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NCGA Seeks a Lot, Not a Few, Good Members (7-06-01)
An organization
is only as strong as its members and, with a roster of nearly 31,000
growers, the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is getting stronger
every day. Representing the interests of the nation's corn growers to
government, industry and international leaders, the NCGA is a force
to be reckoned with in the grain industry.
NCGA continues to
seek prospective members with the start of its 2002 recruitment program,
sponsored by Syngenta Seeds and Syngenta Crop Protection. A kick-off
meeting for state association recruiters is scheduled for Sept. 19-20
in Minneapolis, Minn. "We are excited to have the two Syngenta
divisions as our sponsors," said NCGA Membership Services Manager
Byron Keelin. "We appreciate their continued commitment to the
corn industry and the importance of membership in the organization that
represents corn growers nationwide."
Keelin explained
some of the goals of the meeting. "We're going have discussions
on how to recruit prospective members, as well as talk about recruiting
and retention strategies," he said. "We'll also go over some
marketing and motivation techniques to help state corn grower associations
conduct better campaigns.
"We hope the
executive directors from each state association will attend," Keelin
continued. "It's really important for us to have 100 percent participation
for this meeting because the information is going to be helpful in their
efforts to recruit new members."
As added incentive,
top recruiters in each state have the chance to win prizes and cash
awards. In addition, prizes will also be given to the state organizations
that recruit the most members overall and highest percentage of recruited
members. "We want to reward the state organizations," said
Keelin.
With the changes
that have been made, Keelin said the program is fairer to all the states.
"Now, each individual state works on its own, with its own points
system, so the states are on a more equal footing."
Keelin said the
changes are a result of discussions during NCGA's April membership meeting.
"(Representatives from) the states said they wanted more ownership
of their programs and I think with this new program, we're giving them
that. The goal of this program is to increase overall membership and
assist states in developing effective marketing campaigns."
For more information,
contact Keelin at 636-733-9004 ext. 105 or e-mail him at keelin@ncga.com.
Membership information is available on the NCGA web site: http://www.ncga.com/aboutus/join/join.html.
Last
reviewed July 6, 2001
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