Recruiting

Recruiting for Intentional Communities

There are several ways that intentional communities can find new members.
 * Listings on ic.org and places like idealist.org
 * Come to a communities conference
 * Approach local sociology departments about presenting
 * organize an open house or other public event (go to festival)
 * go to temp or other job placement services
 * go to guidance councilors
 * write an article for a local paper
 * invite a local paper to come and do an article on you (or radio station, etc).

Possible Topics to Touch
Visitor programs- structured (or unstructured) ways for people to visit the community and consider membership.

What demographics would you like to recruit (ages, genders, races, class etc.) in order to balance out demographics or diversify. Putting holds on a certain demographic to balance them- for example only accepting women when there are too many men.

Recruiting a diverse range of skills and interests; recruiting people who will do the jobs that need to be done.

Recruiting for a brand new community versus an established one; for new communities, recruiting those that already have community experience.

What is our narrative for recruiting? Is it that community provides an easier life, or are we recruiting for those who are ideologically driven and coming to community to work hard to do the right thing?

How do communities deal with new member Obstacles
 * pets
 * debts esp student loans
 * kids
 * external assets
 * health care concerns/costs
 * complicated personal finance - social security, alimony, child support, inheritance, rental income, bad credit, bankruptcy, etc

Outreach

 * what signals you send to the world

Visitor Correspondence

 * what you say when people write you

CVP

 * who runs the visitor program and orients visitors

CMT

 * who makes membership decisions

Retention and Remembering

 * after you have been accepted who from the community stays in touch about your plans and obstetrical

Exit interviews

 * why do people leave?