The Law of the Harvest: Recruit, Retain and Motivate Students in YourPrograms
The Law of the Harvest
"The underlying principle is that what you do today will lead to outcomes in the future. Much like a farmer, who must prepare the soil and plant the seeds in the spring, fertilize and water the crops all summer, to ensure a harvest in the fall. A farmer doesn’t sit around all year and then expect to have a harvest come September."~ Stephen Covey
In many fields of endeavor, there are different seasons. There is a time to plant the seeds and a time to toil in the fields. Eventually, there comes a time to harvest. In a society filled with quick-fixes, short-cuts, get-rich-quick, and a never-ending pursuit of getting more from less, we can all fall victim to this mindset. Unfortunately, anything worthwhile and meaningful requires a relentless work ethic combined with a strong base of knowledge and skills.
For music educators, one of the most important tasks we must engage in--which clearly follows the Law of the Harvest--is recruiting and retaining students into our programs. As the Law states, a farmer cannot sit around all year and then expect to have a harvest. The process of growing a program begins at the individual level and requires a relentless commitment.
Here are some recruiting models which rarely work:
The Field of Dreams: Build it and They Will Come
In the movie, Kevin Costner's character has this dream that if he builds a stadium in the middle of nowhere, the ghosts of the 1918 White Sox will appear. While a good movie, this is not a good way to build an organization. Successful organizations, often do naturally attract quality people to join the organization. Everyone loves a winner. Right? However, successful organizations can also be intimidating to many individuals. Am I good enough? "There is no way I could ever be that good." Assuming people will just want to join is partially true, but failing to understand the importance of continually connecting with people and selling your program on a personal level will limit your growth.
The Field of Dreams model fails to follow the Law of the Harvest. While you are building the Field of Dreams, which requires a lot of work, you are failing to replant enough new seeds. This model eventually dies on the vine. You will also rarely attract mid-level to lower-level talent, which can often be developed into top-tier talent with proper instruction and guidance. This process eventually reduces the number of people who will take the leap and want to join your organization. Each year, your "crop" of new members will get smaller and the level of talent will decrease while the depth of your program diminishes. This downward spiral may take years and you may not immediately notice this decline, but eventually failing to follow the Law of the Harvest will catch-up to your organization.
This process also applies to retaining students into your program. If you just expect them to continue because it is a quality organization, those mid-level and lower-level students may feel like the dream is unattainable and pursue other interests. How are you meeting the needs of all of your students? Or, Are you only teaching to the top?
"Uncle Sam Wants You!" Emails, Flyers and Posters, Oh My!
The Field of Dreams model fails to follow the Law of the Harvest. While you are building the Field of Dreams, which requires a lot of work, you are failing to replant enough new seeds. This model eventually dies on the vine. You will also rarely attract mid-level to lower-level talent, which can often be developed into top-tier talent with proper instruction and guidance. This process eventually reduces the number of people who will take the leap and want to join your organization. Each year, your "crop" of new members will get smaller and the level of talent will decrease while the depth of your program diminishes. This downward spiral may take years and you may not immediately notice this decline, but eventually failing to follow the Law of the Harvest will catch-up to your organization.
This process also applies to retaining students into your program. If you just expect them to continue because it is a quality organization, those mid-level and lower-level students may feel like the dream is unattainable and pursue other interests. How are you meeting the needs of all of your students? Or, Are you only teaching to the top?
"Uncle Sam Wants You!" Emails, Flyers and Posters, Oh My!
We have all seen the iconic poster from World War II. This was an effective and memorable marketing campaign to recruit people to support the war effort. While the country rallied to the cause, I am not sure how much this campaign actually played in the success of the war. Yet, I have seen many people simply try to rely on similar marketing approaches to encourage people to join their organizations.
Clearly, you need to develop a brand and an identity (which I discuss below), and social media has created another level of opportunities for these types of marketing strategies. Additionally, some aspect of effective recruiting requires some level of marketing of your organization. After all, we cannot join what we do not know exists.
The problem with this approach is when the effort to recruit new members relies completely on these methods. This approach is impersonal and is reliant upon a clear mission or purpose. Because we are inundated with so much digital and written communication, more of this information contributes to the white noise of information we live with each day. People rarely read long emails. Flyers are often only glanced at. A funny video may catch someone's eye, but there is a lot of stiff competition in this arena. Again, the failure to be present and make personal connections is the fatal flaw in this approach.
To extend the metaphor, this is like throwing seeds into the ground and not doing any work to cultivate those seeds. Again, the Law of the Harvest shows us that we will not succeed with a short-sighted and haphazard approach.
