Keeping the members we have is as important as finding new ones. To that end, chapters need to find new ways to keep SPJ meaningful to the journalists who’ve joined.

This is especially true in the first three years of their membership. Every chapter needs some glue to stick together.

In Colorado SPJ, we used a hearty red sauce with lots of garlic, to serve this purpose.

The occasion was the anniversary of our chapter’s founding, which happened to occur on Oct. 13, 1949.

To mark the occasion, our Colorado Pro board of directors hosted a spaghetti dinner at the Denver Press Club, the same place where the chapter held its original meeting 58 years ago.

We invited all student and post-graduate members from across Colorado. About 12 showed up from places like Fort Collins, Boulder and Denver.

The evening had no formal agenda. It was just a group of SPJ members enjoying a meal together. But after dinner, I asked everyone to introduce themselves, state how long they had been a member and give a reason why they joined.

The diversity of responses was wonderful.

I joined to meet other journalists.

I joined because I need help getting a job.

I joined because of the ethics policy.

I joined because my teacher told me told.

I joined because SPJ stood up for my paper.

I joined because SPJ was ready to defend me in court.

The evening worked. You can bet that we’ll try this again, particularly in two years, when the chapter celebrates its 60^th anniversary.

This is an inexpensive and rewarding technique that any pro chapter can use to strengthen the ties between its younger and older members.

Peg it to a special date, like the anniversary of a chapter or some such occasion. Keep it simple. If there’s no press club in your town, considered holding it at a member’s house.

Just make sure you make a lot of sauce. And don’t forget the garlic.

Holiday Garden Tip of the Week:

With the holidays upon us, try sending a reminder to your members that if they have a journalist on their shopping list, an SPJ membership is a meaningful and modest gift that will keeping giving all year long. No assembly required. Batteries not included.

SPJ is fortunate to have so many smart, talented people who are willing to devote time and energy to helping our organization grow and flourish.

Nowhere is this more apparent than the SPJ membership committee, a group of 13 people representing every region who were picked because of their interest and previous success in membership development.

At our first meeting, I asked panel members to share some of the recruitment and retention strategies that have worked for them and some that didn’t. Here is a sampling of their responses.

Tactics that worked:

And the winner is…

San Diego, Minnesota and New York all report good success using their awards banquets as a bridge to new members.

Bill Bleyer in New York and Sarah Bauer in Minnesota said their chapters offer discounts to award winners who attend their banquets.

Bill said New York also has gained members through a satirical show they stage during the holidays which draws the local politicians. San Diego also does something called a Media Payback event, where newsmakers get a chance to critique how the media did.

Lori Weisberg in San Diego said her chapter obtained permission for a one-time only discount on the national membership dues for award winners who joined SPJ at the banquet.

Don’t Raise the Bridge, Lower the Dues…

Cincinnati and New York, have recently done away with the local chapter dues, at least for the time being. Hagit Limor in Cincinnati reports this move had the added benefit of immediately enabling her chapter to annex all the unaffiliated SPJ members in the area.

Recruiting Outside the Box…

Hagit also took a non-traditional approach to seeking new members that has paid off. Previously, her chapter had been mostly print journalists. A reporter for WCPO, she personally recruited several of her broadcast colleagues as well as a few lawyers in town who specialize in media law and First Amendment cases.

Tell your success stories…

John Hopkins in Miami cited the importance of telling people about specific SPJ success stories in recruiting new members.

For example, rather than just describe our Legal Defense Fund in general terms, he cited a specific case where a $1,000 grant from the LDF helped a local photographer fend off trespassing charges for simply doing his job.

Strong leaders…

Both Hopkins and John Becker from Tennessee cited the value of having a respected member of local journalism community, a strong persuasive character (a la Al Pacino) who goes person-to-person to get people involved.

Hopkins said several SPJ members told him they joined because a respected professor told them to. He recalled his own decision to join after a colleague at a reception gave a First Amendment pitch that was sort of like Rabbi Hillel’s “if not me, who? If not now, when?”

With student chapter, having a strong president, one who has strong belief in SPJ, can make all the difference, said Ellen Mrja, from Minnesota. Again, peer relationships and personal contact seem to be key.

Tactics that didn’t work:

Chapter Killer: The Pontificator…

Ellen Mrja, vice-chair and at-large member of the committee, remembers hearing the death rattle of a southern Minnesota chapter at a 1978 meeting where a local journalism professor used a chapter meeting to lecture journalists on all the things they were doing wrong.

Lights are on, but no one’s there….

Greg Cancelada in St. Louis, said what doesn’t work is drumming up membership without much evidence of any chapter activity. “I believe that a reactivated chapter shouldn’t be pushing membership until they’ve gotten some publicized events under their belt,” he said.

Don’t put all your eggs in one newsroom…

Cancelada also talked about the importance of diversifying chapter membership and not just seeking members from one organization.

Save a tree, don’t waste paper…

Membership brochures, while helpful, don’t seem to attract new members on their own without a lot of membership activity, Bill Bleyer said. Better to get people to attend an event and then convince them to join.

Cold Calls, Chilly Responses…

Lori Weisberg recalled how board members tried making phone calls to prospective new members, without much success. Face-to-face pleas work better, she said, particularly at mixers.

The Gardeners…

Here is a list of who is serving on the SPJ Membership Committee:

Region 1   Bill Bleyer

Region 2   Jason Goodman

Region 3   John Hopkins

Region 4   Hagit Limor

Region 5   Suzanne McBride

Region 6   Sarah Bauer

Region 7   Greg Candelada

Region 8   Angie Summers

Region 9   John Ensslin (chair)

Region 10 Tom Henderson

Region 11 Lori Weisberg

Region 12 John Huotari

At Large   Ellen Mrja (vice chair)

SPJ by the numbers…

Membership this week            9,209

Membership one month ago    9,199

Membership one year ago        9,139

There are moments in pitching SPJ membership where I’ve felt bit like the AFLAC duck.

Take for example, a recent conversation I had with a friend and colleague. For her privacy sake, let’s call her Gwyn.

Gwyn is a bright, veteran reporter whose interest in the professional of journalism extend far beyond the four corners of her weekly paycheck. She is also very generous with her time when it comes to helping colleagues. In short, she is an ideal candidate for SPJ.

The other day, Gwyn came over to my desk and said something to the effect of:

I wish there was a group out there that would stand up for journalists.

There is, I said. SPJ.

You know, she said, someone who would explain what it is that we do and why its so important that we do it.

To which I replied: SPJ!

Because, she said, between all the staff buyouts and the decline in newspaper circulation and government secrecy, I just wish there was someone looking out for our interest.

To which I practically sputtered: ACK! SPJ!!!

Since that conversation, I’ve tried several times to talk Gywn into joining. I’m close to succeeding, but it’s been tough.

Recently I pointed out how SPJ succeeding in getting a national shield law passed overwhelmingly in the House.

Yes, but it hasn’t passed in the Senate, she noted.

I offered a free ticket to a Colorado SPJ-sponsored lunch with Carl Bernstein if she joins. Still, she hesitated.

I pointed out that several of her newsroom colleagues have joined. No result.

I haven’t given up on Gwyn. She’s worth the extra effort because she’s just the kind of person we need in SPJ: Intelligent, caring and dedicated to her profession.

So for now, I’m just going to be like a steady spring rain. I’ll keep dropping hints, brochures, flyers and updates until she says yes.

We all have folks in our newsrooms like Gywn. Despite the frustration, they are worth the extra effort. Once we win them over, they’ll be members for a long, long time.

SPJ by the numbers

Members this week: 9,113

Members one month ago: 9,023

Members one year ago: 9,125