Plant seeds this October during our statewide membership drive

11 Oct Plant seeds this October during our statewide membership drive

By IBA President Don Thieneman

This October, the Indiana Builders Association hopes to support our local associations statewide in their individual membership drives. We have seen tremendous success in our recruitment efforts in the past, and this year we hope to continue that trend. When planning for your recruitment drive this October, I hope you keep two very important pillars in mind: involvement and retention.

In order to get your local builders and associates involved in your local home builder association, you must be able to communicate why builders and associates join your association and why they need your HBA’s products or services. Have the answers to these questions before you begin recruiting. Ask your current members why they retain their membership with your association. These are fundamental aspects to being able to effectively communicate the marketable services that your HBA can give to new members.

It is you, our members that are at the front line of our recruitment efforts. Make that call, send that email, give prospective members the three top reasons you remain involved with your HBA. Your reasons may resonate with them and be the deciding factor in their company becoming a member. At the end of the day, it doesn’t hurt to reach out and ask. And that, my friends, is what yields numbers.

Together we can work hard to grow our membership in October. To keep growing, we need to retain as many of those new members as possible.

Throughout the year, new members may need some guidance and extra attention to feel like they are part of your HBA. Keeping your new members aware and involved in events that are happening at your local level, state level and even national level gives them a sense of community. It makes it easier for them to network and make the most of the membership that you worked so hard to cultivate with them.

To help increase participation and interest our membership drive this year, the IBA Board of Directors approved 2 state level membership incentive programs at their meeting in June:

• Recruitment: IBA will waive state dues for any net membership increase in 2019.
• Retention: IBA will offer $100 per member retention rebate to local HBAs for new members recruited in Q4 2018 that are retained in 2019.

My hope is that every member will team up with their local HBA to expand our membership and make this year the most successful membership drive yet!