Mobilizing and activating members: recruitment and retention 101

The following resource was compiled using existing organizer databases and resources by movement thinkers on mobilizing new members, and using thoughts from grassroots organizers who attended our learning circle on navigating turnover in student groups. This guide was developed in response to request from grassroots groups asking for tips on growing their membership, that is, on effective recruitment and retention strategies.

Beginning the planning process

Before you begin building or defining your recruitment and retention plan, reflect as a team on the following:

• Why are we here, and how did we get here?

• Who used to be around and why did they leave?

• What keeps people sticking around?

Models to help guide recruitment and retention strategies

Each stage, depending on where folks fall in the following models, requires a targeted set of strategies.

Ladder of engagement

The ladder of engagement can be a helpful tool for describing calls to action folks who are not involved in your group can take to become engaged, whilst also considering how people can increase their engagement towards becoming more active members. Someone who is a “1,” or at the bottom of the ladder in the model has no connection to your campaign or issue, and a “5” is someone who is ready to show up at an action.

Actions on the ladder escalate in intensity and/or demand or requirements of the individual as they move up and become more active. Consider what people might need to feel confident in moving up the ladder, and how you can support.

Of course, the ladder should serve as an outline only. Some people might be more willing to participate in an action that make phone calls. The idea, however, is to paint a picture of which actions have the fewest barriers to entry, that can encourage folks to get more involved as active members.

Image by: 350.org

Circles of commitment

The circles of commitment helps to model the involvement of people engaging with or in your group, by acting as an outline for you plan to move people from the outer circles (low commitment) to the inner circles (high commitment).

Diagram from: Momentum Training Community

Levels of the circles of commitment

Community targets	Audiences you try to reach out to and engage; those not yet involved with your group in any capacity. See the section on community mapping for more on defining your targets.
Crowd	Your mailing list and/or social media following.
Membership	Those who regularly participate; i.e. those who respond to calls to action.
Committed	High action takers and people who would consider themselves formal 'members' of a group.
Core	Steers a lot of the group's direction; typically includes those who have been in the group the longest, or who have the most lived and/or organizing experience. (In smaller teams, the committed and core may be combined).\

Cameras and surveillence	Demonstrations are often filmed (including through body cameras) and artificial intelligence and facial recognition technologies are used without guidance. "They can lead to serious abuses such as mass surveillance and the use of images for identification purposes in future investigations." -Droit de Manifester Police officers attend demonstrations out of uniform to gather information on certain people. They only have to identify themselves if they arrest you. For example, in the lead up to the 2010 G20 mobilization, 500 people were employed by the RCMP to monitor the mobilization. The surveillance methods used are not publicly available. Large events to attract police interest such as physical presence and/or social media monitoring. I.e. It would be a reasonable precaution to assume a police officer might see any publicly-posted social media comment you make, particularly if you tag it with a hashtag associated with the event. Canadian spy agencies have spied on activists and people exercising their right to protest. I.e. Tools like IMSI Catchers (which mimic cell towers to collect the numbers of those in the vicinity) might also in some cases be deployed.
Collecting personal information	There is no requirement to carry identification in Canada. "However, if police officers have reasonable grounds to doubt the veracity of the information given, additional questions may be asked about the information and an identification card may be requested." When a person is arrested under the Criminal Code, he or she may be required to undergo additional identification procedures, namely fingerprinting and photo identification. Fingerprints are not required for "lesser summary charges such as unlawful assembly or disturbing the peace". In the case of tickets, the police can take a picture of the person.
Power to handcuff	Police must use this power for the purpose of ensuring safety (their own, that of others or of the person arrested). They must be removed (handcuffs or zipties) as soon as the situation permits
Searching	Only an officer of the same sex should be performing a search. Request this if an officer of another sex demands a search if you are under arrest. The police generally do not have the right to search you or your personal belongings while you are in the public space, unless you are in custody or under arrest. They can, however, seize evidence of an offence if it is in plain view. "While a cursory pat-down search is generally acceptable, a strip and body cavity search or cell phone search must meet much stricter criteria." - COBP If you aren't under arrest and police want to search you, state that you do not consent to a search and that doing so would be an abuse of power. There are 3 types of searches. A pat down for weapons, summary search (of pockets, belongings) or in rare cases a strip search to check all clothing and belongings. If you believe you are the victim of an abusive search, file a complaint. You may have your charges dropped or receive compensation. See: Cloutier c. Langlois, [1990 1 R.C.S. 158], R. c. Stillman, [1997 1 R.C.S. 607] & R. c. Fearon, 2014 CSC 77

