It’s that time of the year– As engineers get busier and classwork starts to pile up, SWE participation and SWE meetings start to fall lower on to-do lists! If you’re looking to ways to get new SWE members and keep them coming back, try out a few of the tips below:
1) Advertise
If your SWE section isn’t a part of the start-of-the-semester publicity rush, you’re missing out! Collegiates are most interested in getting involved at the start of the semester, and most likely to be retained if they join at the beginning. Siddika Demir, this year’s SWE president, has asked everyone to take advantage of social networking–SWE’s presence needs to be huge there! So send out those Facebook meeting invites, make a Facebook page for your group, and Tweet all the happenings in your section! Don’t forget the traditional methods too: flyer all over campus, or set up a table near a student commons/union area.
2) Food!
Everyone loves food! If you have the funds to provide a small dinner during your meeting, be that organization that doesn’t just provide pizza. Many other restaurants provide fairly cheap catering options for college groups. If you do not have the funds, provide a snack, or invite members to dinner after the meeting at a popular, inexpensive restaurant. It’s a great way to get to know your members, and this also tends to recruit more guys!
3) Member Incentives
If all the benefits of becoming a SWE member still do not entice new members to join, come up with your own incentives! Remind members of the leadership and networking opportunities, and how great this involvement would look on a resume. For your major events, offer priority (and free) registration to members. If you provide food at your meetings, limit food to members only. When selling merchandise–t-shirts, water bottles, etc.–sell them at discounted rates to members. If allowed by your school, set up a test bank for members only. In short, give students more for their $20, and they will join!
4) Mentor Program
Many underclassmen–freshman and transfer students especially–join organizations in order to get the help they need, the inside information to survive an engineering major! So, start a mentorship program, and pair seniors and juniors with freshmen and sophomores. This is also a great way to keep your upperclassmen involved and give them a leadership opportunity.
5) Leadership Opportunities
One of SWE’s best benefits is its leadership pipeline–the chance to lead students, or even professionals, early on in your academic career. Being a SWE leader gives you invaluable skills, and enthusiastic, smart freshmen know this! Provide leadership positions for newer members. Have a Freshman Representative, for example. Start a couple committees to lead your major events or work on your major goals. This opens a committee chair position (who can be overseen by an officer), as well as committee positions for members who would like to help out. You can introduce all these leadership positions through a leadership retreat or workshop!
These are only a few of the ways to keep your members involved. If you have more suggestions, leave a comment!
