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Jan/Feb 2024 | Vol. 81 No. 1
Chapter Culture and Structure Aid in

Member Recruitment and Retention

n the Sept/Oct 2023 edition of the DKG NEWS, International President Dr. Debbie LeBlanc told members that
I“Chapters are the heart and soul of this organization. Interactions at this level of the Society are powerful
and clearly can make or break our Society.” Her thoughts are confirmed by dropped member survey data. In this
survey, dropped members have revealed they left the organization for reasons such as people being unfriendly or
cliquish, inappropriate political and religious discussions taking place, meetings being unmeaningful, programs
being more fun and sorority-like than those of a professional education organization, and meeting days and/or
times being too rigid.

These reasons given by dropped members are all linked to the culture and structure of the chapter: to what
chapters do, how members behave (especially toward one another), and how the chapter is organized. The
good news is that members have control over both the chapter culture and chapter structure. These are parts of
chapter life about which members have the power to do something.
The culture of the chapter refers to the overall atmosphere and is created by what members think, say, and
do. Culture begins at the top, but it comes to life from the bottom up. Chapter leaders build and drive a great
culture; they set the stage. They must create an environment that encourages diversity (everyone has a seat at

the table), inclusion (everyone has a voice), and belonging (everyone’s voice is heard). Members bring the culture
to life through their behavior, which should be kind, helpful, communicative, respectful, and open-minded. All of
this will lead to an atmosphere that is positive, considerate, kind, helpful, inclusive, and welcoming—and one that
will make members feel valued. Members who feel valued are more likely to remain members.
When a leader expects positive and great things to happen and members value and reinforce those same
expectations, a great culture is the result. A great culture results in a strong chapter community—one that will
retain current members and attract new members who want to be a part of that great culture. A great chapter
culture is established by
• meaningful meetings,

• communication,
• member engagement, and
• relationships that are nurtured, mentored, and supported.
The structure of the chapter refers to how the chapter is organized. This includes such things as when,
how often, and how long the chapter meets. Structure also includes things such as the number of standing
committees, number of social events, types of programs, and types of service projects. A chapter structure is
enhanced by

• flexibility in meeting days and times,
• the number of committees relative to chapter size,
• a leadership succession plan, and
• input from members on programming and projects.
A chapter that creates an inclusive, kind, respectful, and open-minded chapter culture and a chapter structure
that keeps the needs and preferences of members at its heart is a chapter that will be better able to retain current
members and recruit new members. If both chapter culture and structure are strong, we See MEM p. 13

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