Police weapons  

Pepper spray	If you are sprayed, don't rub your eyes. Rinse abundantly with water. A spray bottles with 50% water and 50% antacid (i.e. maalox, in drugstores) can relieve irritated eyes.
Tear gas	*Conventional gas has an apple smell and irritates the eyes, skin and mucus membranes. The more toxic version has a pepper smell and can Induce nausea and vomiting. Masks covered in lemon or lime juice can help prevent inhalation. Panicking can actually amplify the effects of the gases; they will otherwise not last longer than 15 minutes. Go to a well aired place and do not rub your eyes. Rinse all body parts exposed to the gas with water. Do not use milk, use water. Adding salt or baking soda can make this more efficient.
Flash bombs, rubber bullets, stun grenade & tear gas projectiles	Used to disperse crowds, they are thrown into crowds and project an irritating powder. Protestors have sustained injuries from fragments of projectiles when they explode. Rubber bullets have caused a number of deaths and serious wounds such as skull fractures, loss of sight, permanent incapacity of certain body parts and damage to internal organs.

Strategies for moving people from community targets to the crowd/membership

Strategies used here should fall primarily on the lower end of the ladder of engagement (meaning engagement isn't a huge commitment). For example:

Social media	Posts should use messaging targeted to the particular audience you want to engage. Use easy calls to action such as watching and sharing videos, signing online petitions, sending out pre-drafted emails etc.
Passing by actions	Handing out info sheets at actions.
Local news coverage	Write opinion pieces or reaching out to the local media to amplify your group's message and/or actions. Smaller newspapers are often happy to share events from local groups. Contact the editor through your local newspaper's website. You could also ask to share a call for people to join your team.
Postering	Make sure to include information about meeting time/location (if available), and how to contact you.
Direct, one-on-one recruitment conversations	(See the below section for more details)

The following strategies were suggested from participants in our navigating turnover in student groups learning circle:

Take over space!	Using Divest McGill as an example... "we took over space on campus for 3 days, so lots of community building and recruitment was achieved."
Take your time	Using divest McGill as an example... "Do not organize a meeting too soon after sending a message (allow people to free up their time). Mention an understanding for the lack of time of those who commit."
Outdoor gathering spaces	In my group at university, we had the privilege of having a garden on campus. This was a big plus for students who wanted to come out and join us in the garden. An outdoor space helps with recruitment!

If you're a university-based group, check out this resource by Divest Ed for more strategies!

Who and how of reaching community targets: using community mapping

Community mapping aims to gather information about how a community operates to develop the right strategies to mobilize and involve them. Rather than taking a broad approach to recruitment, this longer-term process of listening develops more targeted messaging and approaches, and builds foundations of relationships that are more likely to lead to involvement.

Community mapping can help you identify:

• organizing opportunities
• campaign partners and opportunities for solidarity
• potential threats
• the political climate

This information can support you when developing outreach plans, as well as when building coalitions, developing power maps and deciding on messaging.

Community mapping takes time and it can be resource-intensive. However, it is more effective at building long term, deep and sustainable social change.

Steps of community mapping

1. Define a community	This might include a community... that is being impacted most heavily by an issue (i.e. people living near a construction zone) where some level of protest or activity has already taken place (i.e. a local union)  that your organization already has links to (i.e. local school) that simply has people who are willing to work with you (i.e. parents or teachers at local schools) Questions to ask that can help you define a community to work with include... What are we currently doing locally? Who are our current and potential allies and partners? Who cares about this issue (consider demographics) and why? (i.e. high school/university students taken an environmental course) What's in the area? (Resources or organizations, Institutions such as churches, schools, hospitals, universities, city hall, etc., unique or problematic features such as amusement parks, factories, etc.)
2. Hold initial meetings to identify what you need to learn and who will help you	Invite a few members of the community to engage in some discussion. Make this as inviting as possible, and ensure it meets their needs! (Is online discussion best? Would they prefer to discuss over coffee?) Initial meetings are held to clarify information and discuss who might be contacted next and how. Ideally, initial meetings will enthuse community members to engage in the next steps. Further meetings can be held in informal and culturally appropriate settings Questions to ask during these meetings include... What's the best way of approaching people? Where can people be reached? How can the process be widened? What language(s) are used? What activities do people enjoy? What do people care about? What are the sources of tension? What are our threats? Where can we meet?
3. Document and carry out the plan outlined through discussion with community members	Carry out mobilization strategies specifically targeting the audience you identified. Then you can repeat the process again for another community target group! Draft a couple of lines you'll use for outreach, or a message if you're doing online outreach. Direct, one-on-one outreach or asks to join an action or group are often much more successful than general call outs. Get in touch with people directly as much as possible.

One-on-one recruitment

Canvassing means "talking to someone on the street, inviting them into your shared purpose or campaign goal and trying to get their signature and contact information." -The Future Ground Network. Stay tuned for more from our 'deep canvassing' offering. In the meantime, you can learn more about how to engage with people directly to join your group through this resource.

