Having youngsters around is a joyful experience. The generations can learn from each other Apply for funds available to every Area for youth outreach. Contact your Area Representative. Youth Outreach Promotion [ From December 2008 e-Note ] Janice Westphal, Youth Outreach Coordinator Our youth are energetic, creative, motivated and full of life. What a great resource for your chapter! Have you asked a young woman about singing in your chapter? Have you tried this? Call the local high school music educator and talk about your chorus opportunities for the young women Contact the YMCA Call the Boys & Girls Clubs Ask each young woman you meet – “Do you like to sing?” Ask each young woman you meet about her high school singing experiences Contact the local theatre Contact Janice Westphal about the programs for Youth Outreach Youth Outreach Event and the school involvement programs are available at jlwestphal@charter.net Talk with the home and school association in your area Make a list of the places where young women gather and be there talking and singing with them Encourage the young women in your chorus to sing with the Minor Chords at IC&C in November. The Jacquelyn Klooster Scholarship is available for financial assistance. Attend high school choral programs and concerts to show your support. Wear a pin identifying yourself and promoting your chorus Ask any local girl quartets to sing on your annual show Reach out to directors of local youth choirs. Let them know that opportunities for young women to sing are available for those who “age out” of the children’s group.
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