Starting with a Clear Vision

 

To convince prospective members that an organization is worth joining, existing members must be able to explain in a few words what it does, what it hopes to accomplish and what it has to offer. This is a problem when the purpose and goals are not well defined and members themselves don't have a clear understanding of what the organization is trying to do.

Strategic planning is the process of determining what an organization intends to be in the future and how it will get there. Developing this clear vision is an important first step in successful membership development.

If you have not already done so, you are strongly encouraged to begin with the exercises included in Where Are We Now? Where Do We Want To Go ? These will help you to review your member needs and to clarify your organizational purpose and goals.

Before deciding on new strategies, it is also important to take a few minutes to examine your current membership development efforts. The module Assessing Your Current Approach provides two exercises to help you to review the approaches you have been taking and to identify what attracted existing members to the organization.

 

Planning for Growth (Membership)