April 1, 2026
Tips for Engaging Members
Dear Society Officers,
The AIA’s membership is growing! We followed up with some of our fastest growing Societies to ask how they engage current members and gain new ones. Here are some of the secrets to success that they shared:
- Think Outside the Box when it Comes to Lectures
The AIA-Spokane Society found that their members greatly enjoy diverse lecture topics and that some members also appreciate hybrid lectures due to the increased accessibility. Society President Brian Buchanan noted “We always have more folks in person, but can have a large following online. It helps especially in winter months here, but there are members that live too far out, and appreciate us hosting online lectures.”
If you haven’t already, you may wish to survey your current membership to learn more about their interests and preferred lecture format.
- Highlight Member Benefits
Many Societies noted that they’ve increased membership numbers and overall member engagement by talking about some of the member benefits included with AIA membership. The subscription to ARCHAEOLOGY magazine has been especially appealing! Societies can purchase back issues of the magazine to give out at events for just the cost of shipping – Societies in the U.S. can order bundles online here.
- Support Students
Many Societies, particularly those near universities, have found success by supporting students. The AIA-Central Carolinas Society periodically sponsors memberships for students and Society Officer Peter Krentz added that the Society gives students opportunities to discuss their fieldwork by starting the season with “Reports from the Field,” where students talk about their summer experiences.
Other Societies support students by helping with Annual Meeting costs or through local scholarship programs, but whatever approach Societies take, students appreciate the support and ability to share their research!
- Partner with Other Organizations
Several Societies see success when partnering with other local organizations to host events. Partnerships take on several forms—from publicity on other groups’ e-mail lists to shared venues for events. Some partnerships are unexpected! The AIA-Nashville Society regularly partners with the Nashville Parthenon on public outreach projects. A polychromy Art Cart station “that allowed the public to learn in a hands-on way about mosaic art, architecture, Greek gods and more” led to an adaptation for a virtual school program that won an award from the Tennessee Association of Museums. Collaborating with other organizations can lead to great things!
- Expand Programing Beyond the Usual Audience
Many Societies have found success by doing events geared towards the general public. Last International Archaeology Day, the AIA-Pittsburgh Society hosted an event for children at the local library. Society President John Newell writes how they: “invented a scavenger hunt game (archaeology is a bit like a scavenger hunt) that involved finding pieces of a puzzle (artifacts are like puzzle pieces). Once the puzzle was put together, it contained clues to an additional hunt for library books (a tie-in to the library, and a nod to the research involved in archaeology). Once the books were found, the players had to come to a consensus on what theme they pointed to (sort of like arriving at an interpretation of your findings at a site). Once that was done, everyone got a prize (a piece of candy).”
Not only are these kinds of events hugely fun, but also an exciting way of supporting the AIA’s mission to Excavate, Educate, and Advocate.
The AIA also has resources available for Societies to make events like this happen, including International Archaeology Day Grants and Society Outreach Grants.
- Communicate with Members and Prospective Members!
All of the Societies we spoke with mentioned the importance of maintaining communication with their membership list as well as with prospective members who may attend events but haven’t yet taken the leap to become more involved with the AIA. As a reminder, you can download your current Society roster at any time (instructions to do so are available on the Society Resources page). Not sure what to say to prospective members? Check out our recent news post with some basic email language to help get you started!
