A Developing Honor Society's Guide to Successful Recruitment

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Table of Contents Getting Started...........................................................2 Membership Life Cycle............................................................. 3 Preparing Your Team................................................................. 4 Creating Advocates Among Active Members.........................6 Phases of the Membership Life Cycle...................................... 7

Phase 1: Make an Introduction................................... 8 Know Who You Are and Know Your Value!.............................. 9 Creating Awareness................................................................ 10 Building Your Name and Reputation in the Community....... 11 Tools for Effective Publicity Efforts........................................13 Next Steps................................................................................15

Phase 2: Recruit New Members................................. 16 Creating a Welcoming Environment.......................................18 Hosting Successful Recruitment Events.................................19 Recruitment Event Examples................................................. 20 We Had a Recruitment Event — Now What?........................ 22 Next Steps............................................................................... 23

Phase 3: Induction.....................................................24 What Is Induction and Why Is It Important?......................... 25 Before the Ceremony: Prospective-Member Meeting........... 27 Invitations to Join .................................................................. 29 The Induction Ceremony........................................................30 Next Steps................................................................................31

Phase 4: Orientation................................................. 32 Before the Orientation........................................................... 33 The Orientation...................................................................... 34 After the Orientation ............................................................ 35 Next Steps............................................................................... 36

A Developing Honor Society’s Guide to Successful Recruitment

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Getting Started This is your guide to successfully recruiting, inviting, and inducting members into your honor society.

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Thank you for your interest in starting a chapter of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI)!

We hope this guide will prepare you for the recruitment activities expected of STTI chapters.

Use this text to engage the rest of your board in conversation. Then draft a plan to increase your honor society’s member-recruitment activities.

Plan to put these best practices in writing as you begin a Policy & Procedure Manual.

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Membership Life Cycle Developing honor societies and chapters need to continually generate awareness to recruit, invite, and induct eligible candidates while engaging established members in a specific way to ensure that they renew their membership each year.

All of these above components will need to be in constant motion for your group to create a truly successful and long-lasting membership experience for its members.

Active Membership is a lifelong experience.

This guide will focus on the first four phases of the Membership Life Cycle: Make an Introduction, Recruit New Members, Induction, and Orientation.

A Developing Honor Society’s Guide to Successful Recruitment

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DID YOU KNOW? Your board can appoint committees, task forces, and additional leaders as needed to complete work.

The terms can be any length of time and for any specific task or function.

Preparing Your Team To effectively build awareness and recruit new members, your honor society needs to rely heavily on its volunteers who have the time and skills to form relationships with potential members. When filling positions for those who will recruit members, your Leadership Succession Committee should strive to find individuals who possess the necessary skills.

THE MEMBERSHIP INVOLVEMENT COMMITTEE works to create the ideal membership experience. Those who serve on this committee are also an asset in the recruitment process because they know which active members will be good advocates for your group.

What qualities should people have to serve on this committee?

• They are social, friendly, and can easily build relationships.

• They are good listeners and can clearly articulate and communicate the value of your chapter to potential candidates.

• They are able to solicit and analyze feedback in a constructive manner.

This group could also appoint task forces to complete specific aspects of their work in a shorter timeframe, such as planning awareness events, developing member-needs surveys, locating program venues, and much more.

THE PUBLICITY COMMITTEE Publicity is the attempt to manage the public’s

takes information from leaders and works to create a buzz around your developing honor society and the membership experience. Buzzworthy activities can include celebrating member and honor society successes, promoting the mission and values of STTI, and continually educating the public sector about the honor society’s goals and achievements.

What qualities should people have to serve on this committee?

perception of

• They are good communicators who can clearly articulate and convey the value of your group to

your group.

nonmembers and non-nurses.

• They are familiar with social networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter.

• Once you become a chapter, they are willing to learn and adhere to the brand guidelines in the chapter style guide.

In addition to the preceding committees, individual positions will assist in the area of recruitment.

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GETTING S TA RT E D

MEMBERSHIP AMBASSADORS serve as liaisons between newly inducted members and the developing honor society or chapter.

What qualities should people have to serve in this position?

• They should be new inductees so they can relate to and interact with the intended audience.

• They should be interested in shadowing leaders for the purpose of leadership succession.

• They should be willing to learn new technological platforms.

WEBMASTERS regularly update their developing honor society’s website or a social media platform, to provide information to members and nonmembers.

What qualities should people have to serve in this position?

• They should be able to analyze honor society content and determine a virtual location (e.g., is the content meant to be public knowledge, for members only, etc.).

• They should be interested in learning new Web platforms.

• They could have nontraditional work hours; Web editing can be done any time of the day.

NEWSLETTER EDITORS help publicize events and programs and convey news to members through newsletters.

What qualities should people have to serve in this position?

• They are skilled writers who have the ability to solicit important news and information from leaders and volunteers.

• They are interested in finding and adapting newsletter templates.

• Once you become a chapter, they are willing to learn and adhere to the brand guidelines in the chapter style guide.

The preceding positions are referenced in relation only to recruitment. There are additional required board positions that can assist with the recruitment process.

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Creating Advocates Among Active Members Your leaders and committee members aren’t the only ones who recruit potential members. Active members who are proud of their membership experience will also be great assets to your recruitment efforts.

