In a race to capture new members, clubs need more than just enthusiasm, American Sign Language club president, sophomore Aubrey Phan said. From eye-catching posters to social media campaigns, Phan said the beginning of the school year is a unique time for clubs to use creative strategies to amass a strong member base.
American Sign Language Club: Food
Building a strong club community dedicated to learning more about deaf culture, the ASL club provides food at their meetings to capture the attention of new and incoming students. By increasing their member base, ASL can give even more students the benefits of their community, Phan said.
“We typically [have] foods that will be open to everyone, that everyone will typically enjoy, [so] things like donuts or cookies and things that would catch eyes,” Phan said. “We come to a consensus of what we would enjoy, and we think about that and apply it to what food we bring.”
By using incentives such as food, ASL club has noticed an increase in its membership, which Phan said she attributes to the club’s improved marketing tactics.
“ASL didn’t have as many members as it does now,” Phan said. “[The meeting] was pretty successful because we had a good amount of people, and it was more than we expected.”
Mock Trial: Summer Workshops
In an effort to attract younger members, Mock Trial holds presentations at the end of the school year at Cupertino Middle School and Sunnyvale Middle School, Mock Trial president, senior Rohan Bedekar said.
By advertising to incoming freshmen, Mock Trial reaches more students and increases the attendance at their summer workshops, as middle schoolers can explore their interest in public speaking, Bedekar said. Summer workshops also help the club gain more traction, and potentially benefit the future trajectory of Mock Trial’s prospective members, Bedekar said.
“[Attending] summer workshops also shows commitment, which we keep in mind during tryouts, because nowadays, getting into the team has been pretty hard,” Bedekar said. “Showing commitment by coming to the summer workshop also leaves a great impression on the officers.”
Spanish National Honor Society: Cords
Throughout the year, SNHS incorporates the reward of cords to increase members’ involvement in SNHS, which includes providing a colorful cord seniors can wear at their graduation, social media manager, junior Diego Espinoza said.
“Our cords not only symbolize physically, but also visually how a person is dedicated to Spanish as a language as its whole, and it shows the hard work and dedication put into SNHS,” Espinoza said.
It can be challenging to keep students actively involved in the club year-round, so SNHS’s cords serve as a reminder to keep students coming back, meeting after meeting, Espinoza said.
“[Cords] gives seniors a reason to stay committed to the club throughout their four years at HHS,” Espinoza said. “They might have joined early on in their high school years, but it’s a way to keep them more dedicated to the club.”
