Retaining members and recruiting new ones is the key to a healthy club. Clubs are asked to increase membership by 10% annually to stay vibrant. New members bring vitality to their club.

What Clubs can do to recruit new members:

• Having a successful club project will attract like minded potential members. Ensure you follow up with those who attend. Have flyers on what you do to take away.
• Social media: each Club should have their own Facebook page: or use Twitter & Instagram to spread project achievements.
• Newspaper articles that include a photo of an event. Issue media releases on events
  Letters to the editor thanking the community for support of evengts.
• Hold an afternoon or evening event for prospective members. Advertise via social media or in local community newspapers.
  
  
• Other resources can be found on the website in the folder Retention and Recruitment folder .

What Clubs can do to retain current members

• Make sure to recruit informed members
• Support, value and recognise members
• Engage members with decision making
• Listen respectfully to everyone in the Club
• Empower and let new members take a lead role e.g. in an activity or in a Club role

The Muriel Barber Fund was established as a fund for extension within our Federation. It is named after Muriel Barber of Griffith Club in the Riverina Region New South Wales. Muriel was elected President of the Council of the South West Pacific in 1971 but died shortly after taking office.

Purpose of the fund is to:

• Subsidise extension in the formation, and support for a maximum of two years, of new clubs.
• Assist in establishing new Clubs in the Federation area beyond existing regional boundaries.
• Assist Regions, or National Associations (in the case of non-region countries) in their attempts to strengthen existing Clubs within their boundaries.
• Provide membership training.
• Provide funding for Federation wide extension, recruitment, retention and training.
• Also includes support for:
  • Travel expenses.
  • Charter of new Clubs.
  • Promotional material.

The up to date guidelines and application procedures are in the  folder Muriel Barber Fund Handbook and Application form