WHAT IS HONOR SOCIETY/CHAPTER PRIDE? The emotional connection members have with their honor society/chapter and with the organization overall. If you provide a positive and rewarding experience to members, they will develop a sense of pride. It is important to be mindful of pride because it directly affects the group’s image within the community. Members are likely to share their experiences — both good and bad — with others.

HOW CAN WE BUILD MEMBER PRIDE? • Educate members about speaking about their membership experience. They should be able to succinctly state who the Honor Society is, what it provides them personally, and what additional benefits and value it provides. The Phase 1 section in the following pages contains information about creating value proposition statements and “elevator speeches.”

• Give members what they want! Distribute, collect, and utilize information from membership surveys to implement relevant activities.

• Make meetings and events fun! Although your developing honor society is a professional

organization, it is OK to have fun together! Establish icebreakers or exciting activities before every event. Find icebreaker ideas on the “Start a Chapter” webpages.

• Ensure that every member concern and complaint is addressed in a timely manner. Do you have a honor society-specific email account? Is contact information displayed and easy to find for those who want to provide feedback?

• Reward and recognize members. This could be something as simple as a Member of the Month highlight on your website or as complex as a formal recognition ceremony each year.

• Celebrate your initiatives, successes, and achievements. Members want their friends, family, and colleagues to understand the value of their membership. Celebrate the successful initiatives and outwardly share how members were a part of those accomplishments.

• Create a positive, welcoming, and supportive environment. Task specific committee members to be the Welcoming Team at events. This group will seek out first-time attendees, be their main point of contact, and introduce them to other members. A list of conversation topics and tips is available online. These conversation topics and tips will enable members to feel comfortable having conversations about the honor society.

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GETTING S TA RT E D

Phases of the Membership Life Cycle The remainder of this guide will be divided to focus on the phases of the Membership Life Cycle that impact recruitment. Each of the four stages will include information about how to get started, samples and ideas to save time and energy, and next steps to move on to the following phase.

PHASE

1

PHASE

2

PHASE

3

PHASE

4

MAKE AN INTRODUCTION

RECRUIT NEW MEMBERS

INDUCTION

ORIENTATION

To assist you in creating a timeline to implement these four phases, download and utilize the 18-month recruitment calendar from the “Phase 2” section of the “Start a Chapter” webpages.

Additionally, the website includes a “Glossary of Terms” to ensure that you understand the terminology utilized throughout this guide.

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Phase 1: Make an Introduction It all starts with

Hello!

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The purpose of an introduction is to familiarize the community with your honor society’s values and initiatives. When used effectively, the introduction provides potential members with an understanding of your goal to become an STTI chapter, as well as how your prospective chapter will fulfill STTI’s mission. Members will also learn how the developing honor society and future chapter can serve them during their nursing careeer. This outreach ensures that individuals can make informed decisions about joining when the time comes.

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Know Who You Are and Know Your Value!

PHASE 1: MAKE A N I N T RO D U C T I O N

Members need to be able to adequately state who the developing honor society is and what it offers through membership and involvement. Ensure that the following components are included consistently in member communications.

• Honor Society name and affiliated institution(s) of higher education • Why you want to become a chapter • STTI mission and vision • Contact information In addition to knowing basic-level information about your group, members should be able to speak knowledgeably about the value of belonging to it. One easy way to succinctly state this information is to develop a value proposition statement.

A value proposition is a short, clear statement of the concrete results a potential member will Ú

get from investing in your developing honor society. A strong value proposition speaks directly to your target audience and creates interest so that your prospects ask questions and want to learn more.

This requires planning about what will be unique about your honor society and its benefits and services. Your value proposition statement will also be important for members to use in developing an “elevator speech.”

Ú An elevator speech is a quick (of 30 seconds or less — the time it would take to ride in an

To develop an effective value proposition, utilize the “Developing a Value Proposition” Worksheet on the “Start a Chapter” website.

elevator with someone else) talk that provides basic information about your group and the value proposition along with personal information about why the speaker is a member.

Additional information about creating an elevator speech is available online.

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Creating Awareness You will do this through publicity, which is the deliberate attempt to manage the public’s perception of your group. Publicity is different from your member communications because it is meant to generate awareness about the developing honor society, future chapter, and STTI among nonmembers while increasing current members’ pride.

Publicity can also be unintentional. Word of mouth is one of the most powerful tools to help showcase your events and achievements. Successful initiatives inspire members to share with their friends and colleagues who aren’t members, resulting in those people being more familiar with and excited about your honor society. This increases the likelihood of those individuals seeking out and accepting an invitation to join.

Pride grows as a result of positive publicity because members feel that their membership is recognized and valued in the community. To get the word out about your group, your Publicity Committee should:

• Develop a timeline of what events will be publicized, where the events will happen, who the

intended audience is for each event, and which person is responsible for publicizing the event.

• Once you become a chapter, print the most recent version of the chapter style guide. This

Who is the audience?

document is usually updated once per year, so check the year on the cover to see which version you have. This guide articulates STTI’s brand standards, such as how to use the STTI name, proper fonts, and colors to aid in publicity.

• If you need to advertise with a university logo for collaborative events, research university policies that might require approval time.

• Develop giveaways, such as pens and tote bags, with the developing honor society’s name.

Where and when will the event take place?

