Ideas for getting new AIS members

["Susan Grigg" <irismom@nc.rr.com>]

Glenn, my husband, gets a digest of the Daylily Forum and he saved the
messages below for me. Note the mention and use of the $25. voucher that AHS
gives to each new member. This is long but worth reading.

 

Susan Grigg

AIS Director

 

 

Date:    Wed, 27 Jul 2011 11:44:59 -0700

From:    Charlie Dorsey <daylilyroundrobin@YAHOO.COM>

Subject: TEN new AHS members

 

I wanted to tell you about the success I had in attracting new members for
AHS. This was a variation of something Phil Reilly told me about getting new
members. Possibly some others might like to try it.

 

I told my master gardener's group that they could dig as many daylilies as
they wanted in a certain area of my field for free. The only catch was that
they had to fill out a membership form and give me a check made out to AHS
for $25.00. For that $25.00 I stated that they would get 4 issues of a great
daylily magazine and a voucher worth $25.00 off daylilies ordered from some
daylily vendors. Ten people took me up on the offer. It was so fun to see
them drive up because they had never seen a 3 acre field full of daylilies.
They went nuts. 

One came back a 2nd day with a friend, check, and membership form.

 

I'm sure there are some variations of this that could be attempted. Just
think if we could get 100 or 1000 of us to do something similar.

 

Charlie Dorsey www.TheDaylilyAddict.com

SE Ohio Zone 6

 

------------------------------

 

Date:    Wed, 27 Jul 2011 15:35:10 -0400

From:    Mary Collier Fisher <mfisher@RICS.BWH.HARVARD.EDU>

Subject: Re: TEN new AHS members/Region 4 Meeting/Trial Memberships

 

Mary Collier Fisher here with a beautiful New England summer day - not too
hot, not too cold, not too humid - but sunny with a breeze and just right.
Walpole, Massachusetts, AHS Region 4, Zone 5

 

Hats off to Charlie for coming up with an absolutely super idea and carrying
it off with such superb results.  Wow ten new members is fantastic!

 

Pat Mercer, our AHS Executive Secretary has been busy processing new
memberships, renewals and trial memberships that have been pouring 

in.   Those of you who attended the convention may have heard me 

remark that we only needed around 450 members to join or renew between June
and August to start to increase the number as of AHS members for the first
time in nine years.  As of the last count that Pat sent out as of July 24th
the number needed had dropped to only 

156.       33 people had decided to try the new trial membership for 

this year for only $15 - signing up by this month gets them two issues of
the fabulous Daylily Journal and full access to the Members only portal -
www.daylilynetwork.org, and if they renew next year they will get an AHS
Voucher that essentially pays for the 

membership.   Seems like a good deal to me.

 

 

Date:    Thu, 28 Jul 2011 09:11:21 -0700

From:    Bill Maryott <bill@DAYLILYGARDEN.NET>

Subject: New Membership Idea

 

Bill Maryott   Corralitos CA   (Marketing Director for the AHS)

 

 

 

Kyle Billadeau from MN decided he would "invent" a method of getting new AHS
members.  I think it's just fabulous.  I'd like to put out a proposal for

consideration and discussion.   Getting new AHS members is everyone's job.

Each of you can do it and we can help.   I think Kyle's method is so novel

and good that we need to make up some Promo Packages and provide them free
of charge to ANYONE willing to follow Kyle's idea here.

 

 

 

How many of you give presentations and how many would be willing to do this?

I really like the idea.what about you?   Discussion welcome.

 

 

I'm repeating Kyle's suggestion below:

 

 

 

Kyle Billadeau, Chaska, MN Zone 4, Region One 

 

Yes - you can get new AHS memberships, even in the dead of winter, no
digging required. You can do this at a club meeting or a regional meeting,
or when you're giving a garden talk. 

 

Last weekend at our Region One meeting I did this 'song and dance' as I call
it, and got 7 trial memberships. At our club meetings in Oct and Feb I did
the same and got at least half a dozen each time. At our Regional meeting
last year I think I got 10, which was amazing. Region One by the way led all
regions last year in new members. 

 

Supplies needed: 

 

4 recent copies of the Daylily Journal

2 recent copies of your region's newsletter 6-10 copies of the AHS
membership form, depending on your group's size 6-10 copies of your region's
latest newsletter Same number of envelopes addressed to Pat Mercer with a
stamp on them! 

1 assistant 

 

Here's what you do. This is called picking the low-hanging fruit by the way.

 

 

Remember that in many cases half the people of a club are not AHS members.

And at a Regional Meeting the non-members are lower - but you also have in
that group many who've let their membership lapse. 

 

Stand up at the microphone. Start extolling the virtues of AHS membership by
passing the 4 Daylily Journals off to your assistant and have him/her hold
them up high. Tell the audience you get "Not one, not two, not three - but
FOUR color Journals per year for your $25." Then hold up your two regional
newsletters and tell them "With these that's SIX great issues of daylily
education each year." Then tell them that if they use the $25 voucher they
get that first year for FREE. And mention other benefits of membership, such
as this email robin and the AHS Portal. Finally tell them you have a supply
of the current regional newsletter and they can have it tonight if they sign
up right now. 

 

Last - hold up the membership forms and the envelopes all nicely clipped
together. Tell your audience they have no excuse - all they really have to
do is walk up and give you a check payable to AHS and you will mail it in
for them. 

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