floatdude Posted March 7, 2010 Share Posted March 7, 2010 Hi to everyone. I'm staring a small (indoor) drum corps (SDCA type ) all age, and in need of any good ideas when it comes to recruiting, what works ? Now I have heard getting good instructors and they bring in the recruits (members) but staff is sometimes to busy with other things ? Or go to marching band shows, indoor drumline show and such, recruiting there, but what are some other ways ? Word of mouth a must. What has work for your corps in the past that got the members into your drum corps? any idea even if you haven't march in years, or decades. Recruiting seem to be difficult for everyone, so please post something, this could help out every corps out needing members.[/b ]I think having someone in charge of recruiting should be a must and shouldn't stop recruiting til maybe a few weeks before the last show of the season, and someone the corps can count on to do a good job. It's an important job and a lot of thought should be put into getting the right person or team doing it right. Thanks for your time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bond624 Posted March 7, 2010 Share Posted March 7, 2010 Hi to everyone.I'm staring a small (indoor) drum corps (SDCA type ) all age, and in need of any good ideas when it comes to recruiting, what works ? Now I have heard getting good instructors and they bring in the recruits (members) but staff is sometimes to busy with other things ? Or go to marching band shows, indoor drumline show and such, recruiting there, but what are some other ways ? Word of mouth a must. What has work for your corps in the past that got the members into your drum corps? any idea even if you haven't march in years, or decades. Recruiting seem to be difficult for everyone, so please post something, this could help out every corps out needing members.[/b ]I think having someone in charge of recruiting should be a must and shouldn't stop recruiting til maybe a few weeks before the last show of the season, and someone the corps can count on to do a good job. It's an important job and a lot of thought should be put into getting the right person or team doing it right. Thanks for your time. Use the internet as much as you can Facebook,myspace etc. Use the hometown Diners/Resturants. I went to a resturant in Randoplh last night and there was Fusions Flyer in the doorway Same with a Diner I went to earlier in the day. I almost Joined But the one that works the most is word of mouth a friend bringing a friend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idontwan2know Posted March 7, 2010 Share Posted March 7, 2010 1) Deliver a quality member experience. The best recruiting strategies in the world won't matter if you don't retain them by offering a quality experience. Organized rehearsals, decent equipment, quality staff, effective communication and logistical planning, etc. etc. 2) Understand what kind of corps you are trying to be and target your recruiting efforts towards the demographics that are going to be interested. Alumni corps shouldn't recruit from highly competitive high school marching bands, etc. 3) Have a good web presence, with up to date and correct information about your group. Update frequently. Your website is your face to the world and the first thing people are going to hit when they want info about your group. Have a well organized and decent looking site (less is more!), and it seems like it would go without saying but I see groups get this wrong all the time: Make sure you communicate in a professional manner. Spell check! Decent grammar! Punctuation and capitalization! Like it or not, this is the world we live in, and if you can't write a decent email, find someone who can. 4) It is better to under promise and over deliver than vice versa. The temptation in recruiting is to give people the hard sell...this will only backfire in the long run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NashvillePat Posted March 7, 2010 Share Posted March 7, 2010 we used to give scholarships to many of our kids Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smglennon Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 Win Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HighBrass09 Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 Win $1 to you sir! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-horns Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 (edited) Okay, winning isn't everything. It helps, but if there is caos behind the scenes winning will only cover up the issues. Marketing a new drum corps is much the same as opening a new business. Word of mouth is good, but if you don't "advertise" you'll be trying to push a pea uphill with your nose. Posters, etc., can be good. When people show an interest, don't over-sell. As soon as you have enough people to perform, get out there a do it. Parades, "park-n-barks", anything to show that you actually have a product. Whatever you do, don't beg. If someone says they're not interested leave them alone. If they see and hear a product, they might become more interested. Probably the most important thing is to have a realistic plan and try to stick to it. A note about staff... The best staff in the world won't help if there are no bodies in the ranks. Find instructional staff that is tuned in to the plan and understands the goals and expectations. I'm sure there are lots of horror stories out there about staff getting ahead of themselves (or full of themselves) to the long term detriment of the corps. Edited March 8, 2010 by G-horns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M&Mbozo Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 pay your membership....just kidding. new corps are always tough...partnerships with every local school, college, church, community center, YMCA, YWCA, CYO, PAL and scouts troops you can. It wont be easy, but nothing worth while ever is. good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camel lips Posted March 9, 2010 Share Posted March 9, 2010 Hold a gun to their head helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumpy Posted March 9, 2010 Share Posted March 9, 2010 I would consider "partnering" with local junior corps within shouting distance and letting their age outs know that there IS life after DCI, and they can still do it while holding down jobs and actually having a life. I was involved with an alumni corps for a time, and they decided to try to recruit from local high school bands with the primary directive being that band always came first if there was any conflict. It worked well except that it becomes a revolving door-as kids graduate and move on to college, it creates more holes that need to be filled. This was the main reason why I was not in favor of it when it was proposed, but I was out voted. That method did produce several kids who went on to march competitive DCI corps and one that even ended up with "The Commandant's Own" U.S. Marines Drum & Bugle Corps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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