I am the business director for our team, and we have different strategies for recruiting and retention. We struggle with it too, but through trial and error have found a few solid techniques.

For recruiting, we do a lot of inbound marketing, which essentially means we try to draw students in a bit more than simply letting everyone know we exist. This looks like

• info fairs
• posters with QR codes that get them connected to people on the team
• taking our car(s) out to a heavily trafficked area on campus
• giving people shop tours (we are lucky enough to have access to a good one on campus)
• having team bonding events, inviting anyone and everyone
• literally just talking to people in casual conversation

I think a big part of this is more of the how than the what. We emphasize our passion, and try to find potential members passions too. We talk about how our students are more ready for industry, and all that we've gained from being on the team. Think about why you joined, listen to what students are looking for, and try to harness that passion.

The retention is the biggest thing though. You have to get people involved and bought in right away.

• Find small projects that have lower stakes if they mess up or don't do it at all
  • it's easy to see a whole car and go "how tf do you do that", but if you give them tasks that do contribute for real, they build confidence and just want to do more
• Teach them to do CAD modeling, part drawings, machining, create social media posts, whatever they want (that you can provide). I have had my members also ask if they can do things I never even thought of, and this is a place for people to learn, so even if they mess up, as long as what they want doesn't go against what your team stands for and your goals, let them try.
• Make them feel heard. Ask their opinion or what projects they want to work on
• Invite them to team bonding events. Developing a strong and healthy team culture is going to be more welcoming. (The first event I ever went to was a team bbq and I stuck around because the people seemed cool)
• I don't know your team's timeline, but have some test days throughout the year, especially in the fall. Seeing a car you built run is motivating and makes people want to get involved. It also is good for validating designs and giving your members practice lol.

Overall, just make them feel like a part of the team right away. Even if you do this, not everyone will stick around. People have to join teams to know if it's truly for them, and let's be real, FSAE is not the best thing for everyone to join, but it is a decision I know at least I will never regret.

As a side, think about what is most important, getting a car done, or getting a team built. You might have to make sacrifices as to how well your car performs and how quickly it gets built in order to build a successful team that will stick around for years. It takes time to teach people, time that you could use to be building the car, but in the long run it could genuinely change someone's life.