Recruit

Membership Development Tips & Ideas
The following tips and ideas are designed to help you in your membership recruitment and retention efforts. Membership Development Tips & Ideas explains why members belong, why memberships lapse, and what steps you can take to help retain members.

Remember: the primary reason members join or renew their membership is because a colleague like you asked them to!

How to Use This Section
Tips & Ideas is organized into three major sections: why members belong, why memberships lapse and suggested membership development activities. The first two sections are provided as background and talking points for all membership outreach efforts-from telemarketing to face-to-face membership development activities.

Why Members Belong
Based on several surveys, the most common reasons that members belong to ACHCA are to:

• Network with peers to share, consult, and exchange information. (ACHCA’s Peer2Peer Network is an excellent members-only networking vehicle.)
• Keep current professionally through ACHCA’s communications vehicles.
• Take advantage of unequalled educational opportunities at ACHCA’s Annual Convocation and Exposition, its Winter Marketplace, self-study programs, on-line University, and other resources.
• Enhance their professionalism.
• Earn a professional designation such as certification or fellowship.
• Support the mission, cause, or values of ACHCA.
• Contribute to their profession by serving as a leader.
• Access to “members only” pricing for education, products and services.

These points can help you recruit or renew memberships.

Why Memberships Lapse
The most common reason is relocation in residence or employment. Typically, a significant number of ACHCA members fail to keep their contact information current. Encourage them to forward their new contact information, including personal email and home address, to ACHCA. They may updated their contact information by calling 703-234-4140, or e-mailing Katleen Bartnek-Gallagher at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Share the many good reasons for belonging to ACHCA.

The high return on membership
Membership dues are an investment in your career as a professional administrator. Your membership offers a variety of members-only networking and professional development vehicles such as Peer2Peer Network, the ACHCA Continuum newsletter, ACHCA E-News,  and a variety of other communications vehicles. In addition, ACHCA members are entitled to significant discounts on educational conferences, professional publications and audiovisual presentations, and certification.

Your dues may be tax-deductible as a business expense. Consult your tax professional.

ACHCA’s uniqueness
ACHCA is the only organization that represents and advocates for you, the individual administrator in long-term care, and is dedicated to enhancing your professional excellence. ACHCA offers networking opportunities, educational experiences, and professional recognition programs to enhance your performance as an administrator in long-term care. ACHCA provides the resources you need to give your residents the best in quality care. And, if you change employers, your ACHCA membership goes with you to support you in your new role.

An ACHCA membership can serve many different needs and fit many different schedules
Membership in ACHCA offers you the flexibility to access many member benefits as your schedule allows. If networking is a priority, the Peer2Peer Network lets you contact colleagues at any time, at home, at your facility, or on the road—using your computer, modem, and e-mail address. If continuing education is a priority, you can order self-study courses at your discounted member price, or access online continuing education programs through ACHCA “University.” And if keeping up with professional issues and trends is a priority, you have access to ACHCA Continuum, ACHCA E-News, and the ACHCA website to refer to as needed.

ACHCA is right in your neighborhood
ACHCA has a nationwide network of chapters, so it’s easy to put you in touch with chapter members in your area. They would be happy to help you organize a local networking event. Meanwhile, ACHCA’s Peer 2Peer Network gives you constant access to colleagues locally, nationally, and internationally.

We’re always looking for chapter members to volunteer to plan chapter events, secure speakers, submit articles for the newsletter, and serve on chapter committees. There are many opportunities for interested members to become involved in chapter activities.

Membership Phone-a-thons
Conduct regular phone-a-thons over the next couple months. Consider bringing groups of members together at one facility—make it a chance for camaraderie and socializing. A different facility could host each phone-a-thon. Or, if members and facilities are removed from each other geographically, send each participating member a contact list and ask that they pledge to contact a group of renewing members and membership prospects each month.

Whether you hold phone-a-thons or enlist individual members to call on their own time, design the calls so that they take less than five minutes of the member’s time and less than an hour of the volunteer’s time each month. Most everyone can find 30 minutes a month to volunteer.

Tap the talent of past ACHCA Presidents/Chairs and retired members.
Ask past leaders and retired members in your chapter to help with phone calls and even personal visits to members and member prospects.

Invite/accompany renewing members to a chapter activity
As soon as a member decides to renew, invite them to an upcoming chapter or regional function. This is a great way to get more members involved in chapter activities. You may even want to offer to pick them up on your way to the meeting.

Personal Visits
Ask members in your area who live or work in the proximity of new members or suspended members to pay personal visits to their facilities. The personal touch may be all it takes to retain a member.

You Are Not Alone!
Retention and recruitment isn’t only the chapter president’s responsibility, it’s everyone’s! Get all members involved! Give incentives to your chapter members that get involved such as: free attendance to a chapter event; discount to an annual meeting; discount on a Professional Development Catalog order. Maybe even a free year’s membership to the member who helps retain/recruit the most members.

Give us Your Suggestions
These are only a few suggestions - if your chapter has implemented a successful retention campaign and would like to share it with other chapters, please contact the membership manager at (703) 739-7900 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .