Every Member Has a Story
Updated: Mar. 3, 2025 | Categories: StarChapter Admin, Member Communications, Goal Setting, Membership
People love to talk and share their experiences with others. This reality is no different for your members. In doing so, they can serve as an asset to the chapter, providing guidance for prospective members that a standard history of your chapter may not offer. Their journey both within the industry and in the chapter may also offer greater educational benefits to active members. And highlighting former board members is an excellent starting point that can offer a focused message and keep former board members involved.
There are many ways your members can tell their story – each with their own purpose behind it. Knowing why you want the story revealed is key in determining who should share what and when and how it should be presented.
Information Nights. The focus of information nights is to offer a wealth of information about your chapter to potential new members in the hopes of getting them the join the chapter. Member stories shared here should be brief and strongly exemplify the multiple benefits of chapter membership.
New Member Welcome. Welcoming new members is essential to encourage them to get involved and entice potential members to join. Taking this a step further by inviting new members to briefly introduce themselves stimulates participation and lets prospects know they won’t be forgotten about.
Member Focus at Meetings. At each meeting, select one member to give a short presentation on how chapter membership has benefited their life or career. Ensure that it is focused around a theme that inspires confidence in the chapter and gets members thinking about their role in the chapter. A story about how a member found a career opportunity through chapter events can go a long way in inspiring others. This is a great place to invite former board members as a way to encourage other members to volunteer.
Member Spotlight – use the website and chapter newsletter. When written well, the member spotlight can serve two purposes: highlight and educate about a member’s journey. The website and newsletter are ideal places to hone in on key aspects that shine a light on specific chapter benefits. What is nice about the member spotlight is that it can be left on the website indefinitely. Future potential members can review the article for insight that could positively impact their own career journey. And since it’s dynamic, you can switch the members on a timely basis, to get it up-to-date and current.
Member Keynote at a Conference. Invite members to share their knowledge and career journey in longer presentation than would be at a standard meeting or information night. This has at its core an educational purpose that will retain members. As an industry specific focused talk that encompasses multiple layers that include a personal aspect, attendees at the conference can individually connect to how your chapter can benefit them as well.
Award Banquets. This is where you can let your top volunteers shine. Let them tell their story. In fact, encourage it – make a big deal about it. Honor them and their journey by putting them in the limelight.
Mentoring. One-on-one engagement between members is a great way to encourage new member participation and show industry connection. Unlike other avenues of sharing stories, this is not a one-way street, rather the mentor shares their story with the mentee AND vice versa. Through its nature as a reciprocal format, both parties enhance their network and networking skills.
Asking members to share their story will encourage greater member participation. Not only that, but focusing the attention on the members inspires confidence in members since they are what make the chapter successful. Working together to highlight benefits through application will represent the needs of membership and the industry – and it will make the difference between maintaining the status quo and exceeding goals.
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