One of the biggest problems collegiate sections face is attracting and retaining membership. My section (Olin College) has always found that the best way to attract students is at the beginning of the year. We table at the annual Club Fair, which helps us convince first-year students to join our mailing list. Then, we host a “Study Break” (these are common at my school; they are basically excuses to take a break from studying and have fun) where we buy food and tell everyone about what our section does. Then, we have mini breakout sessions where people can learn more about specific ways they can get involved. We’ve found that this is a great way to let people know about what we do and how they can get involved. Our section has always struggled with maintaining membership, but recently we started making committees and encouraging first-years to be involved. This has helped them feel more valuable and encouraged them to pursue further leadership roles. We’ve also had success working with other professional societies and campus organizations. If you have any other suggestions of things that work in your section, please post them! We’d love to hear from you.
-Katie Miller
RCNE Region F
