When it comes to recruiting new or soon-to-be retired educators, says Orval Garrison, president of California Teachers Association (CTA)/NEA-Retired, persistence is where “the rubber meets the road.”
“If you make only one phone call, send one letter or email once, you will get a very poor return,” Garrison explains. “It’s not about being impolite or disrespectful. Always be cordial and informative … but always persistent.”
And it was a driving force behind CTA/NEA-Retired’s success in recruiting new members in 2019 – 2020. Their efforts earned the award for the greatest numerical membership gain, announced at NEA-Retired’s virtual 2020 Annual Meeting on June 29 and 30. Membership grew from 17,963 in 2019 to 18,491 in 2020.
Also in the winner’s circle was Education Minnesota Retired for the greatest percent gain—a 5 percent increase from 7,755 members in 2019 to 8,165 in 2020, enough to win runner-up in numerical gain as well. NEA/Federal Education Association Retired was the runner-up for greatest percentage gain.
Overall, 24 states and the District of Columbia reported membership gains in 2019.
California obviously is a huge state, but Garrison points out that CTA/NEA-Retired only accepts in its ranks educators who were previous members. “We don’t accept spouses or friends, so that narrows our target audience to some extent,” he explains.
In addition, unlike some other states, California doesn’t have automatic rollover into retired status. Retired educators have to decide to join. “So that’s why we have to ramp up our organizing efforts,” says Garrison.
Building Retired membership, Garrison explains, isn’t merely about identifying retirees and sending out one packet of information. “Our local chapters try to have engaging and interesting meetings, field trips, and recreational activities to offer prospective members.”
CTA/NEA-Retired sends members to pre-retirement and pension workshops as well as active and retired chapter meetings, where they do presentations on free member benefits and emphasize the value of joining. During the pandemic, these meetings have switched to Zoom, Webex, Cvent, and other virtual formats, Garrison reports.
In 2019, before COVID-19 struck, local chapters also sponsored field trips to sporting, cultural, and entertainment events that highlight the fun side of being a member.
“We work very hard in getting the attention of as many people as possible. When you’re persistent, they take you seriously,” said Garrison.
The continued success of Education Minnesota Retired also rests on proactive outreach campaigns. COVID-19 has required all NEA-Retired affiliates to adapt to a new and challenging environment. As
always, identifying those potential members and mailing packets is critical to the work. But Education Minnesota Retired President Julie Jagusch says, “We’ve have had to rely more on emails since there are no opportunities for face-to-face recruitment right now.
“This past spring, our governing board members all sent emails to active local presidents asking for their help in getting out information about Education Minnesota Retired to their members who were retiring. Our staff people also sent out emails to active members who were potential retirees.”
Garrison agress that virtual participation has been a challenge, but we are learning to make it work. … We’re all looking forward to normal times.”
