Welcome to what I like to call “Mop up” month!
Why do I say that? Your club has submitted their semi-annual dues for all the members that renewed before the deadline of September 30th but what about those that didn’t renew? Now is the time to mop up and improve your membership retention.
If you believe in the Toastmasters Program (which I know you do) then you know that it is in the best interest of each person to maintain their membership because of the value they derive from the program and how the program can help them achieve their goals.
As VPM part of your role is member retention, it is vitally important to understand why your members have left. This information is critical for the club to ensure that the club improves its service to the members. An exit interview is essential. If they have left the club for a valid reason then find out what they enjoyed about the club and where they think there is room for improvement.
Many members may say that they don’t have the time any more for Toastmasters but is this really true? If a member sees value in attending meetings and their club is meeting their needs, then they will make time to attend. To ensure that your club is meeting your member’s needs you need to know what those needs are and then ensure that they are met.
During this month of October, contact every member that did not renew and ask them “Why did you join Toastmasters?”, “What were your goals and have you accomplished them?” This conversation, statistically, will reignite the reason the member joined in the first place and bring 30% of the members who initially decided not to renew back into the Toastmasters family.
Give it a try as you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by conducting these exit interviews. I challenge all the VPMs to grab your “mops”!
Merryl Jabber DTM
Club Growth District Director