The Best Strategies to Get More Members for your Student Association or Organization

Lots of universities are home to many student organizations. Whether it’s a sports club, fraternity, political organization, social group or community, there’s usually something for everyone. But how do you make your organization stand out among all others? Especially when all organizations are targeting the same students on campus.

1. Be smart with your promotion: if your plan is to hang up posters and promote yourself during the student intro weeks, you’re basically doing the same as all other organizations. As your availability and budget are both likely very limited, try to think outside the box. Here’s some ideas:

1. Try to break a (funny) world record for media attention
2. Organize a speaker's event with a celebrity who’s willing to give advice to students for free
3. Hand out chocolate bars on campus (where one has a golden ticket to win a prize)

1. Collaborate with other organizations: another effective strategy is to collaborate with other student organizations or campus departments. One plus one can sometimes equal 3, especially if both organizations have a complementary match. By working together, you can reach a wider audience and potentially attract new members. 
2. Host (a lot of) events: hosting events can be a great way to attract new members and showcase your organization. Consider hosting a kickoff event at the beginning of the semester or hosting a regular series of events throughout the year. The more events you host, the more students will start finding out about you. Make sure you find a strong balance between organizing events that are specific for your organization’s interests, but are also general enough to attract enough students. 
3. Offer incentives: consider offering incentives to your current members to encourage other students to join your organization. This could include free food or drinks, discounted tickets to events, or other perks. Your own members are your biggest fans, so don’t forget to leverage them to grow your student organization through them!

Overall, standing out amongst hundreds of different organizations can be difficult. Students are only likely to join 1-3 organizations during their study time, so competition for the attention of students can be fierce. To stand out, organizing something that everyone on campus will talk about can be one of the most cost-friendly, fun and effective ways!

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