Welcoming New Members: Local Group Approaches
Purpose
Share approaches that Local Groups have found effective when welcoming and connecting with new members.
These examples illustrate a variety of approaches used by Local Groups of different sizes and styles.
San Diego Mensa
| Aspect | San Diego Mensa Approach |
|---|---|
| Who contacts members? | Member Services Officer or assistant |
| Frequency | Monthly or whenever new members appear on the report |
| Method | Email when possible; USPS otherwise |
| Notable practices |
|
We send out a welcome letter tailored to the circumstances of being new to the group – new Mensa member, move-in, rejoined, member by preference. I’ve attached generic version of the email version for new Mensa members. Along with the letter is a New Member Profile that requests info that we then publish in a Welcome column in our newsletter. Check out the November 2025 ISSUE of our newsletter, the San Diego MENSAN online to see a typical column. The USPS version doesn’t have the Mensa Speak info.
There is an invitation to the Monthly New Members Orientation, which is held 30 minutes before the Monthly Gathering. Someone from the MS team gives the orientation, which includes info about the local group – number of members, geographic area, board composition and other appointed positions, activities, publications, and online resources, among others. We also discuss the idea that they as new members, can start new events or SIGs that interest them, and possibly other members.
Western New York Mensa
| Aspect | Western New York Mensa Approach |
|---|---|
| Who contacts members? | Membership Chair |
| Frequency | As new members are identified |
| Method | Phone, email, or mail depending on available contact information |
| Notable practices |
|
I'm the Membership Chair for Western New York Mensa. I'm the one who sends a welcome email to or calls new members. We're a relatively small group; as stated in the sample email below, the editor of our newsletter and Test Coordinator sends me names of new members as they come in, sometimes waiting until she has several names. The medium I use depends on what information the newbie has provided. If I have a phone number, I usually start with a call, to make it more personal, and leave a message if I get voicemail. If there's no email or phone number given, just a street address, I print this email out as a letter, personalized with their name, and mail it. Some new members respond by calling or emailing me; alas, many don't reply at all. I'm not adverse to calling back if I haven't heard from someone, but I don't push if they're clearly not interested in attending an event. If they have attended an event, I might tell them that we enjoyed meeting them and hope to see them at another event soon.
Jan Sandberg