Getting People to Show Up

A Practical Guide for Volunteer Club Leaders

Executive Summary

This guide is for leaders of member-based, in-person clubs—social clubs, hobby groups, professional associations, and community organizations—who are responsible for events, communication, and member engagement, often on a volunteer basis.

The focus is not on “marketing harder,” but on designing systems that make participation feel easy, personal, and worthwhile. When clubs prioritize connection, consistency, and low-lift engagement, attendance improves naturally—without burning out leadership.

Core Philosophy: Attendance Is a Health Signal, Not a Vanity Metric

For clubs, event attendance isn’t just a number—it’s feedback. People show up when the club experience delivers on three fundamentals:

1. They feel welcome
   New and returning members know what to expect and don’t feel awkward showing up alone.

2. They feel needed
   Their presence contributes to the energy, success, or continuity of the club.

3. They feel excited
   The event feels worth leaving the house for—not just informational, but enjoyable or meaningful.

When attendance drops, it’s usually not a motivation problem—it’s a friction problem.

Section 1: The “Flake Factor” (and Why It’s Not a Character Flaw)

The reality: Many members intend to attend—but intention doesn’t equal action.

This gap between RSVP and arrival is common in volunteer-run clubs. The fix isn’t more reminders; it’s lightweight social accountability.

Strategies that work in real clubs:

• Buddy Attendance: Encourage members to attend with a friend or fellow member. People are far more likely to show up when they’re not arriving alone.
• Personal Signals: A quick, direct message (“Hope to see you tonight”) outperforms any mass announcement.
• Soft Commitments: Simple interactions—like reacting to an event post or confirming attendance—create a small psychological commitment that increases follow-through.

The goal is not pressure. It’s human connection.

Section 2: Promotion Without Becoming “That Club”

Think “member-to-member sharing,” not marketing campaigns.

Most clubs don’t need bigger audiences—they need better visibility among people who already care.

Low-effort promotion strategies:

• Bring-a-Guest Events: Explicitly name events where guests are welcome. Members often just need permission to invite others.
• Partner Events: Co-host an event with a complementary local club. You instantly gain trust through shared context.
• Hyper-Local Visibility: Flyers and bulletin boards still work for geographically grounded clubs.
• Social Proof Over Flyers: Photos of members enjoying themselves communicate safety, warmth, and belonging far better than event descriptions alone.

People don’t attend because of details—they attend because they can picture themselves there.

Section 3: Designing the First-Time Member Experience

The most fragile moment is the first arrival.

New members often decide whether they’ll return within the first few minutes.

Simple practices with outsized impact:

• Designated Greeter: One person whose job is to notice and welcome new faces immediately.
• Name Visibility: Name tags or visible names lower social friction for everyone, not just newcomers.
• Low-Pressure Icebreakers: Skip forced vulnerability. Choose prompts that spark natural conversation without putting anyone on the spot.

A good first experience doesn’t need polish—it needs intentionality.

Section 4: Consistency Builds Habit (and Habits Drive Attendance)

Predictability beats novelty.

Clubs with strong attendance tend to have rhythms members can rely on.

Key patterns to reinforce:

• Same Time, Same Pattern: When events follow a predictable schedule, members stop needing reminders.
• Low-Barrier Entry Events: Casual or introductory events reduce the commitment threshold for new and returning members.
• Mixed Engagement Levels: Balance deeper, skill-focused events with purely social gatherings to serve different member needs.

Consistency reduces cognitive load—and cognitive load is often the real blocker.

Section 5: Sustainability for Volunteer Leaders

A burned-out organizer can’t build a thriving club.

Attendance problems often trace back to leadership exhaustion, not member apathy.

Protect the system, not the hero:

• Distribute Ownership: Rotate hosts, greeters, or event leads. Shared responsibility builds resilience.
• Embrace “Good Enough”: A simple event that happens beats a perfect event that doesn’t.
• Redefine Success: Five engaged members in a room is a win. Momentum builds from reliability, not scale.

Healthy clubs optimize for continuity, not spectacle.

Understanding Your Member Segments

Different members respond to different signals. One message will never fit everyone.

1. Core Members
   Show up regularly. They need appreciation, agency, and opportunities to contribute.

2. Occasional Members
   Attend selectively. They respond best to personal outreach and clearly defined, appealing events.

3. New Members
   Just joined. They need immediate clarity, welcome, and a low-stakes first experience.

4. Observers
   Read updates but rarely attend. They need visible proof that events are friendly, safe, and worthwhile.

When communication matches member context, attendance follows.

Design Comes Before Promotion

If you’re finding that reminders, announcements, and follow-ups only get you so far, the issue usually isn’t effort—it’s design.

Attendance problems are often solved before promotion ever begins.

For a deeper look at how event format, expectations, pricing, and consistency shape turnout, read Designing Events People Actually Want to Attend.