A Simple Way to Grow Your Chapter
/“We were able to double our attendance at meetings, and our chapter membership increased by more than 100 new members.”
One of the more frequent questions I get from chapter leaders around the world is, “How do we grow our membership?”
A great place to start is making sure you have the ability to contact ACFE members in your area. You can access a list of members in your chapter’s geographical region. This member list is available to a select number of chapter leaders (in most cases five) for each chapter and includes all Associates and CFEs in your area, as well as their contact information.
Having this list is an invaluable resource as you try to promote chapter membership and build attendance at chapter events.
The New York Chapter is one of many that have seen firsthand the results that just a few clicks of the mouse can produce. “We were able to double our attendance at meetings, and our chapter membership increased by more than 100 new members,” said Mike Powers, New York Chapter President and CFE.
Having the list is just the first step, knowing how to use it is just as important. While emailing members can work in some cases, many chapters have found that a phone call from a board member personally inviting someone to attend an upcoming event works even better.
Follow that up with board members “working the room” at the meeting or event, greeting attendees and making a special effort to welcome first-time attendees, and you will increase the odds of that person coming to your next meeting and joining the chapter.
If you do not know how to access the member list for your chapter, please contact me at AStone@ACFE.com or +1 512 478 9000, extension 124.
