| MARCH 1, 2023 -- As we come to a new year, I ask my fellow Grangers, have you made a membership goal for the 2023 year? Is your goal to retain members? Is your goal to welcome new members? Is your goal to increase participation?
No matter what membership goal your Grange chooses here are some ideas to try.
Retain Members
Find ways to allow more of your members’ voices to be heard. Con- sider making a survey, polling members what they want to see happen in the Grange? Free ways to send surveys to your members include Google Forms, SurveyMonkey, and Typeform, just to name a few. Or as always paper and pencil can be used, the mail or even a personal phone call.
Recognize outstanding and dedicated members in your Grange for simple things. Some ideas include give a shout out during a meeting, posting a member of the month on the bulletin board, sending a recognition write-up to the State Grange newsletter or posting a photo and thanks on your Grange’s Facebook page.
Let Grangers thrive at what they do best. For example, if a Granger loves to cook let them help out at your next dinner and empower them to make as many decisions as you reasonably can.
Welcome New Members
Hold a free coffee house open to the public with beverages and snacks encouraging existing members to bring others. Welcome prospective members and highlight the great work your Grange is doing. Have membership forms handy, as well as a way to accept dues for new members on the spot.
Go to Community Events such as a farmer’s market, local fair and have a table promoting the Grange. Explain who you are, what you do, why you are important, and how you are making a difference in your community. Consider creating a simple ‘take-away’ handout with highlights about your Grange, and how people can get involved. Don’t forget to promote any upcoming events you may have in the works while you have people in hand.
Have a presentation at your local library or the historic society and tell the history and the great volunteerism your Grange is doing. Make sure to bring some take-away items for participants or applications for new members to sign up.
Increase Participation
Grangers want to feel their voice is being heard, let them come up with ideas and put them in charge of the idea, whether that be taking a deeper dive into the logistics of the idea or providing some guidance or boundaries and see where it goes. If it works, that’s great and if it doesn’t there is always something to be learned from every try.
Have fun programs that everyone can participate in and get Grangers up and moving. Some ideas include Minute to Win it games, interactive question and answer sessions, an activity seen in a newspaper or magazine or ice breakers. Such platforms as Kahoot.it, a free online quiz platform that Grangers can use their smartphones to join in and play, or every one getting a paper and pencil can help.
Call or email members asking them to do a specific task, whether that be to make cookies for refreshments, edit/critique a poster, help clean the hall or anything else that can help ease the burden of other members.
Membership your way
There are many different kinds of members, some Grangers like to attend meetings, others just like doing the activities, either way embrace them and be appreciative of the time and help that they are providing in the best way they can. It takes a village to support the Grange.
Feel free to send your ideas my way at membership@ctstategrange.com .
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