1. Arkansas Forestry
Membership Recruitment Strategy
AFA Spring Board Meeting
May 11, 2012

2. The Goal
The Arkansas Forestry Association will create a culture
that incorporates membership recruitment into all possible
association meetings, communication vehicles, association
activities and public outreach efforts. The culture will allow
AFA members to take an active role in growing the
membership on an ongoing basis.

3. Priority Membership Targets
• Current AFA Members
• Large landowner, manufacturing and corporate members
• Individual Private Landowners
• Related Industries
• Tree Farm members
• Young landowners, foresters, member employees
• Environmental Educators

4. Tools and Strategies
Current Membership
Strategy – Utilize frequent, consistent communication to educate, encourage and
equip current members to make membership recruitment part of their commitment
to AFA
•Incorporate membership into all AFA meetings and activities
•Reform an active AFA Membership Committee
•Utilize targeted – heavy communication, followed by on-going communications efforts to
share the plan with current members
•Create a Tag Line for membership focus/recruitment
•Conduct a membership survey to understand needs, interests and services
•Conduct 2-3 regional membership meetings annually – members bring non-member

5. Tools and Strategies
Large Landowner, Manufacturing, Corporate Members
Strategy - Capitalize on relationships to identify high priority
membership targets
•Ask member companies to identify and/or contact key vendors, suppliers and
customers
•Acquire and utilize landowner lists from private vendors, tax records, federal cost
share programs, stewardship programs
•Consider using a dedicated membership recruiter to identify and contact potential
members (needs further discussion)

6. Tools and Strategies
Individual Landowners
Strategy – Demonstrate the value of membership and use landowner databases
to identify potential members
•Acquire and utilize various landowner databases/lists to identify potential members
•Grow the landowner public outreach and education program with emphasis on adding
quality workshops – incorporate membership into all AFA-sponsored workshops
•Use regional meetings as a venue to attract non-member landowners
•Consider new membership options and continue current timber deed discount
•Develop a landowner recognition program to reward a high level of involvement in AFA or
related natural resource organizations (NFD)
•Consider the formation of county or regional landowner organizations (NFD)

7. Tools and Strategies
Tree Farm Members
Strategy - Utilize the spring audit to reach out to TF members using a variety of
tools. Work directly with AFF to understand their future direction for the program.
•Use the Tree Farm participant list and audit to target members
•Request AFA membership for all Tree Farm Inspectors/Committee members
•Provide incentives where appropriate for inspectors to sign up AFA members
•Explore requiring AFA membership in order to complete Tree Farm inspections (Needs
further discussion and clarification from AFF)
•Sponsor annual Tree Farm meeting or activity to draw both members and non-members to
a venue (NFD)

8. Tools and Strategies
Related Businesses
Strategy – Identify and capitalize on relationships that exist within our community
to target related businesses and organizations that would benefit from AFA
membership
•Ask members to utilize tools such as bill stuffers or make direct contacts with their related
business partners
•Use AFA committees (Membership) to create a contact list of as many related businesses
as possible
•Utilize AFA staff, member company representatives, and CEO contacts to reach related
businesses
•Utilize the Manufacturers Directory to identify potential members

9. Tools and Strategies
Environmental Educators
Strategy – Capitalize on the relationships and database already established to
encourage educators to join AFA. Continue to develop tools that they can use in
the classroom to provide value.
•Create/Offer a discounted Environmental Educator membership
•Use the Environmental Educator database to make contacts
•Provide membership opportunities at all PLT workshops
•Capture the specific tools available to educators and continue to develop additional
resources for them

10. Tools and Strategies
Young landowners, foresters & member company employees
Strategy – Create new tools, programs, activities and strategies that appeal to a
younger demographic
•Develop a young member leadership program
•Create a young member category at a reduced or introductory dues rate
•Encourage corporate landowner & manufacturing members to promote (target and pay)
AFA membership for its young leaders
•Develop more web-based resources for young members
•Continue to enhance AFA’s social media tools
•Create special events that target the blogging community

11. Challenges to membership growth
• Not everyone believes AFA membership is important
• Members have other business priorities that take precedence over AFA
• No broad marketing plan exists to promote the association
• Landowners hard to contact/entice – not all landowners have e-mail or are willing to provide
• Young people not as involved in the association
• The timber and forest products community is large, diverse and difficult to mobilize (unless there is
a crisis)
• Companies are less inclined to pay memberships and “encourage” joining
• Tool Kit – difficult to identify and implement tools that will really work
• No one person is specifically focused on membership recruitment within AFA
• Need to survey members and those attending meetings/workshops to determine their value
drivers

12. Questions
arkforests.org
facebook.com/arkforests
Twitter @arkforests