October 2010 Kathy Schramm Wisconsin ARES/RACES, ASEC Marketing and Recruiting

1. October 2010 Kathy Schramm Wisconsin ARES/RACES, ASEC Marketing and Recruiting Promoting ARES – Bring Out the HAM In You!

2. What are Your Biggest Challenges When You Recruiting New Members? • Finding • Educating • Persuading

3. 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

4. The “LOOK”

5. 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

6. 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.

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

9. 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?

11. 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.

12. What Attracts People To Join An Organization And Get Involved?

13. GRAPE: Acronym For The Five Most Common ReasonsPeople Get Involved • G – To Grow • R – To Be Recognized • A – To Achieve • P – To Participate in a Cause • E – To Enjoy

14. 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!

15. 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.

16. Live, Eat, and Breathe ARES • Like any skill, promoting your passion requires practice. • Write an elevator pitch

17. Elevator Pitch Target Audience and TopicMS Office template

18. Message Component Development

19. Optional questions Put it all together

20. Write An Elevator Pitch for Yourself • Say what you do in one sentence • BEST • B • E • S • T

21. Write An Elevator Pitch for Yourself • BEST • B icyclists • E veryone • S afety • T o Give back

22. 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.

23. 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 perateour radios per FCC regulations • R adio is my passion, help save lives

24. 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

26. 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? 

27. 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!

28. 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?

29. 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.

30. 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.

31. 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.

32. 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.

33. 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

34. 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

35. 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

36. 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

37. 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.

38. 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!

39. 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.

40. Be An Eternal Optimist See Magic In Life Every day