Membership Month is back, and to celebrate we are bringing back a long-standing tradition of the AIAS: we’re giving our chapters another challenge to grow!
With the Chapter Growth Olympics, we want to celebrate all the chapters that make up our organization, rewarding outstanding efforts in solidifying their presence and continuing their legacy.
How can you become a winner, you ask? Here’s how it works:
1. We have broken up the chapters into 4 categories:
- Small College/University (30 Members or less)
- Large College/University (More than 30 members)
- Community College
- High School
*Category placement is determined based on chapter membership numbers as of March 1st, 2024.*
2. Your starting point will be the amount of members you had as ofSeptember 1st, 2024.
3. We will count percentage-based growth. That means, all the memberships your chapter acquires up until October 15th will give you an additional chance to win!
” Let’s say you had 10 members at the beginning of September. If by October 15 the number of members in your chapter is 20 members, then you have increased your membership by 100%. This is percentage-based growth.”
4. Whatever chapter has the largest percentage-based growth will become a winner! Each winner will be able to claim one of the following prizes:
- 20% OFF ON FORUM Austin registration for every member of your chapter.
- Waived chapter dues.
- A comparable prize will be discussed with the winning chapter of the High School Category.*
*Please contact your respective Quad/Regional Director to get your starting point number and category.*
Here’s some advice from past winners:
How did you and your chapter discuss the challenge with your students and how did you think it affected the moral at your university?
“We promoted membership during our General Body Meetings and passed out the small flyers for how to join AIAS. I believe it positively affected morale in specific years. Now we have a significant amount of third year students.” – University of Houston, SQ
“We believed having a smaller chapter reduced our interpreted value, and presented a challenge to host events and general assemblies. Our Executive Board, as a result, discussed ways that we could demonstrate the value of being an AIAS member, and redesigned our approach to our general assemblies, both with marketing and programming.” – Roger Williams University, NEQ
“We emphasized the fact that AIAS is what it is because of the students that are a part of it and how much they participate. We also put a big emphasis on the opportunities that we would provide as a chapter, and those provided by AIAS national.” – Andrews University, MWQ
“Once we found out about the growth challenge, we just informed our members of it and that there was a reward if we won. We gave them membership numbers from last year and encouraged them to sign up. We let them know that their membership was important to us and we thanked them for being a part of the organization. Overall I think it had a positive impact on the group. I think they liked working toward a goal and then felt rewarded when it was met.” – Fairmont State University, NEQ
“Instead of discussing with our members as if it was a competition, we really reiterated the value of membership as well as the recognition often gained by the national office when we are a growing body. We also explained the larger voice we will have and the more resources we can have from the university and from dues to accomplish more things in the benefit of them with more membership.” – Bowling Green State University, MWQ
What would you say to other chapters wanting to grow their membership?
“I would say that it is very helpful to have members in all grades because it helps others learn about AIAS when their direct peers can talk to them about it.” – University of Houston, SQ
“I would definitely say not to be defeated, even if you feel like no one cares. We all live busy lives and sometimes people forget how important AIAS really is, so just continue demonstrating what we do and why we do it.” – Roger Williams University, NEQ
“We think it’s important to begin by hosting some free events that gives the younger students a chance to be more involved. We have found that the incoming freshmen are more energetic and eager to be involved. We went around and personally reached out to new students who hadn’t heard about AIAS or even some classmates who may have had negative experiences in the past and helped them see how they can get involved and use their voice to create change.” – Andrews University, MWQ
“Our chapter wants to tell them to not give up. Find an executive board that’s excited to be there and wants to see growth. Encourage your members! Be there for them! Be active for them! Plan events! Give them a reason to join!” – Fairmont State University, NEQ
“I think the best thing is to explain your experiences. It is easy to list off benefits, but include what these benefits do for you and what has the AIAS done for you. Tell them why you continue to be involved! And with that, students will better understand that value and be willing to pay for membership.” – Bowling Green State University, MWQ
