Page 6 - Winter 2021 Tags and Swipes

Tags and Swipes, Winter 2021

From Our Membership Coordinator

Retention or Recruitment…. It’s all about the Membership!!

I think it’s safe to say that we’re good and ready to leave the pains and torments of 2020 behind and turn
our focus onto to all the positive possibilities 2021 has to offer. But we all know things just don’t get
handed to us. We have to work for what we want. Which begs the question… what DO we want?

Certainly, we can all agree to wanting to sing together again!! To stand on the risers and belt out those
ringing chords! To be able to give each other hugs.

But 2020 has taken its toll on our choruses. The sad fact is our membership, not just in Region 1, but
internationally, too, has declined. Maybe it’s Zoom-fatigue. Maybe it’s not being able to sing. Maybe
it’s being overwhelmed with working at home while home schooling the children. Whatever the reason
we have said good-bye to some dear, dear friends and we wish them well.

So, where to go from here and how do we get there? We need to rebuild our choruses. We need to
prepare for the day when we can gather at our rehearsal halls and raise our voices in song. That could
mean focusing on retention (and I’m not talking about water!) or finding ways to recruit new singers to
be guests at your Zoom-hearsals. Some choruses have even held virtual auditions! Whatever works best
for your chorus is perfectly fine! The common denominator here is membership, be it through retention
and/or recruitment.

What’s necessary to be successful in either of those scenarios? What are the common denominators in
the choruses that maintain their members and/or are drawing in new people? I submit to you that it’s
ENERGY and ENTHUSIASM that keeps us coming! As I said in the beginning of this article, nothing
gets handed to us. It takes work. It means creating an atmosphere where all members are valued; where
needs are being met; where creativity is fostered.

There are lots of ideas on the international website for how to hold an open house or how to have
membership drives. But what do we do for the members we already have?

How about taking 3 minutes out of each weekly rehearsal to feature one member…. Make her “Queen
for a Day” (anyone remember that TV show? I’m dating myself now!!)

Have a “sing-a-long” of old rep and have a different member select the song each week.

Send cards, make phone calls, leave funny gifts on doorsteps. I’m just brainstorming here. The
possibilities are endless. Be creative!

And speaking of having energy and enthusiasm, how about a round of applause for your wonderful
Chorus Membership Coordinators! They meet via Zoom (of course) every other month to share ideas
and make plans for how they can best serve and reach their members. You ladies rock!

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North Atlantic Region 1 Sweet Adelines