At APA’s Annual Congress this year, I presented on how to increase member participation. I shared ideas and experiences I have gained over my twenty plus years of being involved in the Indianapolis Chapter of the APA. Here is an overview of what I shared in the workshop, broken down into 5 essentials:
You can start increasing chapter membership by utilizing a mailing list, provided by the National APA, to directly contact APA members in your area. On behalf of the Indianapolis Chapter, I send out a welcome letter to share information about our local chapter, our website, and the events we hold.
You can attract new members by offering discounts to first time attendees or by asking members to bring a payroll colleague to a chapter meeting. A method I instituted while serving as Chapter President for the first time was searching on LinkedIn for payroll professionals in the Indianapolis area. I sent a connection request along with a message stating that I was President of the Indianapolis Chapter of the APA and would like to share information about our chapter with them. Everyone I sent an invitation to accepted my connection, and this allowed me to network online and spread the word about our chapter to a new audience.
2. Engaging New Members
In my discussions with new members and other chapter officers, I’ve found that onboarding a new member like you would a new employee works well. People want to feel welcomed and they want to belong to a group. This especially applies to managing the participants of a chapter. I ask them about what brought them to the meeting, what interests them in payroll, and what they want to get out of the chapter. I can then use that information to increase engagement. Introducing new attendees to current members at meetings allows the first timers to break the ice and feel included.
3. Continuing ParticipationOnce the meeting is over, chapter leaders need to communicate with attendees to encourage their return and continued involvement. In my research and experience, I have found that direct e-mails, social media (huge shout out to the APA Social Networking Committee for the payroll content they share), and posting events to your chapter website are the best ways of informing chapter members about upcoming activities. The APA connects with vendors at a national level to spread the word about events to those who use their products, and this works at a local level for chapters as well. I network with local sales representatives and invite them to participate, sponsor, and speak at local chapter meetings, as well as advertise their contribution to the local chapter with their customers to increase attendance.
4. Raising Up New Leaders
Like many chapters, the Indianapolis Chapter has often had the same group of leaders that change hats and rotate roles to keep the chapter running. To break this cycle, engage members and encourage them to personally invest back into the chapter by revealing what is in it for them. Beyond the inherent benefits of chapter leadership, it is very important to provide recognition. I learned early in my career to always show people appreciation for what they do and the help they provide. Go out of your way to personally thank volunteers at meetings, identify volunteers at big events with special identification on their name badge, or provide certificates of recognition!
5. Utilizing Your Resources
Remember that the National APA wants to help local chapters flourish and provides countless resources for chapter growth and management. Be sure to subscribe to the Chapter Leaders Blog and utilize the CHAMPS Mentor Program to get new ideas and inspiration for your chapter. When in doubt, contact the Chapter Relations Department at ChapterRelations@americanpayroll.org or 210-226-4600 ext. 2250
Jon Schausten, CPP is the Director of Payroll and HRIS at OneAmerica.