Clearly, you need to develop a brand and an identity (which I discuss below), and social media has created another level of opportunities for these types of marketing strategies. Additionally, some aspect of effective recruiting requires some level of marketing of your organization. After all, we cannot join what we do not know exists.
The problem with this approach is when the effort to recruit new members relies completely on these methods. This approach is impersonal and is reliant upon a clear mission or purpose. Because we are inundated with so much digital and written communication, more of this information contributes to the white noise of information we live with each day. People rarely read long emails. Flyers are often only glanced at. A funny video may catch someone's eye, but there is a lot of stiff competition in this arena. Again, the failure to be present and make personal connections is the fatal flaw in this approach.
To extend the metaphor, this is like throwing seeds into the ground and not doing any work to cultivate those seeds. Again, the Law of the Harvest shows us that we will not succeed with a short-sighted and haphazard approach.
So, What Works?
Two key questions to ask yourself before you begin to recruit and retain:
What is really important to your members? Grades? Excellence? A sense of family? Belonging to something bigger than themselves? Making a difference?
What is most valued by your community? The answers may be similar or different.
Once you have the answers to your questions, these answers will guide the next four steps.
1) Marketing: How will you let people know about your organization? What is your web presence? What is your presence on social media? Good marketing requires constant effort and needs to be diverse. It should also be concise and have a consistent message, What do you want your message to be? If you have reflected on your answers to the questions above, you will know where to start. An effective marketing campaign is one you immediately recognize and know what it is for: Eat Mor Chikn! The Chickfila cows! Even if you do not care for the restaurant, you cannot deny the effectiveness of this marketing strategy.
2) Branding: What is the motto for your organization? Logo? Image of your organization within the community? Core beliefs? How do people identify you and your organization? Again, the more closely these ideas are aligned with your answers from above the stronger your brand will become.
3) Relationships: Here are the tough ones, recruiting is a people business. Were you ever recruited by the military? I took the ASVAB in high school because I had to. I was called for years by military recruiters. I never joined, but many of my friends did. The test and flyers did not work in convincing people to join the Army, but that recruiter visiting my school and those personal contacts did.
A lot of companies hire recruiters to attract quality people to their company. These are individuals who travel, target individuals from some data, and develop a personal rapport with them to encourage them to join their company. College athletics works similarly. College coaches spend months traveling to visit with players they want to recruit to their program.
Sometimes, the simplest of gestures, attending a concert and speaking with students will make a huge impact. Give small performances in the community. Provide opportunities to help students. Develop a mentoring program to connect students to each other. Stopping by a rehearsal for a few minutes at the end for a similar amount of contact. If the only time a student sees you in the room is to ask them for something, they will quickly figure you out.
A lot of companies hire recruiters to attract quality people to their company. These are individuals who travel, target individuals from some data, and develop a personal rapport with them to encourage them to join their company. College athletics works similarly. College coaches spend months traveling to visit with players they want to recruit to their program.
Sometimes, the simplest of gestures, attending a concert and speaking with students will make a huge impact. Give small performances in the community. Provide opportunities to help students. Develop a mentoring program to connect students to each other. Stopping by a rehearsal for a few minutes at the end for a similar amount of contact. If the only time a student sees you in the room is to ask them for something, they will quickly figure you out.
4) Closing the Deal: Every year, there is time to begin registrations for a new school year. Simply passing out registration material will not "Close the Deal." Students and parents will still have questions, concerns, misinformation, flawed beliefs, and many other barriers which may limit students completing the registration process. One large meeting with parents will also not "close the deal."
If you truly want to grow the program, you have to invest in this time of the year on an individual and personal level. Speak to each student, especially the students who are not initially registering for your class. Ask them about what are the barriers to their participation? Help them to problem solve? If you see a pattern with several students, you may need to revisit the answers to the first two questions.
This process applies to students already in the program. What are you doing to connect and close the deal with your current students? Do not assume they will just re-up their commitment. The military does not make this assumption. You should not either.
If you truly want to grow the program, you have to invest in this time of the year on an individual and personal level. Speak to each student, especially the students who are not initially registering for your class. Ask them about what are the barriers to their participation? Help them to problem solve? If you see a pattern with several students, you may need to revisit the answers to the first two questions.
This process applies to students already in the program. What are you doing to connect and close the deal with your current students? Do not assume they will just re-up their commitment. The military does not make this assumption. You should not either.
Closing
The Law of the Harvest is demanding. The Law is also unforgiving. Ask any farmer. The process of recruiting cannot be accidental or occasional. Make a plan and schedule the time. The future of your organization depends on it. As a great band director once said, "You cannot teach empty chairs."
Hope this information is helpful. As always, I welcome any comments or feedback.
Andy
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