As a new season of gardening is beginning this fall, so, too, is a new season of garden club activities. The first few meetings are the best opportunities garden clubs have to attract new members. How do you do this?
Some ideas include:
- Place an article in your local newspaper giving the time, location, place and program of your meeting each month. Most papers have a spot for local events/activities where your information can go.
- Place a tri-fold and hand-outs in your local libraries giving information about your club and a hand-out giving the schedule of meetings and speakers, and any other pertinent information.
- Have a contest that can be publicized in the newspaper to inform the public about your club. The contest can be growing the largest vegetable, the prettiest rose, the smallest vegetable (for black thumb gardeners) or any other contest your club wants to sponsor. A money prize is always a good incentive for people to enter.
- Have a raffle and publicize it in the newspaper and on the radio. You can get donations from local businesses to raffle.
- Have your club members visit local organizations, such as Rotary organizations or church groups, and explain what your club does and hand out informational sheets.
- Offer free starts of vegetables or plants to the public. Often local businesses will let you set up in front of their business to hand them out. Give the public an informational sheet about your club along with the plant.
- Donate a tree for Arbor Day or to a Habitat for Humanity Home and have your local newspaper cover the planting.
Now is the season to plan activities that will attract new members and give your garden club publicity so your community knows what you do, when you meet, and that you want new members.
If your garden club has done something to attract new members that was successful, please share in a blog. Send 1-5 photos, and name of photographer to azgardenblog@gmail.com. We are a community of people who enjoy gardening and sharing our ideas with others. And blogs are a great way to share!
Photo 1 Karen Bowen
Participating in activities sponsored by your city, such as a home and garden show, is an opportunity to publicize what your garden club does and invite the public to join.
Photo 2 Karen Bowen
Tri-folds and displays can be set up at local libraries to let the public know about your club.
Photo 3 Karen Bowen
Donating a tree for Arbor Day or to a Habitat for Humanity home is a good way to get information about your club in the newspaper.