While ACUI has ongoing campaigns within the Central Office to connect with lapsed and nonmembers, there is no stronger recruitment tool we have than our own members! You know first-hand how those working within college unions and student activities can benefit from being part of the ACUI family. A warm introduction (or re-introduction) to ACUI is meaningful and has been proven to more often lead to the campus joining ACUI than when a member is not involved in the recruitment process.
Tips for Outreach
- Be yourself. Lean on your ACUI experiences when sharing how the individual and campus could benefit from joining the Association.
- Listen to their needs. While it isn’t always easy in the moment, try to connect ACUI benefits as opportunities for problem solving, sharing, etc. Quick wins are the communities of practice, free webinars, and member resource library.
- Stay in the know. Take a few minutes to look at your most recent emails from ACUI, the upcoming events calendar, and list of recent community discussions so you are prepared to speak to what is happening at ACUI today.
- Don’t forget it is about community. Again, you know the value being a member of the ACUI family provides to your professional life. Underscore with personal reflections the benefit of having a community of colleagues from across the country (and world!) who understand your job, your obstacles, and your successes.
Outreach Guide
While not everyone enjoys picking up the phone and making a call, we believe this is the best starting place. Below is simply a guide. Feel free to put your own perspective on the topics below or share personal insights from your ACUI involvement.
Prepare for the call.
- Explore the ACUI website to ensure you have a good handle on current offerings (e.g., upcoming webinars, regional conference rates, recent community discussions, new Bulletin articles). It is valuable to point to specific examples.
- Visit the university website to look for current information (e.g., upcoming events, press releases, etc.)
- Google to find any recent news about the university, especially pertaining to weather (e.g., wildfires, hurricanes), financial/human resources, social justice, or political events.
Make the call.
- If someone answers:
- Start the conversation by introducing yourself and asking if they have time to talk about ACUI.
- Be sure you ask how they are first, giving them a chance to express their current situation.
- As appropriate, ask what sort of resources they could use right now from a professional organization. This will help you narrow down from the areas below what might be more relevant for their situation.
- Follow up with an email that provides some highlights about how ACUI can help them and noting you enjoyed speaking with them and are a resource if they have more questions.
- If there is no answer:
- Leave a voicemail that introduces yourself, explains that you were calling to talk about ACUI, and provides contact information.
- Follow up with an email that provides some highlights about how ACUI can help them and noting you’d enjoy speaking with them further. Keep the email simple.
Talk about how ACUI can help.
Below you will find resources that connect with overall themes of ACUI engagement. More specific examples (like recent community conversations and webinars) are noted to provide more leverage with your conversation.
Network with those who understand your role on campus.
- Connect with colleagues and explore the latest discussions around current issues through ACUI’s communities of practice.
- The communities are a space to collaborate with colleagues. You can receive feedback on simple questions like sample job descriptions or policies or have more complex discussions, such as benchmarking security measures and questions to ask on student assessments.
- Find the support you need during roundtables and network during webinars.
- These provide a space to both formally and casually discuss pertinent issues, ask questions, vent frustrations, celebrate success, and more. The content is driven by attendees.
- Take advantage of networking opportunity at in-person events.
- Open networking is a core part of any ACUI event. You can anticipate time to chat with colleagues, both formally and informally, at the regional conference, annual conference, and more.
Advance your team with easy to access and affordable programs and resources.
- ACUI continually offers free online learning programs, where you can hear about new approaches and best practices and participate in live discussion.
- These events are recorded and available in the library, so you can always catch up on anything you miss or find the content you need when you need it.
- The Bulletin allows you to read the latest research on the impact of the college union and identify current trends on campus.
- Regional conferences offer an opportunity to learn alongside and connect with those within your geographical region. These are a good initial introduction into the Association to meet peers who understand your work.
- ACUI’s micro-credentialing courses and Training Hub allow for continued education for both professionals and students.
- Mini-courses are available any time and are self-paced. Topic areas include assessment, event management, social justice, and more.
- The Training Hub offers 15 to 30 minutes sessions starting at just $10 that cover basic, transferable skills, such as Accounting 101, Enhancing Collaborative Communication, Creating a Motivational Climate, and dozens more.
Meet the needs of your students and support their success.
- In addition to the many community discussions regarding student success:
- The Bulletin’s State of the College Union Series examines how campuses are meeting the needs of students and the greater community; past topics include wellness, creating a welcoming environment, protest/activism, and more. ACUI also offers webinars associated with these same topics.
- Recent webinars include Students’ Expectations of Staff and Faculty’s Cultural Competency, Putting the Civil Back in Civil Discourse, Build It and They Will Come, and more.
- ACUI’s micro-credentialing courses are an easy to access, affordable professional development option for your students.
- Past course topics that apply to student learners include event management, online accessibility, marketing, and more.
- Two ACUI assessment options can help you benchmark your facilities, programs, and services to ensure you are meeting the needs of your campus community.
- ACUI members have free access to the College Union Standard (plus another of your choosing).
- The Program Review Collaborative is aimed at enriching departmental reviews through the guidance of seasoned experts, with particular emphasis on staffing, administrative processes, programmatic offerings, student engagement mechanisms, and collaborative ventures within the broader campus community.
Impact the future of the profession.
- ACUI’s many volunteer opportunities can help you shape the future of ACUI through leadership roles or the profession through researching, writing, and presenting.
- Short-term roles, such as presenting a webinar or writing a Bulletin article, or a role on the Regional Leadership Team can meet your development needs and be a good introduction to the work of the Association.
Show appreciation and follow up.
- Be sure to thank the individual for talking to you.
- Send a recap email that details what you discussed, provides links to specific examples mentioned from the website, and indicates they can contact you or ACUI if they have more questions about membership. Include a link to the membership page as well.