RECRUITMENT STRATEGIES AND TOOLS FOR ADULT CHOIRS

It is vitally important for choirs to recruit new singers on an ongoing basis to keep our organizations alive and thriving!  Potential recruits need to know about your choir and want to join it.  Here are some ideas for how to make this happen so that you can continue to replenish and revitalize your organization.

WHAT CAN THE CHOIR ADMINISTRATION DO?

(Music Director & Board members)

ACTIVITIES:

• Partner with a local high school – sing a song or two at each others’ concerts to broaden your audience base
• Community flash mob – sing a song at food courts, farmer’s market, downtown corner, anywhere a crowd gathers and have flyers to hand out to on-lookers
• Organize a Parade of Choirs/Choirs in the round/Choral Music of local choirs where each sings 2 songs then a mass piece
• Get choir swag made for members to wear
• Do Outreach Concerts – retirement homes, Remembrance Day, etc.
• Hold a rehearsal in a retirement home close to concert time
• Put on a mini-concert in a retirement home on the night of the choir’s AGM in return for meeting space 
• Go on a mini-tour
• Hold a post- or mid-concert reception where singers and director mingle with audience members
• Encourage churches where a choir performs to organize a simple reception in the intermission (proceeds go to the church).
• Have themed concerts that tie in with other community groups, perhaps a portion of concert proceeds benefitting local charity
• Be open to opportunities and think outside the box (e.g. sing in a pub)

PROMOTION

• Co-ordinate with Fine Arts lead teachers in your school district to distribute information about choirs to local teachers 
• Create YouTube posts of snippets (avoiding copyright infringement) of your choir performances – no YouTube ads allowed on these
• Post on Face book and Instagram
• Create press releases 
• Create eye-catching posters (www.canva.com is a great free tool)
• Attend retirement seminars and present the benefits of singing in a choir (document being prepared by BCCF Advocacy Committee)
• Create promotional e-mails & posters for members to send to personal contacts
• Find out where the on-line Free Ad Listings, Community Calendar postings are in your community and use them to announce term start-up and performances
• Post on local news websites
• Contact your local radio station/television station and send someone from your choir to be interviewed on the air

WHAT CAN INDIVIDUAL CHORISTERS DO?

ACTIVITIES:

• “Bring a Friend to Choir” Night
• “Refer a Friend” and receive a membership fee discount
• Tell your local radio station what you’re up to and arrange for a few choristers to go in and chat and sing a song on the air
• Go caroling at Christmas (or other seasonal singing, ie Valentine’s Day) and display/carry signs with your choir’s name
• Go for a social time after rehearsal

PROMOTION

• Find or create Community Music Face book groups and pages
• Develop a short “elevator speech” about your choir that all choristers (and the director) learn for consistent messaging when talking to people in the community about your choir
• Use Advocacy Statements (document is being created by the BCCF Advocacy Committee)