How Does Your Chapter Welcome New Members?
/by ACFE Director of Membership, Ross Pry, CFE
How do you welcome people to your house? Okay, maybe most of us haven’t had the pleasure or opportunity to have guests in what feels like forever. But, those days − the days of welcoming people into your home to celebrate a special event, to watch your favorite sport, or just to gather and enjoy being in the physical presence of our friends and family − are on the horizon.
Back to my original question… How do you welcome people to your house?
Whether you realize it or not, you welcome people in different ways, and it starts before you even open the door. It doesn’t matter if you have a traditional “Welcome” mat or have a silly mat, something like “Welcome-ish (Depends on who you are)” or “If you forgot the wine, go HOME!”, you are providing your guests with an immediate impression of your personality. Then, as you open the door and welcome them differently, probably with a warm smile and (gasp) a hug or hearty handshake, you reinforce your welcome and make them feel comfortable. Maybe you tell them to, “make yourself at home”, or your guests are greeted with the smiling faces of others, the wagging tails of your furry friends, and are offered something to eat or drink. That’s at least five different ways a guest is normally welcomed into your home; with each step into your home, your guests are welcomed more and more to make them feel at ease.
The way we welcome new members to the ACFE (or your local chapter) shouldn’t be any different. We should make them comfortable in their new professional surroundings and welcome them in several ways.
We welcome new members to the ACFE through a series of communications via different channels and with different goals. This year we have introduced a new initiative to welcome new members, a new member virtual training and networking event. In these events, we provide membership best practices, strategies to get the most out of ACFE membership, information on new membership initiatives, and provide a platform for new members to network. We even host a fraud trivia game with prizes at the end to encourage participants to stay for the entire event.
Your chapter might consider holding a similar type of event for new ACFE members in your area, even ones that aren’t yet members of your chapter. Holding an event like this is a great way to introduce your chapter and chapter leaders to prospective members who might not know of all the great things that come with being a chapter member. These new ACFE members may not yet know about the power of the local chapter, the breadth of the professional network your chapter has to offer and the leadership and volunteer opportunities available in their region, all of which are incredible things you could make them aware of.
I’m happy to report that the new ACFE members are excited about these events, and I’m sure they would be excited to meet you and learn more about your chapter.
