HOSA Hustle: Boosting Chapter Membership One Connection at a Time

The beginning of a new school year brings exciting possibilities for expanding your local HOSA chapter membership, as students across all grades are eager to get involved and enrich their knowledge. This makes it imperative for local HOSA chapters to have a detailed plan for outreach and recruitment, not just to increase membership but also to spread the transformative power of HOSA to as many students as possible!

The first step to successful outreach is understanding your target audience. As a health career-focused organization, HOSA attracts students interested in entering the health field, who would benefit from the competitive events that allow them to explore a multitude of career interests. HOSA’s emphasis on student leadership and volunteering may also attract those interested in serving their community. Now that you understand your audience, you can effectively tailor your messaging during outreach to capture their attention! Focus on the myriad of benefits HOSA can provide to healthcare-interested students: competitive events that prepare students for a career in health, networking at conferences, leadership opportunities, recognition for health-related volunteering, scholarship opportunities, and more!

After solidifying your messaging, start developing your chapter’s brand. HOSA has provided brand guidelines, which include helpful tools such as color and font choices to utilize when developing outreach materials such as flyers or social media posts. Consistency with your materials can help create a positive and clear image of your local HOSA chapter, aligning your chapter with the international brand and fostering unity within our organization. 

With this groundwork laid out, you can begin developing your outreach and recruitment strategies!

Community Outreach Strategies: Take advantage of school-wide events that attract students, such as welcome-back-to-school nights, freshman orientations, or club fairs. Come prepared to these events with materials such as flyers and a poster board to help display what HOSA is all about (candy may also aid in attracting people to your table). Be sure to have a sign-up sheet available where interested students can provide their contact information to establish communication with them. Additionally, put your chapter in front of as many students’ eyes as possible through promoting meetings on your school news and displaying flyers across the school.

Consider partnering with clubs in your school, such as National Honor Society or Science Olympiad, that share similar goals of volunteering, healthcare, or leadership. Host a joint event, such as a STEM career exploration or a volunteering day, where, in addition to participation in the event, students can have the opportunity to learn about your HOSA chapter. Moreover, you can utilize your connections with science teachers to request that they give a brief promotion of your club to their classes and display your flyer in their classrooms.

Additionally, reach out to health professionals in your community to invite them as guest speakers. This may attract students interested in a health career who are unfamiliar with HOSA, providing you with an opportunity to connect with them at the meeting. Similarly, general meetings, such as callout meetings or trivia nights, that allow non-members to attend can aid in outreach, as members may be inclined to encourage their friends to participate in the meeting and learn more about HOSA. 

Digital Outreach Strategies: Posting regularly on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok can increase your chapter’s visibility on your school's campus. You may consider posting meeting reminders and recaps, member spotlights, health science news, health career exploration posts, and other relevant content. If you ever need inspiration, consider following other HOSA social media accounts, such as Indiana HOSA’s Instagram (@indianahosa1) or International HOSA’s Instagram (@hosafhp).

Word-of-Mouth Recruitment: Encourage your members to speak positively about HOSA and share the numerous benefits HOSA provides to their friends. Foster a friendly culture in your chapter by checking in on new recruitments through surveys or an ambassador program, where veteran members can provide guidance to those just starting their HOSA journey.

Competitive Recruitment: To incentivize membership involvement in recruitment, set a challenge where the student who recruits the most new members may receive a prize such as a gift card or spotlight on your social media page. Consider setting a membership goal for your members to aim for, which, if reached, will result in a special event, such as a pizza party or a prize for all members in recognition of their hard work.

Welcoming Recruitment: Promote membership growth by cultivating a welcoming culture within your chapter. Make your meetings social and engaging, where members can interact with those they have not met before. Additionally, you can plan meetings dedicated to growing the bond between your members, such as an ice cream social or game show night.

Outreach and recruitment are just the beginning to increasing your chapter’s membership. Retaining and encouraging these members to engage in HOSA is crucial to spreading the life-changing opportunities provided by HOSA to all students interested in health careers. Continuously ensure that each member feels valued and included within your chapter, and maintain consistent, clear communication with members to allow them to take advantage of all HOSA opportunities.

As this new school year kicks off, remember that your outreach and recruitment strategies may not be successful the first time around. Take note of what worked and what did not, and utilize this information to take your chapter to new heights! If you try a new strategy, be sure to post it on social media and tag Indiana HOSA (@indianahosa1) for recognition of your HOSA Hustle!

Hayden Turner - Historian

(2025)