Engaging and Retaining Members Through Mentoring

Retaining members is a goal DKG, state organizations, and chapters all have.  One way to retain members is to have meaningful opportunities and activities in which they are actively engaged or involved.  An easy way to engage members is through mentoring.

Mentoring - the act or process of helping and guiding another person to support their personal and professional development – provides an opportunity for every member of the Society to participate. It is a great relationship-building tool.  Mentors are the “wise counselors” to others sharing wisdom gained through their experience with DKG, with the chapter, and with the profession.

In chapters, those who sponsor new members are often that person’s first mentor.  This connection can include activities such as sitting with the mentee at meetings, responding to questions, asking questions, asking them to help with something, and communicating regularly in between meetings.  It is not uncommon for this relationship to continue throughout all the years of membership.

Committee chairs should also be viewed as mentors.  They can encourage members to take on more active roles through their committee work.  Instead of the chair always giving a report at meetings or in the newsletter, giving a committee member that opportunity further engages them.  Having members serve as co-chairs not only keeps them active but helps develop leadership skills.

Chapter officers also serve as mentors to the person following in the line of succession.  Touching base on how they are doing in their role and asking what information or help they need is a great starting point.  Inviting members to think about becoming a future officer and highlighting what they can offer to the chapter as an officer is a great way to keep them engaged.

Members can mentor each other.  For example, younger educators still active in the field have a lot to share, especially related to technology.  Everyone has something to offer; mentoring is a way to share the multitude of skills we each bring to the Society.

We know the more one is engaged in the activities of the chapter and DKG, the more likely we are to retain them as members, so we should all make it a goal to engage and retain members through mentorship opportunities.  The 2022-2024 International Membership and Expansion Committee is committed to helping with your mentoring efforts.  Check out past blogs on the topic (Mentoring Makes a Difference, April 11, 2022; Creating a Good Mentoring Relationship, March 5, 2022; Mentoring:  Whose Responsibility Is It?, January 2, 2022) and ones to come on the International website and/or connect with a member of the committee.  Let’s all make a positive difference for our chapters, our state organizations, and DKG.