Membership Tip of the Month Archives (2003)

DECEMBER 2003 - START FRESH
Does your Grange want new members, but is always talking about why people won't join? Does it seem that many of your members are willing to share the reasons why you can't be successful? Try starting the new year by wiping the slate clean and starting fresh.

Get a chalk board, white board, overhead projector, or even a big sheet of paper. Have the members give the reasons that your Grange isn't growing and write them down. Then ask them if they want their Grange to grow.

When they say they want their Grange to grow, start erasing or crossing out each reason they gave. Explain that these reasons are from the past and that this year you're going to start fresh and see what can happen. We can't change the past, but the future is ours to create. Get everyone to help erase the old reasons, and start fresh with hope for 2004.

Have your Grange start fresh and watch the incredible happen!

NOVEMBER 2003 - KEEP THEM
If you want your Grange to grow, the first step is to keep the members you've got. The best way to get new members, is when your current members are proud of their membership and tell others about the value of it.

To keep your current members, your Grange needs to be meeting some of their needs. Find out what they are looking for. Is it friendship, social activities, legislative action, community service, a family atmosphere, an opportunity to make a difference, a chance to grow, or just a fun thing to do.

Let your members know that they have great value to the Grange. Everyone wants to feel important and they need to know that they are important in your Grange. If you are filling some of the needs of your members and they know that they are important to you, it will be much easier to keep them as members.

Keep your current members in your Grange and growth is possible!

OCTOBER 2003 - ALWAYS LOOK FOR POSSIBLE MEMBERS
When you believe that the Grange is one of the best organizations in your community you should want to see it grow. The only way to have more activities that benefit the members and the community is to have more members.

Take a week and note down everyone you interact with from the clerk at the supermarket, or your doctor and the nurse, to the friend you bump into, or the person you meet in line. Take time think about what you don't know about them. They may have need of your Grange.

Start looking at those around you as possible Grange members who will benefit from joining. Remember it's not about us, but it's about them. Once you've realize how many possible members there are, start wearing your Grange clothing, jewelry, or pins and start letting people know you belong to the Grange. Then those who might be interested will know to ask you about your Grange.

Always look for possible members among the people around you and watch your Grange grow!

SEPTEMBER 2003 - DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT
Do you ever wonder how to get the public's attention so that people will want to check the Grange out? If you want people to notice you so that you can recruit them as new members, do something different. Do something they are not expecting.

Discuss what your members like to do. Maybe you'll find that one of them enjoys something the rest of you have not thought of. Look at hobbies, interests, and the concerns of your members. Create a new Grange activity or event that meets the needs or desires of one or more of your members.

By doing something different, you change how others view your Grange. You can break stereotypes that they have of you by doing something new and special. Make sure your members have fun doing something different and it will open doors to recruiting new members into your Grange.

Do something different in your Grange and watch things change and grow.

AUGUST 2003 - TAKE CARE OF YOUR MEMBERS
Does your Grange want new members, but doesn't know how to get them? Start with the basics. Meet the needs of your current members. Find out what they want to do. Sit down and talk with your fellow members and find out why they joined and why they keep coming.

If they would like to have more fun, give it to them. If they want a new community service program, give them the opportunity to start it. If they're frustrated with a legislative issue, get involved with their cause. Be a friend to them and listen to what they are looking for. Then help them get their ideas rolling forward in your Grange.

When we are meeting the needs of our members, they are more likely to talk positively about your Grange. That can often lead to new members. It will also aid the public in developing a new and different perception of your Grange. After all, why wouldn't someone join an organization that takes care of the needs of its members?

Work on taking care of the needs of your Grange members and watch things grow.

JULY 2003 - BUILDING A HEALTHY ATTITUDE
Ever wonder why it is difficult to get new members? The first place to look is in the Grange. What is the attitude of the members toward someone new, toward change, or toward the idea that the Grange is in the service business? Grange members can get together and enjoy themselves and never realize that they have an unhealthy attitude that will inhibit growth in their Grange.

Each member must be looking at potential members as new friends and then treating them as people they want as friends. Our Grange circle must always be expanding to include new people if we are to prosper. Share the way the Grange can fill the needs of individuals and they will view the Grange as something they need to join.

To build a healthy attitude, each member must feel that they have the power to change or direct the Grange in some way. No single member should be controlling the destiny of the Order. People are not as fearful of change when they have some control over it. In addition, when you give members the power to change things, you give them opportunity to decide what will change and what is necessary to keep.

Members should view their Grange with the pride of ownership, but understand that they are the stewards of the organization. Serving the needs of the membership and the community is critical to building a healthy attitude in your Grange. Each current member has the responsibility to find ways that the Grange can serve the needs of current and future members.

