22 September 2011

Everyone you meet in the process of doing your job is a potential STC member—but they aren’t likely to join unless you ask them. Why wait?

Suggested Prospects

• Academics
• Content developers
• Documentation specialists
• Information architects
• Information designers
• Technbical editors
• Technical illustrators
• Technical translators
• Technical writers
• Usability and human factors professionals
• Visual Designers
• Web designers and developers

Helpful Ideas for Recruiting and Welcoming New Members

• Invite a coworker to join you at your monthly chapter or SIG meeting.
• Welcome the new member by publishing his or her name and the name of your recruiter in your newsletter.
• Send an email to all technical communicators at your organization and invite them to come to a meeting and learn more about STC.
• Talk to your company’s senior management and explain why they should encourage STC membership among the staff. See the Sample Letter to Your Boss for help in requesting your company to fund memberships.
• Have a brown-bag lunch meeting at your office, invite all your colleagues to attend, and explain how joining STC can help them.
• Give special ribbons to new members at chapter or SIG events.
• Develop a buddy system by providing each current member with a potential new member to contact and invite to meetings.
• Hold new member receptions at events and announce new members and recruiters at every meeting.
• Ask the potential new member if they would like to contribute an article or give a presentation at an event.
• Coordinate the timing of all campaign efforts and marketing communications so that members are not overwhelmed.

Brown-Bag Meetings

• Coordinate a one-hour lunch meeting at a member’s office.
• Ask that everyone bring their own lunch or have a sponsor cater the lunch.
• Invite company colleagues to attend the lunch.
• Hold a discussion on a technical communication “hot topic.”
• Discuss how STC has helped you stay on top of things and up to date in your career. Open the meeting up for questions.

"Meet STC" Program

• Conduct a membership recruitment program at your monthly Chapter or SIG meeting. Identify nonmembers and talk to them about joining.
• Pass out STC membership brochures and applications.
• Ask chapter or SIG members to target this meeting to invite potential members.
• Conduct a PowerPoint presentation reviewing the benefits of STC membership.
• Offer special incentives if people join the night of the meeting.
• Alternative: Find a sponsor to pay for nonmember dinners and offer free dinner certificates to area restaurants as incentive to join.

Live Web Seminar as Recruitment Vehicle

• Schedule a viewing of one of STC's live Web seminars in a member’s office conference room.
• Invite members and nonmembers to attend.
• Conduct a post-webinar discussion on the topic.
• Follow up with nonmembers and invite them to join.
• Alternative: Find a sponsor and speaker to present a hot educational topic in person.