Who is responsible for promotion?

Publicize the event.

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Building Your Name and Reputation in the Community Ú One of the greatest places to increase awareness about your group is in members’ workplaces.

Increasing awareness in these workplaces will instill greater satisfaction and pride among members and will open up the group to clinically based partnerships that can increase your vitality.

Your honor society should strive to partner with organizations that are aligned with your goals and mission. This could include schools of nursing, student and alumni organizations, local nonprofit organizations, and hospitals. Before developing relationships with any groups, ensure that they are in good standing with the community they serve. Their negative reputation could impact your group!

Members have indicated a strong desire to have their membership recognized and valued by employers.

PHASE 1: MAKE A N I N T RO D U C T I O N

Convey to the community what you and your members are doing to support the profession and to add value. Publicizing to local groups will allow your chapter to enjoy an enhanced community image, improved brand recognition, and increased member loyalty and morale.

DID YOU KNOW?

How will you create awareness among local employers?

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Creating awareness requires diverse efforts in many locations in front of different audiences. Easy tips and ideas to develop awareness:

TIP FOR VIRTUAL PROGRAMS Connect with the university to see if its virtual learning platform allows for advertising.

If so, develop an ad that will create awareness about your group.

If you are having an event with nonmembers present (e.g., at a sports arena, zoo, museum, or community building), encourage members to wear their apparel. Some venues will even recognize groups in attendance by putting their names on big screens, scoreboards, welcome signs, etc.

Set up static displays and informational tables at school fairs and in community locations with a lot of foot traffic..

Distribute snacks in the break room at local hospitals, clinical settings, and universities.

Ensure that your name and information are included with the items.

During events, ask attendees to submit photos on your website and social media platforms. On an ongoing basis, collect and redistribute photos of members wearing developing honor society apparel such as pins, honor cords, T-shirts, badge reels, and buttons.

Create and distribute press releases.

Sample topics include induction, fundraising contributions, international recognition, and awards.

Many sample press releases are available on the “Start a Chapter” webpages.

Distribute relief kits for students during exam week. These could include study tips, healthy snacks, stress-relief balls, and more. Ensure that a message from your honor society name and contact information are included Hang posters and banners on campus and in clinical settings.

This is a great way to get information in front of large volumes of people.

Have a “Show Your Pride Day” and ask members to wear their badge reels, pins, and other apparel in their workplaces.

Have the Publicity Committee create and utilize hashtags on social media sites, such as Twitter and Facebook, for events and activities. Hashtags create hyperlinks, so followers can click to see who else is participating in the same event.

Example: If Honor Society ABC had a Membership Appreciation Event, the hashtag could be #HonorSocietyABCDay. Members could use that hashtag online to find other members who are also celebrating.

Find additional information about using social media in the next section: “Tools for Effective Publicity Efforts.”

Sponsor a community-wide activity for young children, such as a coloring or poem-writing contest. Children could acknowledge their favorite nurse, a famous nurse, or a family member who is a nurse. The drawings or poems could be displayed in local schools, hospitals, and nursing homes. A similar activity could be created for adults who are interested in submitting artwork, photography, or poems.

Johnson & Johnson has free coloring books printed in English and Spanish, which you can print and use. Visit www.discovernursing.com, to download these free materials.

Your developing honor society will not be able to use the STTI name and logo until you charter as a chapter.

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Tools for Effective Publicity Efforts

To try to increase the success of PHASE 1: MAKE A N I N T RO D U C T I O N

publicity

FREE SAMPLES ON THE “START A CHAPTER” WEBSITE

activities,

www.nursingsociety.org à Start a Chapter à Phase 2 The majority of the resources and information available to assist your developing honor society can be found on the “Start a Chapter” webpages on STTI’s website. For recruiting new members, click on “Phase 2” and then “Preparing Communications & Promoting the Honor Society.”

consider utilizing the tools in this section.

Ú Resources are added continually to the website. Be sure to check back often as you work through each phase of chapter development.

Feel free to edit content to meet your group’s needs. If you have additional items or templates that you have found helpful as you work toward chapter status, please share them with STTI staff.

Available resrouces and templates include:

• Press release templates • Prospective-member PowerPoint presentation • Promotional flier • Eligible-candidate invitation to informational meeting • Undergraduate informational meeting flier • Icebreaker suggestions • Getting-to-know-you activity • And more!

As you work your way into Phase 3: Operation as a Developing Honor Socety, you will find many additional resources to help your group induct members into your honor society.

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SOCIAL MEDIA Social media platforms continue to grow in popularity, so you need to have a virtual presence! Check out the following 2013 social media statistics from Digital Buzz.

These

SOCIAL MEDIA USERS:

infographics

1.15 BILLION + : FACEBOOK

show us that

500 MILLION + : TWITTER

social media

238 MILLION + :

platforms are

130M + :

not a passing trend.

LINKEDIN

INSTAGRAM Around 46% of Web users turn to social media for making purchases.

4.2 billion people use a media device to access social media sites.

Social media generates almost double the marketing leads of trade shows, telemarketing, or daily mail.

More than 23% of marketers are investing in blogging and social media.

Women check out a brand’s social page more often than men.

60% of consumers say the integration of social media makes them more likely to share products and services.

