Membership Hack: “Power of One” Recruitment Campaign

How to hack it? While many membership recruitment campaigns encourage members to bring as many of their peers as possible into the association, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association takes a different approach: Each fall, NFCA’s “Power of One” campaign  (opens in a new tab) asks members to recruit a single new member.

“Coaches compete on the field, yet collaborate off the field,” said Executive Director Carol Bruggeman in a media release  (opens in a new tab). “Asking a colleague to join the NFCA enhances the knowledge and network of coaches, which in turn boosts the overall student-athlete experience.”

Why does it work? It’s easier to appeal to members by asking them to bring just one peer into the fold. At the same time, NFCA incentives members to recruit more. For every new member who joins, the referrer gets a raffle ticket to win one of several prizes, including lifetime membership and registration to the NFCA Convention.

What’s the bonus? After four years, the Power of One campaign has resulted in more than 450 new members. “Our NFCA overall membership has grown significantly over the last few years, mirroring the excitement surrounding the sport of softball as a whole,” Bruggeman said.