Membership Recruitment & Club Advertising

Apart from financial control, the key to a club’s future success lies in the ability to recruit new members. In most clubs, whatever facilities are available, only one third of the total membership uses the club regularly and its hard core is less than this. The aim, therefore, is to increase the total membership in order to increase the proportion which makes up one third.

Membership recruitment is a matter which should be discussed regularly by committees. Without a continuous programme of membership recruitment, a club will eventually weaken. Club committees often place the onus of responsibility for recruiting new members on themselves, rather than correctly placing it on the membership. It is the members who must propose and second new members, not just the committee.

It does seem that people are often encouraged to become involved in membership recruitment if there is some form of reward involved. One of the most successful recruitment schemes is known as the ‘bounty system,’ whereby a member who introduces a new member receives some form of payment, usually by way of a bar voucher. For example, if a club’s membership subscription is £10, the payment of a £10 bar voucher to the introductory member (which will actually only cost the club the value of the stock, rather than the whole £10) has in many cases created a great deal of interest.

A further method, which has often proved successful, is the announcement that the club intends to close the membership book. You would be surprised how many people will suddenly wish to become members of a club if they think the club will be difficult to join. I suspect that human nature dictates that most of us wish to belong to something which has an element of exclusivity.

Experience has also shown that many clubs will recruit new members and will lose them at the following year’s renewal time. I believe one of the reasons for this is that new members are not always made as welcome as they should be. All clubs, by their very nature, tend to have established groups and sections and these can seem daunting to a new person using the club for the first time. Three or four new members’ evenings should be organised during the course of the year to which all members who have joined during the previous period are invited. These social occasions are a great way to help ‘break the ice’ and forge friendships with existing members.

Care must be taken not to advertise directly for new members. Club rules should contain a reference to candidates for membership being properly proposed and seconded by existing members who are able to vouch for their suitability. This is one of the fundamental principles which define a bona fide members’ club, as opposed to a club which allows people to come in and drink following some mere administrative ‘tick the box’.

Licensing Authorities grant a club a Club Premises Certificate (CPC) on the grounds that they are managed in accordance with their rules, and that the rules comply with the Licensing Act 2003. Committees will appreciate therefore that, by advertising directly for new members, a club would effectively be announcing the fact that it is not complying with its own rules.

It is possible to place an advertisement in the local press or on a flyer posted to local residential or business addresses, which for example, lists forthcoming events and facilities which are on offer, provided the following words are included–

‘Members, Members’ Guests and Affiliation Ticket holders welcome. For further details please contact the Secretary.’

It is likely that non-members will read this advertisement and may be attracted to what is happening at the club and the facilities which are on offer, and may indeed contact the club with a view to becoming members. Importantly, however, the club could not be accused of advertising for members. Some clubs have successfully used this method to highlight the club and its activities with the result of increased patronage by existing members who are able to see what activities are planned as well as interest from non-members who may wish to become members of the club.