#irecruit

By Carmen Zavala

This year, the National FCCLA Executive Council has created a challenge for members to increase membership across the country, reaching for a goal of 213,000 members by the end of the year. With every class that graduates, keeping a steady amount of members is a challenge for high schools and junior high schools. However, a new batch of students is added when the new school year begins. It is up to the students who are still active members to invite them to take advantage of membership. This brand new challenge creates an incentive to continue recruiting members, with rewards for the individual, chapter, and state that recruits the most new members.

We, as alumni, are faced with a different type of challenge. While we gain new potential members every year, our challenge is to keep those who were involved in FCCLA as teenagers interested in the organization. This challenge becomes more difficult as more time passes after graduation, when those of us who may have been close have moved away, gained other interests, and started our own careers and families.

However, the increase of the utilization of social networking has made our job as recruiters a bit easier. FCCLA A&A now has its own Facebook and LinkedIn pages (note: you must be a current dues-paying member to join). We, as members, are encouraged to recruit at least 3 members by the end of the school year. In addition, we are also given an incentive to recruit new members. For every member who puts your name in the “referred by” box in their sign-up sheet, you have a higher chance of winning one of the awesome prizes that will be offered by the national office.

The bronze medal winner will receive an FCCLA "swag bag", full of FCCLA goodies.

The silver medal winner will receive an FCCLA "swag bag" and complimentary registration to the 2013 National Leadership Conference in Nashville, TN.

The alumnus who recruits the most members by the end of the challenge will receive an FCCLA "swag bag," complimentary registration to the 2013 National Leadership Conference in Nashville, TN, and a $250 travel voucher to help get you there.

The state who recruits the most members will also receive recognition at the National Leadership Conference in July!

So tell your Facebook friends, join the A&A LinkedIn group, and let everyone know how they can continue their involvement in FCCLA after high school!