Your recruitment pitch

A recruitment pitch, which shouldn't be longer than about 30 seconds, should include  :

a) An explanation of the purpose of your team in general. 

• Who are the people being called to action? What challenge do you hope to inspire others to take action on? What is your vision of successful action? How can we act together to achieve this? And how can they begin now, at this moment? Describe this in two or three sentences.

b) An explanation of why you chose to be a part of the team and why you care about the issue.

• To what values, experiences, or aspirations of your community, will you appeal when you call on them to join you in action? What stories do you share that can express these values? Describe this in two or three sentences.

c) Your hard ask

• Explain what’s happening at the next meeting and directly ask them if they'd like to attend. Specify the time, place and location of the meeting. Make them feel that you want them to be there, but not like they are doing you a favour.
• Make sure your ask is not just a suggestion or statement, but a clear and direct question that elicits a specific commitment. i.e. Will you come out on Tuesday evening at 7pm to our meeting? 

Responding to 'no'

Your response will depend on the type of no communicated. Is it a not now, not that, or not ever?

• A 'not now' no might sound something like... "Sorry, those times don’t work. Can you email me later?" Make an explicit follow-up plan. i.e. "Can I set up a time with you to check in again in a couple of weeks?"
• A 'not that' no might sound more like... "I don’t really feel comfortable doing xyz." Listen to your person’s concerns, and try to find a solution that will work for them. i.e. "Is there a way I can support you, such as if we meet early to go over the script together? Or would you prefer to come for data entry this Friday at 5 p.m.?"
• A 'not ever' no might be as simple as something line... "I’m not interested." If appropriate, asking why may yield helpful feedback. i.e. "Sure, that's no problem. Do you mind if I ask why?"

Strategies for moving people from the crowd into membership/committed circles

Strategies used here should fall primarily on the mid to upper end of the ladder of engagement. For example:

• Holding regular social/meet up/welcome events for new or interested members to learn more about the group, and more about those involved
• Promoting positions or tasks that need filling on social media
  
• Developing a teach-in presentation for folks to deliver 
• Asking others to facilitate a team decision making process
• Asking folks to participate in or sharing opportunities to help organize an event

The following strategies were suggested from participants in our navigating turnover in student groups learning circle:

• Divest McGill made a document to inform incoming members of who the board of directors (the targets) for their campaign were, complete with their names, photos and info on each. Helps new members plug in.
• In some schools, a bootcamp (3 day online intensive) to get people up to speed on information, and bring the information to new people, is helpful. The important thing is to keep the relationships!

Welcoming new committed/core members

Have a welcome plan prepared for new joiners to welcome them and provide the information they need about the group they're joining! This might look like a welcome presentation or meeting to review key documents and inner workings, for example.

A simple structure for a welcome meeting is as follows  :

• Scheduled in advance, 20-40 minutes in length.

• Between few people if possible, to gain more personal connections.

•  A loose agenda could look like...

• Sharing stories. i.e. why you care and why you want to be involved now, more about the group
• Share goals, strategy, project plans and/or emerging directions.
• Explain the different roles available on the team, and discuss the skills or interests they have that might fit. Come up with creative ideas for how they can use their unique skills and passions to further the purpose of the team. 
• Give them a specific task to do, based on the role they want to take on and what tasks the project needs.
• Share the next meeting date!

For more on welcoming new members see this resource by Beautiful Trouble.

Retention suggestions

• Take action! Actions are not only a great opportunity to hand out flyers to people passing by; they also give existing members the feeling of having an impact, which keeps everyone motivated (rather than sitting through endless meetings). 
• Don't neglect the value of joy and connection in mobilizing. These are the elements that both draw people in and help them to stay. Invest intentional time into getting to now one another, and having fun together! Examples might include going out for coffee together, having a potluck, attending a local music event etc.
• Ask people for their accessibility needs; what is keeping them from attending meetings or actions? How can you make engagement more accessible to them? See our wiki on making your activism accessible for more.
  
• Include various forms of participation. People should take on roles and tasks that suit their availability. Check in with one another often. Is anyone overextended or willing to take on more? 
  
• Articulate purpose often. Include a quick mention of the purpose of each meeting in your agenda, and every so often it can be helpful to remind of the group's mission.

Summary

The engagement paradox (from a study done on the organizers and volunteers involved in Barack Obama’s Get Out the Vote campaign) works under the assumptions that  :

• You SHOW UP because somebody asked.
• You COMMIT because of the relationships.
• You WALK AWAY when you don’t feel effective

If you have any suggested revisions or additional resources to share related to the above content, please email them to kenzie@lehub.ca.