| October 1, 2019 -- With State Session approaching and some big ideas swirling around Membership, I am having trouble writing this month’s article without spoiling the surprise about the Membership Program we are launching for 2020. In September I met with an advisory team to discuss some big ideas for growing membership and participation in the Grange. What was developed comes out of the advisory meeting along with some of the discussions we are still having as it relates to membership and our approach to the community.
What I can share is what we used to educate ourselves about what membership organizations are up against these days. To launch a successful, long running, “alive” plan of action that includes retaining new members we need to be creative, educated, realistic and energized. We also need a solid plan to move forward and to think through potential road blocks. To begin, we all read, “The End of Membership as We Know It” by Sarah Sladek. If you have not read it yet, you can find my summary/ review of this in the August 2018 CT Granger. It explains why what we have done in the past to grow membership does not work anymore.
I am very hopeful that we can change the direction in which we have been headed on the Membership level. We can also enjoy ourselves along the way. Please join us at Session and learn more about how we can grow with these new tools. If you’re not able to attend look for more info in November’s Granger.
|
