Will a Fraternal Organization Help Me Land a Job

September 30, 2009 8:11 AM

I'm interested in expanding my professional network. I belong to a professional association, but I'm wondering if some broader club might also make sense. Would a fraternal organization be likely to help me if I ever wanted to move up in business, or are they vestigial antiques of the past? What else might I think about joining, and what could I get out of it in addition to contacts? I'm in Los Angeles, in the South Bay, if you have specific local recommendations.
posted by willnot to society & culture (7 comments total)

Around New Jersey, at least, a lot of prominent business leaders belong to the Rotary Club. They usually host a ton of fundraisers that being local politicians (and, incidentally, reporters for the local weekly newspaper looking for an easy story to fill out the issue).
posted by KantGoOn at 8:47 AM on September 30

Would a fraternal organization be likely to help me if I ever wanted to move up in business, or are they vestigial antiques of the past?

Depends on the area.

It might, though many people join these societies because of a belief in the organization's stated goals/mission, especially in terms of social service. I'm thinking specifically, here, of the Rotary, Kiwanis, Lion's Club, Moose, Elk, Masons, and so on.

It might be better to join a group that does work you enjoy doing, and let the networking spring from that rather than vice versa.
posted by jquinby at 8:50 AM on September 30

I'm thinking specifically, here, of the Rotary, Kiwanis, Lion's Club, Moose, Elk, Masons, and so on.

Just a note on freemasons - you won't be accepted into any masonic lodge if your main stated goal is to make business connections; to say joining for these reasons is frowned upon is an understatement.
posted by Deep Dish at 9:08 AM on September 30 [1 favorite]

Service and fundraising organizations like Rotary and Kiwanis tend to be populated with local business leaders. You'll need to pony up some cash and volunteer time, though.
posted by Jacqueline at 9:22 AM on September 30

I think these are mostly relics. *But what do I know, since I'm not allowed to join some of them because I've got a vagina.* That's not bashing the groups as much as it's acknowledging that they didn't change with society. Even those groups which allowed women in the last 20 years lost a huge amount of momentum in the decades that women were excluded. (You could make similar argument about the requirement to believe in God /Supreme Being which is required for some of those organizations.)

If you'd like to expand your professional network, then there are other organizations that I'd try. Serving on the board of a community non-profit or the United Way is one.

Just to be clear, I don't hate fraternal organizations. However, I don't think it's necessarily going to be helpful in Southern California.
posted by 26.2 at 10:29 AM on September 30

Speaking as someone who has worked at a number of industry associations over the years...

Fraternal associations are also called "service associations", and you should really only consider joining one if your primary motivation is to provide service to others, rather than build your business.

The folks that run and belong to fraternal organizations are well aware of the different motivations people have when attempting to join the group, and are quick to spot people who are looking for new leads for their business.

However, building your business is still important, and in order to build your business you need to network and build social capital.

The typical tactic or tool used by sales teams to fill their funnel is to offer seminars - the attendees become prospects, and you're also offering something back to the community. The seminar doesn't have to be free, either, as there is more perceived value when people have to pay to attend.

However, you need some help advertising your seminar, or perhaps a free space to hold it, and for that you will need to work with an industry association or a fraternal assocation who already have the broad network of contacts that you need.

The challenge is that there are a lot of service providers out there, and they all want free advertising on someone's website and contact with that community.

You either have to purchase advertising space, or you have to become part of the community.

One way to become part of the community is to take on interesting, pro bono projects, perhaps for non-profits that need help but don't have the money to do it. You can choose to work on projects that matter and add perceived value to the community - perhaps a non-profit that helps kids become entrepreneurs or something like that. You can then network with people who serve on the boards of those non-profits.

In short, joining a group, paying membership dues and collecting business cards may not be the best strategy for expanding the long-term growth of your business.

You need to somehow become part of the community, and that usually means you need to approach it from "how can I help?"

"How can I help?" does not mean that you can help provide better marketing materials.
posted by KokuRyu at 10:48 AM on September 30 [1 favorite]

I have recently become involved with a smaller city's chamber of commerce and discovered that even here, there are a multitude of opportunities for professionals of all ages who want to become more involved in their community, network with other professionals, influence local politics and participate in events benefiting a wide variety of non-profits. Perhaps your local chamber of commerce offers the same kind of programs?
posted by bristolcat at 6:52 PM on October 1