| March 1, 2021 -- In February I attended the last National Membership meeting hosted by Joe Stefanoni. He invited the Oregon State President, Susan Noah and their Membership Director, David McBride to talk about Oregon membership growth and what has been the source of their success. It was very interesting and many of their programs make a lot of sense. From the state perspective it is about giving support, tools, and ideas to aid the individual needs of a Community Grange. They believe their number one was to visit each Grange, listen and then help them make a plan to fit their specific needs, interests and strengths.
This was my plan when I took on my role last March and Oregon State Grange confirmed it’s the best direction. In light of the lack of in-person meetings and the strong fears surrounding the past year I became worried there may not be the possibility we could follow through with this program ourselves. Oregon admitted they did not have a suggestion for us if the Granges were not meeting in-person. Many of us ARE still meeting and getting things done. For now that is mostly on Zoom meetings. The Membership Committee and I are devising a schedule and plan to visit with all of the Granges that are operating virtually and when possible in person.
I promise you that this committee has amazing ideas and knowledge to get things going in the right direction. Please remember to reach out to us and let us help you as soon as possible. We will also be hoping to set up a schedule to meet with your Grange in the next month or so.
We also will have other helpful programs rolling out soon and I will share more as we solidify the details. Reach out to me if you want to schedule early – otherwise we will be in touch with your Grange. If you have not heard, the new National Membership Director will be Amanda Brozana-Rios. We wish Joe all the best in his future endeavors and offer Amanda all the support and best wishes in her new role.
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