How to VPM the RDG Way

While the ultimate goal of the VPM is to maintain charter strength, there are several auxiliary responsibilities that help move toward (and hopefully beyond) that target.

• Ensures the club maintains charter strength of 20 members or more.
  

Your primary end goal. TI has done research that shows up to 40% of your members may go away over the course of the year for whatever reason, so this is why there's two goals of "gain four members" and "gain four more members" in the DCP. Ultimately, you want to try to get your club to the 30-35 range.

• Builds club membership by conducting club-wide membership building campaigns.
  

You should plan to have at least one membership contest. You can time these to go with the three drives that happen through the year. Your district may offer some promotions as well.

• Prepares and distributes a New Guest Packet to each new guest in attendance at club meetings. 
  

New guest packets help turn guests into repeat guests, and repeat guests into members. You'll find out how to make them later in this lesson. You should stock around 40-50 for a year, keeping 10 on hand at meetings. You should also have a digital version available on your marketing site.

• Follows up with each guest through written and verbal communication.
  
• Answers any questions from guests and INVITES THEM TO JOIN! 

Follow-up is a huge part of (club) success, and it's no different here. You can collect all the information you like, but if you don't act on it, it's useless. Follow up within 36 hours (if not less) of the meeting.

• Is a point of contact for potential guests.

This can be through either Meetup or your marketing (Free Toast Host) site. You'll want to have a phone number and e-mail (or contact form) that can be used to get in touch with you. Keep common information like "how much does it cost" and "what do you do?" handy. This role may also be handled by the VP PR for guests that haven't stepped in the door yet.

• Conducts new member installation.
  

Some clubs do this; it's a good initiation custom to present a member who's completed their Icebreaker a membership pin. Just be sure that member has been voted in prior to this.

• Chairs a Membership Committee for membership recruitment, membership retention, and member follow-up. 
  

Many VPMs don't realize they're supposed to have a committee; you'll learn how to recruit and work with one in this lesson. Your committee should be devoted to creating "4I" members: Informed, Involved, Included/Invited, and Inspired.

• Conducts member surveys to ensure current and future member satisfaction.
  

This should be done once, if not twice a year, and when a new member comes on board.

• Attends and votes at Area Council meetings. 

In my experience, these aren't held as regularly as they should be. If you don't get a notice about them, contact your area director.

• Responsible for guests once they come to the club.
  

The VP PR's efforts should be raising awareness of the club to attract new guests; the VPM should take over once they come in the door. 

• Manage guest, former member, and member lists on marketing site.

I recommend you use Free Toast Host for managing the first two lists, as you can mail all of them by using the e-mail client of your choice. Make sure you consolidate this information there. You can still use Easy Speak if you prefer that. This also includes "promoting" guests to members, and members to ex-members as needed.

• Be the “ombudsman” for the members.
  

Members should know that if they have a concern, you are the point of contact. You don't have to know everything, but you do need to be able to find answers and report back to them. You should also be making sure new members are receiving new member orientation within their first thirty days; otherwise there's a huge risk of them leaving.

• Send out meeting reminder mailings three days before meetings to guest and ex-member lists.

Three days is negotiable; just make sure people have time to prepare themselves for the meeting, but not so much time they forget about it. You may want to try calendar invites. Setting the reminder time is key. Try to automate this if you can.

• Be a backup Meetup organizer.
  

If your club uses Meetup (strongly recommended) and your VP PR can't make changes (e.g. a meeting cancellation), you need to be able to do so.