Membership Committee Charter

AAWGT MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE CHARTER

January 2014

PURPOSE: The purpose of the Membership and Outreach Committee is to support AAWGT member recruitment and retention efforts.

POLICY

The Membership Committee ensures that AAWGT welcomes all those interested in joining, whether they want to become actively engaged in the work of the organization or simply provide monetary support because they believe in our mission. The Committee encourages all members to reach out to friends and colleagues to invite them to meetings and encourage them to join AAWGT.

PROCEDURES

1. The Committee helps plan several events for members each year and facilitates the recruitment process by providing membership information. 2. Like other AAWGT committees, we provide a budget proposal for committee activities to the treasurer in November of each year, to be incorporated into the annual budget of the coming year. 3. The Chair calls meetings as needed throughout the year.

4. The Committee refers all media inquiries and other contacts as well as notices to AAWGT membership to the AAWGT President and the Marketing and Communications Committee. 5. The Chair, with the advice of the Assistant Chair, identifies qualified and available candidates (including themselves) for future Committee leadership positions and provides such suggestions to the LD&N Committee, as requested by LD&N, during the time period between March and September each year.

6. Committee members will become familiar with the AAWGT Bylaws with special emphasis on Articles VI,VII,and VIII relating to committees.

7. A quorum is a majority of the members of the committee. Decisions by the committee will be made by majority vote of the members present and voting. TASKS

The tasks of the Membership and Outreach Committee are divided into three main categories—a) recruitment of new members, b) support and retention of existing members, and c) engagement of our members. a) Member Recruitment

Increasing our membership is the major goal of this committee. To that end, we have set up the following procedures to insure tracking of guests.

1. At meetings, have rack cards, member forms and name tags available.

2. Insure guests sign in and are greeted by committee members.

3. Follow up procedure:

a. Committee member or the Secretary adds guest name/info to “Guest” in Wild

Apricot and shares info with committee chair

b. Chair follows up with an email or an email is generated through Wild Apricot to

guests re: the next meeting and directing them to the website for more

information about programs, joining, etc.

4. Invite all guests (current year) to the Open Houses, Grants Showcase, and Education events.

5. Attract new members by executing various events (e.g.Coffee in a member’s home).

6. Assist with Spring and fall Open Houses as a major recruitment opportunity.

7. Oversee the Sponsored Membership selection process.

b) Member Support and Retention

The Membership and Outreach Committee maintains a “Welcome Network” to support new members.

1. Once a guest becomes a member, she receives an email via our website aka Wild Apricot from the Membership Committee welcoming her to the group and referring her to the website for further information. She also receives a new member folder with a welcome letter from the Chair and a packet of information that includes a letter from the committee, calendar, financial report, member roster, committee descriptions/officer list and rack cards.

2. A committee member will be notified via Wild Apricot and will assign an AAWGT member to the new member based on either the person who introduced them to AAWGT or a member volunteer. This member support person or “buddy” will invite the new member to meetings and generally be available to answer questions and encourage involvement in AAWGT. If a member does not have access to the internet/an email account, it’s the responsibility of the mentor/buddy to keep that person apprised of AAWGT events and activities.

3. Renewals are tracked in Wild Apricot and an email is generated by Wild Apricot in the event of a renewal.

4. Renewal e-mails are sent to the membership during the month of their anniversary date, with a link to the Member Renewal Form and the Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County website (should they wish to renew online). Members who do not renew during their anniversary month will again receive an email reminder during each of the following 3 months, after which they will be called by someone designated by the Membership and/or Steering Committee. c) Member Engagement

Members are kept informed throughout the year with e-newsletters, event invitations, and opportunities to help with committee work.

The Membership Committee is also responsible for organizing an annual service project open to all interested members. This could be volunteering with a current or former grantee or another local non- profit.