In addition to attracting new members, I suspect retention is also important -- and UPHPU wouldn't be the first to struggle with this (if, indeed, we are). Firefox is currently discussing how to solve this problem (somewhere between 50 and 75 percent of new installs don't stay with Firefox).
One key component of retention is providing killer products or services -- stuff that keeps your customer (group members) coming back. UPHPU has one killer service in this list, and the meetings are good, too. The resume workshop would be an excellent addition to UHPHU's portfolio. What other killer products and services are within our ability to provide? Another key component of retention is ease of adoption. We have to be actively aware of and concerned with how easy it is to become, remain, and participate as a member. What barriers to membership exist, and are they necessary? Do we require people to adapt to us, or do we adapt to them? Do participation require specialized or generally available tools? What other options should we discuss? What structures or processes might be changed or improved, and in what ways? What haven't we thought of yet? I don't necessarily know the answers to these questions (well, I do -- but I'm not telling), but we should be asking them. Wade recently mentioned moving to a more formalized structure -- whatever that means, the manager or management team should be actively thinking about these things. Regards, Dave P.S. I think about a lot of these things in my studies (I'm working towards a masters degree in nonprofits), so I apologize if I get too excited and long-winded about them. _______________________________________________ UPHPU mailing list [email protected] http://uphpu.org/mailman/listinfo/uphpu IRC: #uphpu on irc.freenode.net