There should be at least one person on your Publicity Committee who is willing to invest the time to learn and use these tools.

Ú Like these statistics?

Visit http://www.digitalbuzzblog.com/infographic-social-media-stats-2013/ to read more!

The Publicity Committee should be responsible for posting recruitment messages, member success stories, upcoming events, and other items for developing honor society awareness on social media sites.

Do not set up more social media sites than can be managed. Outdated online content can damage your brand and give potential members a false perception. Ensure that each site has at least one person dedicated to keeping it up to date.

Reference “STTI’s Social Media Tips,” which you can find online, before starting your online activities or to update your platforms to be in compliance with the listed expectations.

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HOSTED WEBSITES — ONCE YOU CHARTER http://chaptername.nursingsociety.org

PHASE 1: MAKE A N I N T RO D U C T I O N

Once you become a chapter, you’ll have a free website hosted by The Circle. Some of the site content is open to the public, including the home page, “Chapter Leaders” section, and “About Us” section. These areas should be populated so that the website can be used for recruitment and publicity efforts.

Ú The chapter should refer to its website in all communications — including those for members

and nonmembers. For example, if Beta Mu Chapter won a community award, it could post information on its website in the “About Us” area and submit a press release to local newspapers, directing readers to http://betamu.nursingsociety.org for more information.

The chapter could also post about the award in the discussion forum so that members would be aware.

Administrative changes can be made to the navigation and Web pages. All individuals listed on the “Chapter Leaders” page of your website have administrative access throughout the site. This means that the webmaster can ask those individuals to sign in and contribute content so that there is a different name and picture for every posting. To add leaders who have site access, sign in to the Management System at www.nursingsociety.org/chapters and click “Add Individual” in the Officer and Committee Chair Report.

There are additional training tools in the “Webmaster” folder of the All Chapter Officers workgroup, and webcast opportunities are listed in the community calendar. You’ll have access to these as an STTI chapter leader.

NEXT STEPS ÚÚÚÚÚÚÚÚÚ

Ask the board to appoint volunteers to learn and utilize the tools for effective publicity efforts so that the group can create awareness.

Once you have introduced yourself and created awareness in the community, it is time for Phase 2: Recruit New Members. You will get to know potential candidates by forming relationships and engaging them in a specific way.

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Phase 2: Recruit New Members Recruitment is the process of attracting, selecting, and orienting qualified candidates.

The goal is to have well-educated candidates who are likely to accept invitations to join and become long-term honor society members. Members are the reason why organizations such as STTI exist, so inducting and keeping members truly engaged early in the relationship is critical for honor society and chapter survival.

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Recruitment isn’t exclusive to your honor society; there are recruiters for sports teams, hospitals and other professional workplaces, fraternal organizations, specialty nursing organizations, and many more groups. While you may not think you are a direct competitor with these different groups, you are competing for a candidate’s attention, time, and money, so your honor society needs to be well prepared to invest time and energy into the recruitment process.

Recruitment does not start when you send an invitation to eligible candidates. This process needs to start well before candidates are eligible to join.

Not all members meet the membership criteria at first, but this does not mean that they should be excluded from future consideration or feel that they should stop trying.

This section of the guide will provide suggestions about how your honor society can build relationships with potential members.

Almost 33 percent of active STTI members indicated that they did not know about their local chapter until they received an invitation to join.

Strong recruitment efforts will ensure that candidates know who you are well before the invitation is delivered.

A Developing Honor Society’s Guide to Successful Recruitment

P H A S E 2 : R E C RU I T NEW MEMBERS

Some groups are worried about spending time and energy on recruiting student candidates because the student-membership criteria are based almost completely on academic success. However, not recruiting students early damages the group because students need to know what goals to strive for in order to be invited. If they are unable to meet the criteria as students, that doesn’t mean that they won’t become great nurses after graduation. In fact, they might be able to join in a few years as nurse leaders. Or once you become a chapter, you may decide to take advantage of a student-eligibility exception clause to induct those candidates who are loyal to the chapter and eager to get involved but just missed the 35 percent cutoff or completion of the required curriculum.

DID YOU KNOW?

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Creating a Welcoming Environment For individuals to feel comfortable connecting with your group, strive to create a hospitable atmosphere — both virtually and in person. A welcoming environment:

• Is full of enthusiasm, respect, and positive energy.

Strive to create a

• Supports working together and building rapport with one another.

hospitable

• Encourages questions and feedback.

atmosphere.

• Discourages intimidation.

To create a friendly setting at in-person events and activities, you should have a Welcoming Team, as mentioned in the “Creating Advocates Among Active Members” section. This group comprising active members and volunteers will seek out first-time attendees and nonmembers and be their main point of contact during events. The team member should introduce the individual to other attendees and members, answer questions, and make the person feel comfortable.

Your honor society can also have a Welcoming Team during virtual events, which are conducted using online software such as GoToWebinar or Skype. In such settings, the group could chat with or message attendees before the event starts. The goal is the same in virtual environments as it is at in-person environments: to locate first-time attendees and nonmembers and establish a rapport with them.

Your honor society can also create a welcoming virtual environment using its website. Ensure that it features up-to-date content including leader profiles and where to go for more information.

Developing honor societies with pleasant environments have an easier time establishing relationships with potential members and community partners. This leads to greater awareness, higher acceptance rates, and a better overall membership experience. Everyone wants to beling to an organization where he or she feels valued and welcome.