Work on building a healthy (positive, can do) attitude in your Grange and watch things improve.

JUNE 2003 - TOUCH
Social contact between people is crucial for their health. You live longer and better when you are involved socially with others. However, we often take the social aspects of the Grange for granted. You need to look at how you fill the social needs of prospective and new members in order to create growth in your Grange.

An important part of social contact is touch. I've found that Grangers tend to do a lot of hugging when they meet. But how do we act when someone new shows up? Take the time to touch the new person. Shake hands with them. A smile, a firm handshake, and a "Glad to have you here" will let them know they are welcome.

Watch the body language of the new members. Some don't want to be hugged, but others will feel part of the family with it. Make that personal connection through touch every time you get together. It will build and strengthen the friendly atmosphere your Grange needs.

Try a simple touch and build friendships in your Grange.

MAY 2003 - SET GOALS
Do you have a membership goal for your Grange? If not, maybe it's time to set one or more. When you set goals, don't make your goal one of just gaining new members. Remember that you want interested people to become members. People who are or will become friends.

Set a goal of a project or activity that will involve and benefit members of the community. Set a goal that will raise the public's awareness of your Grange. Get the community involved in a legislative project or benefit children through the Junior or Youth program. Encourage the community to come to your hall.

Use membership gains as a measurement of the success of your activity. Achievement of your goals will give your Grange new opportunities to gain members. As your members make friends through involvement in the community, they will have the chance to share what Grange membership means to them. New members are the end result of successful achievement of goals that involve your Grange in the community.

Set goals that create involvement and watch your Grange grow!

APRIL 2003 - GO GROWTH
Grange growth starts with an attitude. Growth in the Grange seldom happens because of an accident. It begins with a can do attitude. Growth is positive and begins with the leaders in your Grange. It preserves no matter what challenge faces it or long it takes.

How can we get more involved with our community? What important needs can the Grange fill in the lives of our members? A growth attitude will begin with these two questions. In order to answer these questions, your Grange will have to assess what your community and member needs are.

A Grange growth attitude doesn't look at the problems first, but it looks for the big vision. Then we begin to seek ways to achieve the vision. Solving problems to accomplish the vision builds the growth attitude. When the membership has bought into the growth attitude, nothing can stop your Grange.

Granges can make growth happen by adjusting their attitude into growth mode!

MARCH 2003 - TARGETING SPECIFIC AGES
Have you ever looked around your Grange and wondered why everyone was about the same age? Have you ever thought you'd like to have some youth in your Grange, but don't have any ideas how to get them? If you are going to initiate a drive to get new members into your Grange, one way is to target a specific group that has something in common with your current membership.

If your membership is age 70 plus, targeting teens is not impossible, but often difficult. However, targeting those who have just reached retirement age is practical and possible. By reaching out and inviting those whom you share commonalities with, you can gradually change the makeup of your membership. By recruiting those just retiring, you open up new avenues to those still in the work force. They can effectively recruit younger members with families and the process can continue so that the entire family is represented in your Grange membership in the future.

Make sure that your members have bought into the idea to recruit new members and give them help in ways to approach potential members. Each member has importance and by their participation in a targeted membership campaign, they can ensure success.

Granges can make growth happen by targeting specific ages for membership recruitment!

FEBRUARY 2003 - TALK POSITIVE
Have you ever heard someone say something that seems to say that our high point is in the past? Comments like "I remember when the Grange hall used to be full of members" are normally negative comments. How many newspaper articles have you seen where it seems the members are longing for the "good old days"?

If you want new members in your Grange, it is crucial that you and your fellow members talk positively about your Grange. Find a positive or good thing at each meeting and tell a nonmember about it. Speak to others about the fun, the interesting fact you learned, or about your Grange's future plans.

Always keep in mind that it is usually small comments that indicate to others what the Grange is like. All the positive PR in the world will amount to little if the membership doesn't speak to their friends about the Grange in a positive fashion.

Members who talk positively about their Grange make growth happen!

JANUARY 2003 - SHOW YOUR PRIDE
Have you ever seen someone wearing a jacket that shows what organization or activity they participate in? Chances are that they are proud of the association that they have with the organization or activity. What do you and your fellow members do to show your pride in your Grange?

Your Grange could order tee shirts, jackets, hats, or other clothing so that each member could exhibit their pride. Get something for every car, a license plate holder, decal, bumper sticker, or even a special license plate. Consider a house sign, mailbox sign, or decal that members can display at home or at their business. Use a member's home computer for small numbers and professional sources for larger numbers of items.

When members display their pride in the Grange, people will ask about their Grange. Displaying pride is part of setting the stage to recruiting new members. Appoint a committee to investigate different ways of showing Grange pride in your community.

Members who show their pride in their Grange make growth happen!