Membership Recruitment Idea of the Month
So… maybe your membership just isn’t where it used to be? Or maybe your chapter is trying to raise membership to be the largest CTSO your school has to offer. Possibly you are trying to raise membership to earn more chapter of the year points. Whatever the reason is, you came to the right place. This is the Membership Recruitment Idea of the Month.
PROM FASHION SHOW
Every year at my school we host a Prom Fashion Show. We do this for many different reasons but the main two are to raise membership and to fundraise. A lot of people join and end up getting involved in FBLA just because they wanted to be a part of the Prom Fashion Show.
To host a successful Prom Fashion Show, you will need your community’s support. First, ask your administrator if it will be okay to host the show during school hours. If the show is hosted during school hours, more students will pay to attend just to get out of class. The more students that attend, the more money your chapter can raise and the more active the crowd will be.
After you gain the support of your administrators, you will need to contact local dress and tuxedo stores. When you call, simply ask them if they would like to sponsor your school’s prom fashion show. Let them know that if they will allow models to wear their dresses, you will advertise their stores for all of your school to see. This benefits both your chapter and the store so it is a win-win deal.
When you have the dress and tuxedo stores offering their help, it is time to find hair and makeup stylists to donate their time. Similar to asking the local stores for their support, just ask if the stylists can come in the day of the show to do hair and makeup and you will in return advertise their services to your entire school during the show.
To make the Prom Fashion Show a success, you will need models. The models are your members! Have a sign up sheet available either at your chapter meeting or in your class room to let the members know it is time to sign up. Be sure to hang posters and put it on the announcements as well so nonmembers will hear about it and be motivated to join so they can participate in the show! Also, you will need at least one MC, although personally I would recommend having two (one boy and one girl). These MC’s should be enthusiastic, well-known leaders in your school. This helps to spread the word (and excitement) of the Prom Fashion Show.
After the models have signed up, contact the supporting shops again and ask them how many dresses they are willing to sponsor. Then, assign a number of models to each store to get their dresses and tuxes for the show. If a model has an old dress she would like to sell, she can even model her own dress in the show!
It’s always a good idea to decorate the location of the show (the gym, auditorium, wherever you decide to have it) with balloons and flowers and anything else you can find to fit the theme. It’s always a great idea to have a slideshow playing with pictures of all the fun you can have being a member of FBLA and with business ads from the supporting stores and stylists.
This is the Membership Recruitment Idea of the Month! Be sure to check back next month to see other ways to grow your chapter.