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Hosting Successful Recruitment Events You can develop relationships with potential members by hosting recruitment events and adapting certain member events to include an element of recruitment. These dual-purpose occasions will allow your honor society to engage current members and form relationships with potential members.

Before your chapter recruitment event, refer to the following documents found on the “Start a Chapter” webpages.

Print and utilize the “Recruitment Event Checklist” to ensure that your event is successful from the planning phase through to completion.

2. Download and adapt the “Answers to Frequently Asked Questions” document to prepare members and chapter volunteers to address membership questions that might arise.

3. Ensure that members are familiar with your value proposition and know how to speak about what the developing honor society offers.

4. Develop brochures that contain membership criteria and information about your developing honor society and STTI. This includes the “What is the Honor Society of Nursing?” brochure, available by contacting STTI. These handouts should be available at all recruitment events.

A Developing Honor Society’s Guide to Successful Recruitment

P H A S E 2 : R E C RU I T NEW MEMBERS

1.

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Recruitment Event Examples Consider how your honor society could adapt the following ideas to meet its needs, which audience — student, nurse leader, or both — you aim to recruit, and what location is convenient for that audience.

Students might be more comfortable on campus, but nurse leaders may be more comfortable in a clinical or community setting.

Roles and expectations should be established for volunteers for each recruitment activity. Should they keep a list of names and contact information for people they’ve communicated with or will they add this information to a bigger overall list? Where will volunteers go for help in answering questions about membership? If volunteers are comfortable with the expectations set, they will be better advocates for creating the welcoming environment at each event.

Not all of the following suggestions will meet the needs of every developing honor society. Please adapt these suggestions to meet your group’s needs.

MEET AND GREET

• Invite guests to spend a few moments chatting with established members in a relatively informal

TIP FOR VIRTUAL PROGRAMS Many of these events could be conducted electronically through a program like GoToWebinar or Skype.

atmosphere. You could provide light appetizers and beverages and ask members to share their positive membership experiences with attendees.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TRAINING

• Prepare events that offer skill development, such as how to interview, crafting résumés, etc. By opening up these trainings to nonmembers, your honor society can demonstrate its value to students and nurse leaders.

STUDY SESSIONS

• Similar to the professional development training, study sessions deliver educational value to

students before they are inducted. Ask established members to serve as study-session leads, and they can add that skill to their résumé.

FUNDRAISERS

• This could be something simple (e.g., selling the purple “Support Nurses” magnets available online) or a complex, long-term activity such as establishing a giving circle. Fundraisers are great for recruitment because honor society’s have to explain who they are and express their value to the community to convey to the community why they are worthy of support.

• Before organizing a fundraiser, check local state laws with the appropriate agency, such as the Secretary of State or State Attorney General’s office, to see what is permissible.

FOUNDERS’ DAY CELEBRATION

• STTI is more than 90 years old! Once you become a chapter, this milestone — 5 October

each year — is a great chance to celebrate the historical significance of STTI while forming relationships with potential and current members. There are many ways for chapter leaders to celebrate Founders’ Day; you can find them in the All Chapter Officers workgroup library.

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INTERNATIONAL NURSES DAY

• International Nurses Day — 12 May — is the perfect reason to get exposure at as many community

settings as possible; almost everyone knows a nurse! Use this time to make the public aware of what your honor society is doing to support the profession. Suggested activities include:

• Hosting a spa party, luncheon, dinner, or some other celebration for nurses in the community.

• Organizing a candlelight vigil on International Nurses Day in honor of the hard work and commitment of millions of nurses around the world.

May International Nurses Day 12 May

• Displaying a customized display or banner, which should include your name and contact information.

• Sending your local newspaper a press release with members’ names and congratulating them on their contributions to nursing.

• Ask members to take a friend who is either not a member or whose membership has lapsed to an

event where that person will get to network with current members and nurse leaders. These opportunities serve a dual purpose: recruitment and retention. They allow nonmembers to see the value in active membership, and they allow current members to have a fun time networking with friends and colleagues.

• To incentivize members to participate, you could raffle off great items such as apparel and books,

P H A S E 2 : R E C RU I T NEW MEMBERS

REFER-A-FRIEND EVENT

gift cards to local restaurants, or monetary prizes.

• You could raffle off a year of paid membership to an inactive member who recommits to your honor society or to a nonmember who meets the criteria and is able to be inducted.

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We Had a Recruitment Event — Now What?

Ask the volunteers to gather to complete follow-up tasks.

• Do an informal evaluation as a group. What worked well? Is there anything that should be changed?

• Assign post-event responsibilities such as: • Sending thank you notes to attendees, including special messages to anyone who brought a friend.

It is important to reach out to members and attendees of honor society functions because recognition of their time is an important component of building a relationship.

• Post a new discussion on your website or social media platform so that members who were unable to attend can share in the knowledge and excitement while it is still fresh in everyone’s mind.

• Send messages to invited guests who were not present at the event to let them know they were missed. It may take a few invitations and follow-up messages for someone to understand your value — so don’t give up because someone doesn’t attend one event.

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NEXT STEPS ÚÚÚÚÚÚÚÚÚ

Now that you have connected with the community and potential members, it is time to identify eligible candidates for membership!

