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
- Technical 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.
- 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 STC.
- 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 webinars 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 STC.
- Alternative: Find a sponsor and speaker to present a hot educational topic in person.