At the beginning of the year, it is very important to generate excitement about FBLA. Students are more willing to join an organization at the beginning of the year compared to any other time throughout the year.
If your school has a Rush Week or Club Rush at the beginning of the year, have FBLA participate in some way. You could set up a booth at the Club Rush or outside your cafeteria, reduce the price of your local chapter t-shirt, or give away food or candy to those that fill out an application and bring in their dues during Rush Week. This will encourage people to join FBLA because they will know that there is a chapter at their school and there is an extra incentive to join at the beginning of the year. Another way to increase membership is through Membership Campaigns.
There are a few types of Membership Campaigns, individual, monthly, and chapter. The individual membership campaigns focus on an individual member recruiting new members and are rewarded with ribbons and, depending on the campaign, glow necklaces and more. The monthly Membership Campaigns for 2018-2019 are Rally Roundup (August 1-September 30), Operation October (October 1-20), Now in November (October 21-November 30), December Draft (December 1-31), and 19 in ’19 (January 1-February 28). By participating in these monthly campaigns, chapters can win conference registrations and official dress items. The final category of Membership campaigns is chapter. These include the Market Share Award, 100% Class Participation, the Started from the Bottom Campaign, and Membership Ladder. These campaigns primarily focus on increasing chapter membership by a certain number or percentage. By participating in the Membership Campaigns, and taking advantage of the excitement that surrounds the beginning of the year, your chapter could increase their membership this year.
