Hello again members and advisers.

This is Nikitas Kanellakopoulos, your FBLA National President, checking in. This year has started out absolutely wonderfully.

The NEW September Sweeps national program is a huge success, and there are still a few weeks left in September for your chapter to participate and get a jump start on the new membership year. Check out the preview activities and sign up now!

Here are five tips to help you increase activity and membership in your chapter:

1. Publicize the benefits of being an FBLA member. Did you know that all FBLA members get a discount at Men’s Wearhouse? That is just one of the many membership discounts available.

2. If you haven’t done so already, review the most recent webinar which is full of recruitment ideas and tips. This is a great resource to show to your officers and members of your recruitment committee. Click here for the webinar.

3. Promote personal stories: the number one way to draw in a new member is by making a personal connection. Sharing your current members’ personal stories about conferences and FBLA in general will promote recruitment.

4. Have member-bonding events: start a Facebook event for a barbeque, FBLA Open house, or a scavenger hunt. Don’t forget to include an FBLA display on the day of your activity. Even if the event is small, it will go a long way for your returning members and for any prospective members.

Beech Sr. High in TN

5. The National Fall Leadership Conferences are just around the corner. Review the NFLC Guide, choose your location now, and promote the personal development and chapter management workshops to your FBLA members! Your National Officers want to see your chapter at the NFLC and your members proudly displaying your September Sweeps ribbons on your conference name badges!

Keep up the great work and stay focused on all that FBLA can offer you and your chapter.

Happy recruiting!

The membership year has started and you are working on planning activities for the year. Why not start off this month by participating in September Sweeps?

September Sweeps is the perfect opportunity to grow your local FBLA
chapter by becoming actively involved in recruiting members through the various activities that chapters may choose to participate in throughout the month. If you have not signed up for September Sweeps, it is not too late.

For those chapters that have signed up, hopefully you now have your Membership Recruitment Committee in place to focus on not only new ways to bring in members, but also ways to keep current members active and involved so that they keep coming back.

As your committee begins developing your chapter marketing plan which should include ideas on recruitment, retention, and meetings, remember to develop a brief benefits speech or elevator script for members and officers to use as a reference tool when talking to classes and prospective members. An example of an elevator speech would be:

“FBLA offers its members many opportunities such as challenging competitive events, exciting conferences in awesome destinations all over the country, and networking opportunities with over a quarter million other young leaders. FBLA-PBL offers many other valuable benefits such as participating in community service, fundraising, social activities with your local chapter and receiving national recognition for leadership and business skills.”

Here are five recruitment ideas that can help your chapter earn recognition for September Sweeps:

1. Have members of your newly-formed Membership Recruitment Committee create posters to hang in the hallway or displays to place around campus.

Take it a step further and hand out candy bars such as Payday or 100 Grand with invitations to the next meeting to prospective members saying, “Come join FBLA and see how to increase your pay day!”

After the prospective member has attended the meeting, send them a thank you note with a piece of candy thanking them for attending and encouraging them to follow-up by joining. In addition, have your committee members place signs on the lockers of all members and prospective members with stickers or candy on them. Use a catchy phrase such as “Be a STAR in FBLA” and put stickers or starburst candy on the flyer.

2. Have your current members and prospective members watch our FBLA National President’s, Address to the Nation at a chapter meeting. Click here for a recording of the broadcast.

3. Have your Recruitment Committee plan an induction ceremony for all new members. This is an excellent time to not only induct new members (many chapters order membership pins from MarketPlace to present to members), but your officers can also conduct the FBLA Emblem Ceremony as part of the evening’s special events.

4. Have members bring a friend who is a non-member to a chapter activity or event. Current members must bring a friend to attend this meeting or activity. Ask all the friends to sign a special guest book with their e-mail address. When the meeting starts, introduce the guests to the group. As part of the meeting, have a “Build Your Own Banana Split” party. At the end of the meeting, have three or four brown bag give-a-ways containing items such as candy, gum, FBLA pencils, etc.

5. Sponsor a Meet-and-Greet Recruitment Table or Booth. Find a place at your school that has a great amount of foot traffic and set up your information. This is an opportunity for you to meet and greet potential members that you can attract with giveaways (candy, brochures) and highlight activities through a chapter video or scrapbook.

Happy recruiting, and we hope to see your chapter members at the NFLC proudly wearing their September Sweeps ribbons!