It is the counselor’s responsibility to utilize the membership criteria in the Honor Society bylaws to determine candidates. A copy of the current criteria is available online. Please remember that bylaws changes are voted on at every biennial convention, so the criteria could change. Check the year at the top to make sure your honor society is using the correct bylaws.

There are exception clauses that honor societies can use to invite additional student candidates.

One of the undergraduate-student exception clauses — High Achieving Cohort — allows the chapter to induct every undergraduate nursing student with a GPA exceeding 3.5, regardless of whether or not he or she is in the top 35 percent of the class. This clause would be employed only if the chapter were able to increase the number of inductees it invited.

P H A S E 2 : R E C RU I T NEW MEMBERS

Your Governance Committee has the discretion to use one of the STTI exception clauses to invite additional student candidates for membership. These clauses enable the group to invite as many candidates as possible.

DID YOU KNOW?

There are four undergraduate-student clauses and two graduate-student clauses. To read the guidelines, download the “Membership Exception Clause Guidelines” document from the website.

Compile your list of candidates, and ask volunteers to identify anyone they have a relationship with who is not on the list. It is important that ineligible individuals receive personal notes letting them know that they will not receive an invitation for the next induction but that you hope they’ll continue forming their relationship with the group.

The developing honor society should continue to build relationships with ineligble members and other nonmembers as they aim to meet the eligibility criteria.

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Phase 3: Induction It is time to issue candidates’ induction invitations. This is a special time for the candidate because your group is embracing this individual who has dedicated his or her time and energy to obtaining an invitation. This is also a special time for the honor society because new members bring new enthusiasm and energy into the group.

The honor society needs to determine the type of ceremony it will plan.

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What Is Induction and Why Is It Important?

During the induction ceremony, candidates become members of your honor society, and once you charter, they are also invited to become STTI members.

Induction is often emotional for candidates. It proves that all of their hard work and dedication has paid off. Induction is a continuation of the relationship building between the candidate and your group.

Ú When the candidate is emotionally inspired during the induction phase of the Membership Life Cycle, he or she is more likely to get involved in activities — and therefore more likely to renew his or her membership and continue through the cycle.

A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE: THE FIRST INDUCTION STTI began at the Indiana University Training School for Nurses. World War I had ended, and the Roaring ’20s — a decade of change and innovation — was in progress.

PHASE 3: INDUCTION

Six nursing students who were interested in creating a sorority that recognized and encouraged scholarship and high achievement approached the school for permission. Upon approval, these founders chose the name “Sigma Theta Tau” for the words in the Greek language meaning “love,” “courage,” and “honor.” They believed that these were the enduring values that were at the root of the nursing profession.

The first induction ceremony — for the STTI Alpha Chapter — was held on 16 October 1922. Dressed in long Grecian robes with ribbons of orchid and fuchsia, the initiates listened as they were read the “code of morals” and recited the Florence Nightingale Pledge by candlelight, extolling the honor society’s virtues of love, courage, and honor. To inaugurate the STTI secret ritual, the founders signed a ledger with their given names and their Greek names, and they completed a secret handshake.

These six nursing students developed the first induction ceremony in 1922.

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HOW CAN YOUR DEVELOPING HONOR SOCIETY MARRY THE PAST AND PRESENT OF STTI? Download the “Induction Ceremony

Today there are more than 500 STTI chapters at institutions of higher education around the world.

Although inductees no longer wear Grecian robes, elements of that first ceremony are still incorporated into the induction. Although you are not yet chartered, there are many resources available to help you:

Checklist” on the website for additional ceremony considerations.

• Induction Script and Slides — The recently updated PowerPoint template and script are available on the “Start a Chapter” page of the website. Adapt the content to include developing honor society-specific details.

• Induction Program Template — The All Chapter Officers workgroup includes a program template that your chapter can use to visually relate the sequence of events at your ceremony.

• Member Certificate — Create customized certificates to commemorate this monumental occasion.

Many members will frame and display their documents with pride.

• Signature Book — Much like the ledger at the first induction, your group can create a ledger for candidates to sign. When you charter, you will receive an official STTI signature book.

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Before the Ceremony: Prospective-Member Meeting While the counselor and volunteers are planning the upcoming ceremony, your developing honor society should plan a Prospective-Member Meeting prior to induction.

This meeting, for eligible candidates, is an important opportunity to make your group shine and build excitement for induction. It also allows future members to ask questions and have a full understanding of what to expect from the ceremony and membership.

BEFORE THE MEETING To plan the Prospective-Member Meeting, the board should print and use the “Prospective-Member Meeting Checklist,” which is on the website. This list asks volunteers to work together to establish tasks, deadlines, and assigned responsibilities.

There are additional event-planning details on the “Start a Chapter” section of the website.

PHASE 3: INDUCTION

DURING THE MEETING To start the meeting, consider conducting an icebreaker or “getting to know you” activity so that candidates are less intimidated and feel comfortable participating.

Once everyone is settled in, a volunteer should facilitate a conversation about membership and expectations of the upcoming induction. Candidates will be unsure of what to expect and rely on members for this information. It is important to establish clear expectations of the induction and the membership experience and to follow through on those commitments. To facilitate this conversation, use the following questions as a framework.

