However keeping members engaged is one of the hardest things to do in an organization because advocacy can ebb and flow, and there may not be an immediate perceived threat. Many organizations rely on communication in the form of a newsletter in order to keep their members engaged. However that isn't enough. There is no action there. The engagement wanes - and you lose your army.
There are however many other ways to keep them engaged. Little things you can do that can keep your membership engaged in the process.
Ask them for input - and report back. Ask a simple question in a survey format, and engage them in the process. This gives you three personalized touches to your membership and sensitizes them to engagement
- You get them to open the email and click on the survey
- You get them to fill out the survey
- You report back to them on the action they took
Three points where you are getting them involved
You probably have a social media presence. And yes, you can say "follow us on..." but is that enough for engagement? Instead, ask them to do something:
- Post your Instagram pic of your city hall
- Give us a Tweet about your business hang ups
- Post a facebook post connecting their following to your organization
These secondary steps create more interesting engagement with the membership
Make a personalized ask to your membership if there is someone they know who would benefit from the advocacy you are making, and find ways to connect with those individuals. This extra step brings in a great connection and builds community.
IDEA 4 - RECOGNIZE PEOPLE AND THEIR ACCOMPLISHMENTSWhatever you can think of, recognize. If you have a member that spoke at city council, post a pic and thank them publicly. If you have a member that did something unique with an elected official, relay the story. If someone you know supported a successful candidate outside of your association's efforts, recognize their contribution. People love to hear about themselves and see themselves recognized in front of their peers.
The only thing better than getting your issue passed on a local level is not needing to advocate for it in the first place because you already had decision makers in place. Cities, counties, states, and the federal government are always looking for people to serve on commissions, task forces, and committees. The support of a community organization, business, or association like yours is usually what makes the difference in getting into these positions. Once you've gotten your members in the positions, you have accomplished two goals:
- They are more engaged and bought in to what the organization provides, and
- They recognize you were the one that made it possible.
Engagement is all about making the right touches in the right places in the right ways to people. Not everyone will respond to everything, but the little pieces you can implement to make it more common, the more apt they will be to act when you need the army in place.
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