National affiliates and branches throughout the world are constantly on the lookout for new ideas and innovative ways to attract new members. The Ideas Corner shares information on strategies being tried at the national and local level.

What approaches are you trying in your NFA or branch? How has your federation or association put Planning for Growth to work? Has one of your membership development strategies been especially successful? Share your ideas with other IFUW members by writing to newideas@ifuw.org.

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Members of the El Salvador Association (AMUS) translated Planning for Growth into Spanish and used it as the basis for a special one-day workshop, which they opened to representatives from eight other non-governmental organizations. The joint activity strengthened links with the other community organizations and gave AMUS members and opportunity to hear about how other organizations were reacting to membership development challenges. Press coverage was arranged for the workshop, bringing the Association public visibility.

Members from the Argentine Federation (FAMU) who took part in the Graz Conference were convinced of the need to attract new members to strengthen the organization and were able to ignite the flame of enthusiasm among others. They began looking at parts of the country where FAMU did not yet have a presence. The result was the creation in February 1999 of a new association in Patagonia, started with 25 members in Trelew, Province of Chubut. The new branch, FAMU's ninth is already planning community projects that will help prepare women for entering the labour force and looking to expand to other cities.

The French Association (AFFDU) translated Planning for Growth and copies were distributed to IFUW French-speaking affiliates in other countries. To facilitate use of the guide by branch members, AFFDU leaders prepared a special resume, highlighting the strategies they thought were most appropriate for their national context.

The American Association (AAUW) incorporated material from the Planning for Growth guide in a special handbook for branch leaders, introduced at its recent Conference.

At Base Camp 2001 training workshop in Graz last August, the Latin American NFAs present initiated a joint membership development project with the goals of increasing membership and strengthening regional ties through regional meetings, lectures and seminars. They hope that all NFAs in the Latin American region will take part. Coordinators for the Project are Gloria Fagioli of Argentina and Thaís Córdoba of Costa Rica.

The British Federation (BFWG) is offering special individual and group prizes for membership recruitment efforts. One of the most innovative is for local associations, particularly in larger cities, which seek opportunities to divide into smaller units that will better need the needs of existing members and improve prospects for attracting new members.

The New Zealand Federation (NZFUW) is taking positive steps to involve every member in its membership development efforts.

A special brain-storming session at the NZFUW Mid-term Council gave all of the delegates an opportunity to discuss membership issues and to offer solutions. The results were recorded in a wide-ranging report that has been sent to all NZFUW branches for follow-up discussion. Some interesting ideas emerged. For example, one suggestion was that the Federation sponsor a special publication on employment or education that could enhance public awareness of the group. Another was to offer programmes helping secondary school students entering tertiary programmes to make the transition to university, one way of providing the young members of the future. (See Conclusions and Ideas from the New Zealand Federation Brainstorming on Membership)

NZFUW has created a special Young Members' Section of the affiliate magazine, which is destined for the young and the young-at-heart. A recent issue included information about the IFUW and NZFUW Internet sites, the IFUW Members Network, profiles of two current fellowship holders, and a letter from a Young Member from Nigeria.

The NZFUW Otago has developed new promotional material for the branch and is making a record of the number of people who are registering interest in the Federation as a result of the publicity, as well as the number who have joined compared to other years. The branch prepared a video showing what the branch offers to Young Members. A special fund enabled two young members branch members to attend the 1998 IFUW Conference in Graz, Austria. Funds are now being collected to help another to participate in the 2001 IFUW Conference in Ottawa, Canada. The branch is also making a special effort to encourage Young Members to take leadership roles, including on the executive committee. The current Otago branch president is a Young Member!

CONCLUSIONS AND IDEAS FROM THE NEW ZEALAND FEDERATION BRAINSTORMING ON MEMBERSHIP

1. Visibility and Impact
   
   • Publicity is vital and members should be using all opportunities to increase the organization's visibility, especially at graduation time.
   • A wide variety of publicity materials should be developed to raise the profile of the organization, including articles in local newspapers and journals celebrating individual and group achievements, bookmarks, posters, pens, leaflets, business cards, and car stickers.
   • Special displays could be organized at libraries, community centres, schools, etc.
   • The website should be promoted so that students are aware of awards and grants
   • The organization could sponsor special publications, on employment contracts or education contracts, increasing public awareness of the group.
   • Activities could target senior school students and first year tertiary students to help with the transition to university.
   • On-going support of this type would help provide the young members of the future.

2. Attracting Younger Members
   
   • Branches need to find out what younger members need and make them feel involve in activities.
   • Special functions and projects could provide a focus for them.
   • Use should be made of their skills within the branch, ie. publicity, mentoring of students, helping with research, speaking to school groups
   • Variation of meeting times and places and the provision of child care may help to attract members with children who could enjoy the stimulation and contacts
   • Help could be offered to graduates from other countries, many of whom often have difficulty adjusting and appreciate help from professional groups
   • Awards and travel contacts should be publicized so that younger members are aware of the benefits of membership.

   • Retention of Members
     
     • It is important that all members feel that the organization has something to offer
     • All those attending meetings should be welcomed and provided with another member of the group to relate to
     • Everyone should be involved in a small activity
     • Meetings should be well-organized, varied, stimulating and not over-long
     • Branches should survey their membership from time to time to find out the best times for meetings and the time of functions members prefer
     • Many branches have found that a meeting with food helps encourage attendance and that parking is important near any venue
     • Special interest groups should be established and publicized, and networking encouraged so that all needs and interests are catered for
     • Branch newsletters are important to keep all members informed of activities
     • Some members are using telephone trees (where each member is responsible for calling several others) to contact members about activities

   • Programmes to Fulfill Needs of All Age Groups
     
     • Diversity of activities and regular discussion with members about programmes is important.
     • Meetings should be held at different times and in different places.
     • Special interest groups should be established.
     • Programmes can target different age groups, eg older members or young members