Membership Expectations

• What are the benefits and features specific to your honor society? (What will members enjoy once they become active?)

• What is your expectation of members’ involvement after they are inducted?

Induction Expectations Invitation

• When will the invitation be delivered?

• How do individuals accept their invitation, and what is the deadline?

• What if the invitation doesn’t make it into a prospective member’s inbox?

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Ceremony

• Is the ceremony in person or virtual?

• Is there a dress code?

• Can inductees bring guests? How many?

• Will there be formal recognition? (Will inductees walk across a stage, have their photo taken, etc.?)

• Will current members be present and involved in the ceremony in some way or is this just for candidates?

Financial

• What is the membership cost for new members?

• Is that different from the annual renewal fee?

• What financial assistance is available to members?

• Is there a ceremony or guest fee? If so, how much is it?

AFTER THE MEETING Set aside time to see if there are additional questions about membership or the upcoming ceremony and announce that one-on-one questions will be accepted after the meeting has concluded. Candidates might have questions they do not feel comfortable asking in a meeting setting.

Remember to print and utilize the “Prospective-Member Meeting Checklist,” located online, to find in-depth details for planning this Prospective-Member Meeting and assigning responsibilities to volunteers.

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Invitations to Join Invitations to candidates are issued by the developing honor society via mail or email.

The invitation should reiterate to candidates why they should become members of your group. An invitation template is provided online, but you are encouraged to adapt the language to make it specific to your honor society.

It is important to follow up with candidates because it ensures that they know the invitations have been delivered and adds a personal touch. Invitations can miss candidates’ inboxes for two reasons.

1. Their email addresses are incorrect.

2. The message is blocked as spam. This is more likely if candidates have addresses ending in “.edu”; universities have strict spam filters.

You can follow up through a personal email account (Yahoo, Outlook, Google, etc.) or over the telephone. A sample telephone script and email message template areavailable online. Ensure that volunteers make contact in a timely manner.

Once all candidates have been notified and invited, send periodic reminder messages to those who have not accepted or paid. These messages should remind candidates of the importance of accepting by the listed date and provide detailed contact information in case they have questions or concerns.

PHASE 3: INDUCTION A Developing Honor Society’s Guide to Successful Recruitment

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The Induction Ceremony Download the “Induction

Current statistics indicate that half of your honor society’s inductees will not renew. This is usually because they are not fully aware of what you have to offer and that membership extends past the induction ceremony. Your events can be hugely beneficial in ensuring that this is not the case. The induction ceremony is a perfect opportunity to encourage candidates to get involved right away so that the relationship built during recruitment doesn’t weaken.

Ceremony Checklist” for an in-depth overview of all considerations for this momentous event.

WHAT DOES A TYPICAL INDUCTION CEREMONY LOOK LIKE? While it will vary slightly by group, the ultimate goal of the ceremony is to celebrate candidates’ achievements, explain STTI’s rich history, and stress to inductees that this is just the beginning of their membership. Through lifelong involvement in your group and then STTI, many opportunities will arise at the local, regional, and international levels.

If your ceremony will take place virtually, the board must consider how to create the same emotional connection and sentiment that would occur during an in-person event.

TIP FOR VIRTUAL INDUCTIONS Have candidates sign in to the virtual platform a few minutes early so that leaders can chat with them and answer questions they might have before they are inducted.

You can also include photos of the inductees during the presentation to create a personal connection.

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Because participating in chapter activities often conflicts with personal time, it is important for inductees’ family members, friends, and other guests to know about your honor society and STTI and understand the responsibilities and benefits of membership. Share opportunities for family involvement with candidates and members.

Be sure to let your honor society’s members know that they are being inducted into the developing honor society only, not STTI. Once your developing honor society has submitted a chapter charter application and is approved, honor society members will be invited to join STTI and the new chapter.

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AFTER THE CEREMONY Capitalize on the excitement your new members feel by immediately asking them to attend the newmember orientation session and other upcoming activities and opportunities for involvement. Phase 4 of this guide provides information about new-member orientation.

Submit a press release to local media sources that lists your new inductees and mentions why they were invited to join. Post a new discussion forum on your website or social media platform inviting all members to welcome the newly inducted.

Contact candidates who did not accept the invitation to join. This personalized message could include a simple survey asking them why they did not accept and asking them to reconsider

NEXT STEPS ÚÚÚÚÚÚÚÚÚ

Orient new members so that they become actively involved and form personal, long-lasting relationships with fellow members.

A Developing Honor Society’s Guide to Successful Recruitment

PHASE 3: INDUCTION

Conduct a brief survey of your newly inducted members to determine their membership expectations and identify unanswered questions they have. The surveys can help you determine how the inductees should be oriented to the honor society experience.

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Phase 4: Orientation This phase will set a positive tone for moving on to the “Involvement” section of the Membership Life Cycle.

New members fit into three classifications.

1. Those who have been recently inducted.

2. STTI members who have recently transferred into the area and joined your honor society.

3. Those who have been reinstated after a period of inactivity.

Transfer members and reinstated members aren’t new in the same sense as recent inductees, but they do need to be oriented to your honor society and the benefits and value it offers at a local level.

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Before the Orientation Obtain the full list of who you are orienting from the honor society leader(s) who manage the roster.

