Getting members to attend the annual meeting may or may not be a problem. If previous meetings have been spirited, entertaining, and worthwhile, members usually respond with little urging. If not, more effort will be required.

In either case, planners must decide what it will take to draw a good crowd. It may be a meal, a good discussion, an important speaker, a quiz contest, or some special entertainment feature. It may be a combination of these.

Some cooperatives develop a theme-an important or interesting question such as "Should the association build additional facilities?" or "Should membership be limited?"

Often, attendance can be stepped up by making it a family affair with something special that appeals to families. This is usually the practice of the cooperatives that have had out- standing attendance.

Some cooperatives hold a general information session in the morning, then provide separate activities for youth and children in the afternoon.

A number of associations give door prizes. Individuals receive numbered tickets as they arrive for drawing, often during the session and its close. Some give away "lucky number" prizes at various points throughout the meeting. Displays of products or services offered by the cooperative help to inform members about their cooperative and to pro- mote the sales of services. These activities help encourage attendance.

When the decision has been made on the program and its "drawing cards," the next step to securing a large attendance is advance publicity. Premeeting publicity may include a formal notice of the meeting, correspondence, posters, newspaper stories, radio and television announcements, and, word- of-mouth advertising. ( See appendix E for a publicity checklist.)

The Official Notice

Bylaws of many associations provide that a notice of the annual meeting shall be mailed to each member at the last-known address 10 to 15 days in advance of the meeting. A bare statement of time and place, however, does little to stimulate inter- est. At no additional cost, except the expenditure of some thought, the official notice can be dressed up into a promotional letter that will do a lot toward creating a desire to attend. (See appendix B.)

Each letter mailed to a member during the period immediately preceding the annual meeting can be used effectively as a reminder. Some associations incorporate one or two appropriate sentences in the letter itself; others add a postscript at the bottom. In either case, only a short statement is needed. For example: "It looks as though we will have a good attendance at the annual meeting this year. I hope you are planning to come. Don't forget the date-January 16, Community Hall at Simpson, 9:30 a.m."

Small folders describing the meeting may be used as stuffers in outgoing mail and monthly statements. A gummed label or rubber-stamped reminder of time and place may be used also on outgoing letters.