Recruiting and managing your membership
On this page we provide advice on recruiting new members to your YAC as well as guidance on how to manage a large membership if your club becomes over-subscribed.
Remember that YAC HQ are always happy to advise on specific circumstances related to managing membership, so don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Recruiting New Members
Many YAC Branches find that word-of-mouth is the best form of advertising. If your members enjoy your sessions, they will tell their friends! Guest speakers at your session may also be willing to mention your Branch at their other events.
Templates for producing posters and leaflets are available from YAC HQ, but the best way to produce posters can be to get your members to design them! Have a special session where members make advertising materials and plan where to display them. If you do not have access to a printer or photocopier, just get in touch with YAC HQ and we can print and post anything to you. Local museums and libraries will often be happy to display YAC materials.
You could also approach local schools directly via email. Some YAC leaders have had great success in running archaeological outreach activities at schools whilst also promoting their branch. Many enthusiastic YAC members are home-educated – you can find local home educator networks online and on Facebook and let them know about your YAC branch.
You may also find that local publications, like newspapers, and local or national websites, like mumsnet.com, will give you free or low cost listings for your Branch.
Running events can be a good way to boost your membership. Some Branches run special ‘bring a friend’ party sessions (remember you must get emergency contact and medical information for all children, and to make sure you have enough YAC volunteers for the extra children). Others have family sessions which can encourage siblings to join and parents to tell friends (make sure parents know they must supervise their own children at all times).
Some Branches have stalls at events in their areas. This can work particularly well during the Festival of Archaeology: find out if your local museum or archaeological site is running an event you can take part in, or arrange an event of your own. To find out more about the Festival, visit www.archaeologyfestival.org.uk.
YAC HQ can provide support promoting your YAC through our networks and channels, so please get in touch!
Managing a Large Membership
Some YAC clubs are heavily over-subscribed. Two potential strategies for managing this are:
- Limit the number of membership places available to the number of members you can have at a session. Close the club to new applications and have a waiting list. The benefits of this are that you will work with the same young people who you will get to know, allowing you to develop long-term projects. This method may work best if you charge an annual subscription fee.
- Create a large membership pool and ask members to book for each event. The benefits of this are that you reach a larger number of young people and give more the opportunity to get involved. It can be a good strategy if you do not need to charge an annual subscription fee. If you have to turn people away when a session is fully booked, give them first priority to book for the next one.
You need to renew your members’ medical, emergency contact and photography permission details every year: this is a good opportunity to collect any annual fees and to make sure your members are still committed to the club.
If you have a large number of volunteers, it may be possible to run two sessions each month or to open a second club in your area. Do contact YAC HQ if you’d like to talk about this.