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Spread the word
Your involvement and encouragement
of others will benefit us all.
by Leigh York I recently attended the Texas Association of REALTORS® Winter Meeting, and when I told other folks how my local association’s numbers are growing, they would ask me a lot of questions: “How can we get more members? How do we get more affiliate members? How can we get more members to participate? How do we get more leaders involved?”
Do you know why they are asking? It’s because they care about you. Why? We all know that the cost of doing business continually rises. It’s the same story for your association.
Now, I have a question for you: How long has it been since your dues went up? How long had it been before that? One way associations keep dues from rising is through generating non-dues income. However, non-dues income is limited for an association. Another way associations can boost income is by increasing their membership.
Your association’s board of directors doesn’t want to raise your dues, but they do want to continue providing services. Most boards are continually adding and improving services. When they can, they do so at no additional cost to you. So, the best means to accomplish this is to grow the membership.
How can you help? Get involved. Leadership learns what you need and what you want by interacting with you at the committee level. Most leaders don’t give a lot of weight to the opinion of a single person who calls only to complain. Instead, they listen closely to members who are involved—those people they’ve gotten to know.
If you are happy with your association, tell others. If not, get in there and make a difference. As the saying goes, you don’t have the right to complain if you don’t vote. In this case, your vote is your involvement.
Committee participation is just one way to take part. Many areas of Texas have large numbers of licensees who are not REALTOR® members. Call them! Make friends. Share your Texas REALTOR® magazine with them. Invite them to MCE classes. (Remember, your association may charge a slightly higher fee for non-members.) Work those agents like you would a prospect.
Affiliate membership is important as well. Of course, these people bring in additional dues income, but more importantly, they do stuff for us. When a service provider comes to you asking for your business, ask them if they are an affiliate member of your association. Tell them that many REALTORS® will look at the list of affiliate members when choosing a service provider. Affiliate dues are generally low, and it’s not a hard sell.
I don’t know about you, but I want MLS. I want a source of information about our industry. I want discounted health insurance and auto insurance. I want a network for referrals. I want a local place to buy supplies such as info tubes, REALTOR® stickers, and sign riders. I want to have a relationship with other REALTORS® outside of the transaction. I want a discount when I travel. I want a big voice politically. I want a lot, and I get a lot from my association.
Your association looks for new ways to give you more every year but doesn’t want to take more out of your pocket. Let’s keep it that way by getting involved, becoming leaders, and generating more income through growth that benefits us all.
Leigh York, CREI, NHS, is president of the Weatherford/Parker Association of REALTORS®. She is a broker associate, recruiter, trainer, and faculty member for Century 21 Judge Fite Company. You can e-mail her at leighyork@judgefite.com.
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