In 2021, our men's club had a significant number of members who were active. To maintain a viable club, we felt that we must recruit more members who would be active and who would eventually be the leaders of our group. We initiated an aggressive membership program.

Specifically, we enlisted all our board members and general membership in the role of membership recruiting. Every member has the potential to enlist new members, and we are constantly getting names of prospective members from the board and general membership. This creates a feeling of inclusion so that everyone feels they have a stake in keeping our club viable and growing.

When potential members are reported to the membership chairman, he calls every one of them to tell the story of our organization, with an emphasis on the charitable donations and functions we perform for the Jewish community and the community at large as well as the social activities. The chairman also discusses the monthly general meetings, which feature interesting speakers and a full brunch that is provided for $8. Of course, camaraderie and fellowship are mentioned as well.
Recognizing that some people are visual and not auditory, after the phone call, each prospective member is sent a three-part written package to familiarize them with what had been discussed during the phone call. This package contains the pertinent phone numbers of the membership chairman, the treasurer, and the IT chairman, in case the member needs to contact someone. It also contains our brochure, which includes an application.

Each prospective member is invited to a monthly meeting, where he is met by the membership chairman or a committee member and made to feel as comfortable as possible. Each prospective member is interviewed in advance to discover something unique about his life so that we can pair him with those of like interests; for instance, if the new member tells the interviewer that he is an engineer by profession, we try to pair him with another member who has a similar background. The more comfortable the new member is in conversation, the more welcome he will feel. We also make sure that there are two board members at each table to ensure that the new member is not being ignored.

When the meeting commences, the membership chairman will introduce the new member to the club and present him with an SJMC shirt and a customized name tag so that he is not anonymous. (We keep an extra badge on hand in case the member forgets his and he can be addressed in a friendly way by mentioning his name.) When the new member is introduced to the general membership, he is asked to tell a little bit about himself.

If a new member who has been called and sent a written package does not attend the monthly meeting, the chair will call that person and inquire if he will participate at another time.

There is always an information board displayed with all activities so that new members can be aware of our ongoing programs, and we always encourage them to join in on the fun.

Twice per year, we host a free new member breakfast at a local restaurant. All new members for the past six months are invited as well as a select group of board members, who are instructed to make the new members feel as comfortable as possible.

Of course, we are very aware of the need to retain members and keep them active; it is not our goal for the club to take dues money but not have active members. Therefore, if a member misses three meetings, he is called to make sure all is well. Also, a sincere effort is made to encourage our board and general membership to socialize with new men; research shows there is a higher percentage of retention if members feel comfortable and get involved.

Due to this aggressive and innovative membership program, our membership has increased by over 10 percent in the past two years despite the pandemic.