The Golden Rules of Motivation

How to Involve Maximum Members in Organizational Activities

Aug 18, 2009 Hanish Babu

Proper motivation is a key factor in the success of any organization. Learning how to motivate people is indeed a valuable habit worth acquiring.

Obtaining and maintaining the wholehearted involvement and participation of maximum members in its activities is a challenging task for any organization. Many organizations fail to survive the test of time due to lack of interest and motivation on the part of members. There is a limit on how long a handful of inspired office-bearers can carry on with the burden of managing an organization, however small or large it may be.

It is a time tested fact that proper motivation will keep members interested in the activities of the organization. The following are the golden rules of motivation a president, secretary or any responsible leader aiming to be successful should be aware of. Learning how to motivate people is indeed a valuable habit worth acquiring!

The Golden Rules of Motivation in an Organization

Conduct regular activities involving as many members as possible. Whether it is an organizational activity (fund raising, committee meetings, regional conferences, leadership training) or social service programs, a proper committee with a chairperson, co-chair, secretary, treasurer and members in charge of various sub activities should be constituted. Each member should be provided with a checklist of responsibilities expected of him/her. Tip: People like to have everything in black and white. It is easier to follow.
Keep members updated on organizational activities and other relevant happenings in the society. A regular newsletter, group email letters and notifications will help members keep abreast with the latest news. Starting a group in the name of your organization in Yahoo Groups or Google Groups or in other social networks like Orkut or Facebook is an excellent way to keep the channel of communication among members of the organization live and open.
Make sure all important activities of the organization gets good media coverage. The members responsible should be highlighted as key persons involved with the projects and given due recognition in the press releases.
Wherever and whenever possible, it is important to delegate responsibilities among members. Try to get inactive members involved.
During meetings, recognise outstanding contributions from individual members and congratulate them. Tip: Praise should flow in excess; stick to credibility and truthfulness, though.
Recognize birthdays, anniversaries, personal and professional achievements of members during the meetings and in communications. President, secretary and other leaders of the organization should make it a habit to call members and congratulate them on their achievements and on special occasions.
Conduct more family get-together, picnics, sports and games days and make sure that maximum members and their families participate in each event.
Give more publicity about member benefit schemes of the association or organization, like group insurance, mutual benefit schemes, free training programs etc, if any.
Institute awards for members for outstanding contributions to the organization and the society. These awards should be presented during special functions where social dignitaries are invited as special guests. Make it a public function if possible and give wide coverage in the media.
Such recognitions will motivate members to excel themselves and also instil a sense of healthy competition among the project coordinators.

A Simple Plan of Action to Involve Maximum Members in Organizational Activities

Divide members into easily manageable numbers (5-6, or more, if the number of members is above 100). The division may be based on the locations they reside. Close proximity provides better manageability.
Select a coordinator for each group. Whenever there is any activity, it will be the responsibility of these coordinators to ensure maximum participation from their respective protégés.
The coordinators should be briefed as to their responsibilities by the trainers of the organization. They should be guided and supervised by the vice presidents and joint secretaries of the organization.
President and secretary in turn should supervise the vice presidents and joint secretaries to ensure the motivational pyramid is functioning smoothly.
Instituting periodic best coordinator awards will be a welcome step.
Institute a membership committee to attract new members to the organization. Make the new member induction a memorable occasion. Choose a mentor for the new member from amongst the senior members of the organization.

These steps will ensure that lethargy and inactivity will never gnaw at the very heart of an organization’s basic survival capabilities. These will also be add colorful feathers in the cap of a successful president or secretary and will definitely help them in conducting the organizational activities in a well disciplined and successful manner.

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Source

The Green Book. A Hand Book for the Office Bearers and Members of AKMG Emirates. Dr.Hanish Babu, MD, 2008.

The copyright of the article The Golden Rules of Motivation in Workplace Culture is owned by Hanish Babu. Permission to republish The Golden Rules of Motivation in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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