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If your student group is one that – theoretically – has both male and female members, you might find it a continuous struggle to recruit an equal balance of men and women to your group. For years, I worked with peer education organizations that were dominated by women. They always complained that they were completely unable to recruit men despite their best efforts.
There are several reasons why a gender balance can benefit an organization. When your club or group has both men and women creating events, you're more likely to draw both men and women to participate in those events. There are obvious social benefits for the heterosexuals in the group, and that makes participating in your group more fun for those people. Your group's outreach and impact on campus can be broader when both men and women are talking it up.
When the female peer educators complained to me about the lack of men, I usually gave them this advice:
CO-SPONSOR
Partner with an organization that has a lot of men. If you struggle to draw men into your organization, then sponsor events with a male-dominated group like a fraternity, an engineering club, a sports team, etc. Maybe after you co-sponsor something with them, you'll establish some relationships and identify some men who might want to stay involved with your group.
SOCIALIZE
Have a social event where every member brings a friend of the opposite sex. Make it purely social, and then capture those names and numbers. Call them a week later and ask if they'd be willing to help out in some small way with your next event.
OPEN UP OPPORTUNITIES
People support what they create, so invite some guys to join and start some new endeavor within your group. If you have a sexual assault awareness and prevention group, for example, invite some men to start a program within your organization targeting men's groups on campus.
QUICK PROMOTIONS
Get men in leadership positions, quickly. Men might have a hard time with organizations whose leadership is entirely women. As soon as possible, elevate men into key positions. This will encourage other men who are looking at your group. Men are visual, and when they see all women in your group, they assume they aren't welcome. When you get some men to join, make sure they are visible ambassadors of your group. Give them t-shirts with your group's name on it. Better yet, invite a new male member to design a new shirt.
DO MORE BOY-FRIENDLY EVENTS
Evaluate your events. Do they lack appeal to men? Then add some new events (maybe headed by new male leaders) or ask some men to join you in reworking some old ones to have more male appeal.
INVITE MEN CLEARLY
Most guys don't want to join something that is perceived to be a women's group. Go visit groups on campus and frankly state that you are looking to increase your male leadership and involvement. Young men, in particular, are ripe targets. Get a first-year male involved in a meaningful way and perhaps he will stay involved and bring other men with him.
LEAN ON YOUR ADVISOR
Ask your advisor to help you recruit men. Have your advisor contact the campus professional in charge of orientation so your group can sponsor an event or get involved. Snag the boys as they arrive on campus.
If yours is a group with too many men and no women, the same advice applies. Go out and ask women to join, give them leadership positions, ask them how they would change events to appeal more to women.
The best way to get penguins to a party is to serve fish. So goes the saying. If you're struggling to achieve gender equity in your organization, it might be time to go fishing.
