Recruitment Guide
From ICCwiki
The best way to keep charges low is to keep our houses full. This page is a collection of recruitment ideas for houses to use. Please add your own ideas, especially things you have tried that worked!
Contents |
What ads should say
Ads, fliers and postings should generally be short and simple. They should be eye-catching and highlight one or two of the most attractive aspects of your co-op. Figure out what your house has to offer, what your market is, and how to get a message to them. Does your house appeal mostly to grad students? Activists? International students? Then target them, not just in what you choose to emphasize, but also in the design of your ads, and in where you choose to place them. Don't pigeonhole your house though by only contacting the "type" of people who live there already.
You should direct people to the ICC website (http://www.icc.coop/) to learn more about the ICC and to fill out an application (http://www.icc.coop/join/apply/). You can have people contact you first if you want, but they should fill out an application as soon as they think they're interested--there's no obligation, and this gets the process going on the office side. You should also direct them to the specific page(s) about your house, and possibly to the New Member FAQ (http://www.icc.coop/join/faq/).
Also offer to set up a time for them to come visit the house and get a tour. Usually the best time for someone to visit is during dinner, so they can get a feel for the house culture and the people there. You could also direct them to contact the house president to set up a time to visit (house president email addresses can be found on the Available Spaces page).
Filling out an application and visiting the house can happen in either order, but the prospective member should ideally visit the house prior to deciding to sign a contract and the application is required. People who are out of town often sign without seeing the house, but if they are around, you should encourage them to see the house before signing.
Charges
In order to give people a more accurate comparison with the rates that landlords are offering, list the total housing charges in ads and flyers with an explanation of what it is for. List the ICC charges portion (what they would compare to "rent" elsewhere), and note somewhere in the ad that the total cost will include utilities and food and give an estimate of this amount. This allows us to compete with the rents that most landlords advertise which usually don't include utilities and never include food. This gives people a more accurate sense of how our rates compare with the market. It's not easy to compare our total cost when you're posting alongside other housing options that don't include anywhere near as much as our charges include.
Craigslist
Craigslist ([1]) is a free online posting service for classifieds and other local ads and services. It's totally free and very easy to post an ad for housing (probably want to choose the "Rooms & Shares" section) and it reaches an unbelievable number of people. Don't be surprised if you get several hits within the first day. You can post links and pictures, and you don't even need an account.
Be sure to refer to the ICC Website ([www.icc.coop]) in your ad and direct the people to submit an online application.
UM Housing Marketplace
The UM Housing Marketplace ([2]) is another free online posting place for classified ads. You need a UM username and password to use it.
Other Online Posting Places
The "Roommate Finder and Sublets" section of the UM Off-Campus Housing website ([3]) requires a student log-in to view student-posted ads for sublets, roommates, and available rooms to rent. This is the perfect place for individuals to list their room they are trying get out of or to advertise an available space in a co-op house. The thing to note here is that multiple spaces cannot be listed, it's intended for individuals listing single spaces. A way to get around that and maintain a constant listing is to never expire or remove the available space ad.
There are also multiple roommate listing websites such as roommates.com, roommateclick.com, etc.
Sample Posting
$358 to $469 "rent" plus utilities for Private Room In Mostly Grad Student Co-op w/ Professional Chef Live in the North Campus Co-ops and become part of a vibrant, international community of 80% grad students surrounded by beautiful woods. Spaces available for Fall/Winter or starting right away. We have shared meals cooked by a full-time professional chef. We also have: - Home theater with projector and 12-foot screen - Computer lab - Music room with pianos - Photo darkroom - Pool table, ping pong - Beautiful courtyard - Laundry - High-speed internet - 4 & 8 month contracts $358 to $469/month "rent" for a single room, plus required cost of food and utilities (approximately $300/month) for a total of $658-769/month--all inclusive price.
Flyers
Flyers can be made by hand, using a word processor, or using a design program like Adobe Illustrator or InDesign. You can find cool free fonts at dafont.com.
One cool idea is to put tear-off "meal coupons" on flyers so that people don't feel weird about showing up at a strange house and sitting down for dinner.
Where to post
Come to the ICC office to get copies of the existing flyer routes for UM Campus. In general, university buildings are great as are local coffeeshops and student hangouts. Also think about public posting boards, restaurants, etc.
- Note* Do not post in UM residence halls on your own accord. There is a submission process for this. Contact ICC's Recruitment Committee (icc.reco@umich.edu) or Director of Member Services for details.
Word of mouth
Although people may see ICC marketing stuff all over Ann Arbor and the web, on the application, the number one answer to the question, "How did you hear about the ICC?", is word of mouth. That's what actually convinces someone to sign a contract for one of our houses.
Look for opportunities to tell your friends about your co-op. Wear ICC T-shirts and pins and stuff, and be prepared to answer when people say "What's a Co-op?" Carry around a few brochures or postcards and give them out when people ask (you can get them in the office if you don't have any). Make sure your house mates know that word of mouth is our number one recruitment tool, and encourage them to do the same.
House web pages
The website is the number two way people hear about the ICC (after word of mouth). Check out your house's web page on the ICC website and make sure it's attractive and up to date. If not, you can edit it by downloading the html files through your browser ("Save page as...", e.g.), editing the text and pictures, and emailing the new files to the ICC webteam (icc.webteam@umich.edu). There will be an easier way to do this soon.
You might also consider setting up your own off-site web page and asking the webteam to put a link to it on the official page. A few houses (e.g. Truth) do this already.
Events and parties
Parties are a great recruitment tool. You can advertise them for free on the Craigslist events calendar or in CURRENT magazine's community calendar. Also, if you're posting fliers, don't just hit ICC houses, but also put fliers in places where students will see them.
- Note* according to the UM Party Smart information, any public advertising of parties makes it open for the police to enter the party as well. Be wary when posting publicly for parties.
Work credit
Your house might consider giving work credit to people for posting flyers or other recruitment activities, especially if you're facing high vacancy.
Newspaper ads
Ads in the Michigan Daily or the Ann Arbor News also reach a lot of people, but, you know, cost money.
Website
Virtual tours
Several houses, including Linder, Lester, and Baker have created digital "virtual tours" that can be sent to prospective members. These virtual tours include basic information like house size and boarding options, but also give more insight into house personality.
The Lester House virtual tour can be found here: Image:Lester House Tour.pdf.
