How to Attract Young Women into AAUW

Updated 2 Jan 2004

The Oakland-Piedmont branch has developed a successful plan to attract women in their twenties and early thirties to AAUW. We give young women what they want: a free networking group and low-cost group trips.

We recruited more than 30 new members for our branch this past year, most of them under age 33. This project won a 21st Century Recognition Program award from the national AAUW

NETWORKING GROUP

Form a free networking group for young women as a separate entity from AAUW. One or two volunteers from your branch can create it and run it. Have monthly networking events (never meetings.) At the events, the young women always ask the group for advice on networking, job hunting, mentoring, and career advancement. Tell them about the AAUW and other resources. Invite them to an upcoming branch event. Once they see how wonderful, connected, and savvy we AAUW women are, they join.

Events with a social agenda have more appeal than meetings. Advertise the networking events on websites with community bulletin boards and on your website. Talk to young women to find out the hot internet bulletin boards in your city. Ask nieces, daughters of friends, young co-workers. Gather email addresses from inquiries and send out semi- monthly event announcements.

The websile for your networking group can be a subpage on your branch website or a completely different site altogether. We created our networking group's website at www.iVillage.com for free. See it at http://pages.iVillage.com/NetFems.

CHEAP TRAVEL

Young women are eager to travel. Offer a group trip to them and to your branch membership. Announce the trip on the internet bulletin boards, with details to be given at the networking events. Young women read "travel, women, cheap" and are intrigued.

Our branch offered a $860 trip to Paris and had lots of young women ask for information. Many could not go because of scheduling problems, etc, but were impressed with the AAUW and joined our branch. $860 included air, hotel, membership, and a $50 donation. Our Paris trip had 6 NetFems and 15 "older" AAUW members. The trip was such a huge success, we are planning trips to Amsterdam and Florence for the 2003-2004 year. If your branch has a travel agent, she can create the group trip. If not, contact Laura for help.

For more detailed information on getting young members, contact NetFems founder, Laura Vestanen.

- from the AAUW CA June 2003 Newsletter

1. Be aggressively friendly
2. Recognize professional women in your community
3. Contact new people immediately through e-mail, phone calls, faxes, postcards
4. Have a focused strategic plan for recruitment
5. Hold events not meetings, try to streamline meetings
6. Take risks with programs/events, try something new
7. Vary meeting times, days, and locations
8. Promoting the idea of "working for AAUW"
9. Form coalitions with other community-based organizations
10. Get branch officer business cards
11. Form new study groups/interest groups
12. Offer mentoring to children, college students, and women entering the workforce
13. Partner with colleges/universities for shared events
14. Promote networking opportunities
15. Address diversity issues
16. Provide assistance to women returning to college
17. Start a pay equity coalition with business and professional women's organizations
18. Have food and other refreshments at meetings or small dinners with speakers
19. Get AAUW Materials to graduating seniors
20. Encourage members to sponsor the memberships for young professionals