DCBA
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“D-C-B-A”
Those letters have become the new mantra of chapters that want to attract, select, and secure the best members for them.
Say them with us, “D-C-B-A”
Now, let’s talk about what those letters mean…
You’ve got a list of leads for your chapter, right? You can’t recruit who you don’t know, so we’ll just assume you’ve already got a list of people your members are networked with or people who have shown interest in your group. You’re probably already using ChapterBuilder to manage that list.
All the names of the “leads” on your list should get a letter grade based on the level of relationship they have with your chapter.
People who you just met or who you don’t know well… those are just acquaintances or names on a list… let’s give them a grade of D.
People who are friends and fans of your chapter are a C.
Now think about people who are interested in membership or who you’re actively pursuing for membership… let’s give them a grade of B.
And then think about those HOT prospects… These are prospective members who just need to make it official. Let’s grade them an A.
D, C, B, A. That’s the process of recruitment. D, C, B, A. It starts with intentional networking and prospecting to put as many D’s on your list as possible. Then some relationship building to turn those D’s in to C’s, the C’s into B’s, the B’s into A’s… and then A’s into A+’s (or official members). D, C, B, A.
That’s all recruitment is. It’s not about impressing people with how cool your chapter is. It’s not about events. It’s not about looking cool or doing perfect marketing. It’s really about walking individual human beings through the relationship building process of D, C, B, A.
And by the way, to turn a D into a C probably doesn’t require a ton of money or planning… D’s and even C’s will respond best to 1-on-1 interactions or small group stuff. B’s and A’s are likely to come to your events, or help with your service work. They’ll need to feel the excitement of the whole group. But each step in the process deserves it’s own special approach.
That’s what recruitment really is. It’s about the individual prospects, not about your chapter. It’s about the D’s, and the C’s and the B’s and the A’s. Make your growth plan focused on the people that it is really about, and use the DCBA model to keep your growth work organized.