| May 3, 2021 -- What we often forget is our lack of response still has consequences.
The Membership Committee and I sent out a letter with our contact information and asked each Grange and Pomona to reach out to one of us to set a time when we could join your meeting on Zoom or in person. Our plan is to not only bring ideas, a concerned ear and a pad of paper to report what the issues your Grange is facing may be but also to bring a promise we will work to give as much help as we can to get your membership active and back on track after a very long lockdown.
Out of the 40 letters that were sent asking for some time at your meeting, less than 12 Granges have actually contacted one of us to set up a conversation. Some did contact us just to acknowledge the letter and to say they may not be ready yet, but when they are, we will hear from someone.
The gravity of my job, maintaining and growing membership for the Connecticut State Grange weighs heavier and heavier when I am not able to support our communities. My personal desire to help is genuine. I have an amazing and committed committee that also genuinely wants to support our Granges in whatever way possible.
We have all heard or seen our decline in numbers is high and growing. Without a conversation in some way, without your communication, the Membership Committee is powerless to help. Maybe our focus should be on getting things up and running again. Maybe you begin by trying out your Granges first safe and socially distanced meeting or a community event. No rules on where we may or may not be able to help. Wherever your beginning is we do still want to support the current membership. Like the analogy they use about flying in an airplane, “Attach your own mask before you try to help anyone else.” We cannot expect new members if we are not active and thriving ourselves.
Please choose to invest time into people, our Membership Committee Members, who are asking to help you get back in some safe and enjoyable form of Grange. There is no quick fix to this situation, and no one size fits all fix either. Analyzing where we are and developing a long- range strategy needs a starting point that begins this Spring/ Summer. This 4-person committee spread across the state can only do so much without feedback, so please reach out soon.
We have a few Granges that have been thriving through this past year. They should be very proud of the hard work and creative ideas they used to keep generating income, growing their membership and helping their communities. We would like to hear from those Granges also. We want to hear about your strategies, successes and plans plus no doubt we can support your work also.
Looking forward to hearing from all of you. 2021 is going to move slow but let’s take our first steps today!
|