Have a volunteer

Determine what other volunteers and members will be present for the orientation. Existing members should attend so they can share their membership experiences.

set a calendar

Review the budget for this event. How much can the group spend on food, the venue, prizes, and icebreaking activities?

frequent

Determine a location that is convenient for the majority of attendees. If most are students, it might be best to have the orientation on campus. If most are transfers or reinstated and are practicing in the community, select a location such as a library, restaurant, or clinical setting.

sessions and

You might need to host multiple meetings if there are multiple membership segments. Gather the information that will be provided and presented during the orientation. This includes information specific to your benefits and STTI benefits available after you charter.

transfer or

Compile a list of upcoming events and opportunities for involvement including open board or committee positions, one-time commitments as part of subcommittees, and general volunteer roles. Not every member will be interested in becoming a leader right away, but individuals might commit to developing a social media presence, posting the next discussion on your website, or being greeters at your next chapter event as part of the Welcoming Team.

reminder to have orientation welcome new members who accept invitations later.

As you compile the information you want to present, analyze the survey results from your inductees to determine if there are additional questions or concerns you need to address during orientation.

Once you have finalized your details, the honor society can plan an orientation. This orientation could be virtual, in-person, or both. Depending on your needs, you may have several events or sessions to adequately orient members to the complete honor society experience.

PHASE 4: O R I E N TAT I O N A Developing Honor Society’s Guide to Successful Recruitment

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The Orientation DID YOU KNOW? Fifty percent of new members do not renew into a second year.

Orientation is a crucial time to engage those members before they are lost.

The event should occur shortly after the induction ceremony, but members should still have enough time to prepare or take off work.

Start by having a volunteer facilitate an icebreaker to relax the group and ease the initial tension, restraint, or awkwardness. For a sample orientation activity, download the “Getting to Know You” document from the website. After the icebreaker, explain what to expect and take advantage of as an active member. Following is information to share with new inductees.

What does it mean to be active?

• New members might have overlooked the fact that membership requires an annual renewal to remain active and take advantage of member benefits.

• Challenge members to create their own experience by explaining to them the opportunities for

engagement, including upcoming events and activities and volunteer roles, and letting them choose how they want to participate. Consider having a sign-up sheet available so you can match members with opportunities in an environment where they feel comfortable asking questions and contributing.

Honor Society and Board of Directors Structure

• Explain who is on the board, how members are elected, and the kind of work they achieve as a team.

Ask board members who are present to introduce themselves and talk more about their roles and what they have gained in professional development.

• You can also describe your committees, task forces, and other volunteer groups and present any

vacancies. Be sure to explain time commitments and expectations, and have a mechanism to allow orientees to sign up. It might be easier for new members to commit to smaller tasks, such as helping with the next new-member orientation or making welcome calls to the new inductees, than it would be to take a leader position. Provide as many opportunities for involvement as possible.

• Explain the difference between an honor society and an STTI chapter, and how you are working through the process.

Give Gifts • Some groups purchase small gifts to give inductees during new-member orientation. Not only are these a nice gesture, but they can also create more awareness within the community if they can be displayed. These tokens could include static stickers, badge reels, or other items specific to your honor society.

Free Glimpse of STTI Benefits

TIP FOR VIRTUAL ORIENTATIONS Ask attendees to open a new browser and follow along with your demonstrations.

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• The STTI website provides a free glimpse of several of the STTI resources that are available to all active STTI members. This includes select articles from Reflections on Nursing Leadership, Journal of Nursing Scholarship, Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, and CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.

There is also access to the STTIconnect newsletter, and links to free continuing nursing education courses. You can find the link to these resources in the “Start a Chapter” section of the website, under Phase 2, Member Benefits.

End the new-member orientation by answering any additional questions from new members, recapping volunteer opportunities that have been assigned and those that are still available, and providing an invitation to the next scheduled event. Be sure to thank your new members for their time and membership!

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After the Orientation Ask volunteers who assisted with planning and delivering the new-member orientation to gather to complete follow-up tasks.

• Do an informal evaluation. What worked well? What should be changed for the next orientation?

• Send thank you notes to attendees, including special messages to anyone who signed up for volunteer opportunities.

• Send personalized messages to members who were unable to attend the new-member orientation to let them know they were missed and encourage them to attend an orientation event in the near future. Be sure to include a list of the upcoming events and who they can contact for more information.

• Post a new discussion on your website or social media platform so that established members have an opportunity to welcome new members.

• Divide tasks to prepare for the next new-member orientation, such as picking a location that is convenient for new members.

For additional event-planning resources, visit the “Start a Chapter” section of the website.

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NEXT STEPS ÚÚÚÚÚÚÚÚ

If you have successfully recruited and inducted new members, they are well on their way to the next stages of the Membership Life Cycle: Involvement and Renewal. These stages require leaders to focus on retention, which is the act of maintaining happy, active members.

Retention resources will be delivered to leaders and posted online as they become available. Be sure to sign up for upcoming Developing Honor Society webinars as well..

Thank you for serving as a dedicated volunteer!

We appreciate your time and service.

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Sigma Theta Tau International

550 W. North St. Indianapolis, IN 46202 USA 888.634.7575 (U.S./Canada Toll-Free) +1.317.634.8171 (International)

chapserv@stti.org www.nursingsociety.org/Chapters