[oklahoma-l] ACB Speaks Out on Membership Through Conference Call

Sun Jan 24 23:50:18 GMT 2010

Don, the message I sent from THE BRAILLE FORUM was concerning membership
development.  Sorry I don't know about transportation.  If you go to church,
try to contact your pastor and maybe he has some suggestions.  Sometimes
people in your own congregation assist.

-----Original Message-----
From: oklahoma-l-bounces at acb.org [mailto:oklahoma-l-bounces at acb.org] On
Behalf Of Don and Melanie Petty
Sent: Sunday, January 24, 2010 1:33 PM
To: Oklahoma Council of the Blind discussion list
Subject: Re: [oklahoma-l] ACB Speaks Out on Membership Through Conference
Call

vicki g
how does the outreach wok, im currently looking for a ride from edmond to my
capitol job,
do u know any house wives or students who are not tied up mel is going back
to a day shift and
her lunch hour is too short to come get me and drop off, i dont have any
share fare yet..
don
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Lynn Golightly" <vgolight at yahoo.com>
To: <jmijer at yahoo.com>; <jaydoudna at cox.net>; <sandi.webster at cox.net>
Cc: "'Oklahoma Council of the Blind discussion list'" <oklahoma-l at acb.org>
Sent: Friday, January 22, 2010 10:32 PM
Subject: [oklahoma-l] ACB Speaks Out on Membership Through Conference Call

> No matter what organization you are passionate about and devote your time
> and talent to on a regular basis, recruiting, retaining and motivating
> members sometimes seems like traveling down a daunting, dark, despairing
> path.  The topic of membership and outreach has come up time and time
> again
> in OCB chapter meetings and OCB Board meetings.  Here is some information
> that might help all of us as we seek to grow our chapters and ACB state
> affiliate.  Again, this is from the January BRAILLE FORUM.
>
>
>
> If you do not subscribe to ACB's BRAILLE FORUM, please do.  You can visit
> ACB's website at www.acb.org to subscribe in all reading media.
>
>
>
> Come to the Oklahoma Council of the Blind Board meeting tomorrow at the
> Oklahoma Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped to discuss
> membership issues along with a multitude of other topics.  OCB is your
> organization and we want to know what you want us to do for you and blind
> or
> visually impaired Oklahomans.  OCB is eager to benefit from your
> friendship,
> time and talents.  The meeting will begin at 10:30 and last until about
> 3:00
> P.M.  The Library is located at 300 N.E. 18th in Oklahoma City.
>
>
>
> See you there and read on!!!!
>
>
>
> ACB MEMBERSHIP FOCUS: REACTIVATING AND KEEPING MEMBERS
>
>
>
> by Ardis Bazyn
>
>
>
>            Our last focus call was on a topic that is of interest to
> chapters in all affiliates: "How can we reactivate past members and 'wow'
> our current members to retain them?" We first discussed how to reactivate
> past members. Participants on the call suggested that the best way to
> reactivate past members is to make personal contact with members who
> haven't
> been attending meetings recently. Ask them why they haven't been
> attending.
> Perhaps they've been extremely busy and didn't think the meetings were
> addressing their needs. You could then find out what would entice them
> into
> coming back again.
>
>
>
>            Another reason suggested was a lack of camaraderie between
> members. As you are building chapters, you should be building friendships.
> If members continue to talk only with their closest friends, others may
> feel
> like no one cares if they keep attending. A monthly greeter may help each
> participant feel welcome.
>
>
>
>            You may find that transportation is a barrier.  Several people
> suggested talking about this difficulty and offering possible options.
> Members could contact local service clubs, suggest applying for
> paratransit,
> find out the closest bus lines, or arrange to use Skype or a speaker
> phone.
> If your meeting is in a restaurant, you'd need to use a cell phone with
> speaker capability.
>
>
>
>            Communicating regularly with members may help keep them in the
> loop. Many participants on the call said their chapters had phone trees
> which routinely called members to remind them of chapter meetings and
> social
> events. They would also call if important legislation needed to be acted
> on
> immediately. Other chapters and affiliates had e-mail lists for members to
> keep in touch; others had announce-only e-mail lists where an officer sent
> out notices of relevant information for members.
>
>
>
>            When the discussion turned to "wowing" current members, there
> were lots of suggestions. Ask members what they want the chapter or
> affiliate to do. For example, find out what programs would be of interest
> for members. Some said their members liked giving ideas for chapter
> speakers, events, and extra activities. Ideas included having
> audio-described movie nights and going out every few months and bowling,
> riding bumper cars, or visiting museums and other local attractions. In
> this
> way, others see members integrating into the community. One chapter
> negotiated for significant discounts in bowling and theater tickets.
>
>
>
>            Other suggestions included holding a book club once a month,
> supper club get-together in other parts of town, sports outings, retreats
> or
> summer camps, and a picnic each year. Some suggested involving more
> members
> in committees or in mentoring newer members.
>
>
>
>            Another participant mentioned looking at fun things in other
> areas. Trips could be fund-raisers or just social events. Buses and vans
> could drive members and friends to new places like casinos, ski resorts,
> or
> boat rides or cruises. Charter buses could be arranged; you'd need to make
> reservations in advance and get participants' payments ahead of time too.
> Advertisements and news releases could be used to get more participants.
>
>
>
>            Other events that might attract visitors to your chapter would
> be diabetes seminars, workshops on special issues like employment or
> technology, a workshop for parents of blind children, and student/parent
> forums with guest speakers. Activities that might get publicity for your
> chapter or affiliate include a white cane walk, a visit from a local
> legislator, or getting the mayor to participate. Other ways to get known
> in
> your community include speaking to service groups, speaking to retirement
> centers, joining transportation assistance program boards, county
> transportation advisory boards, and advisory boards relating to
> accessibility, voting, or emergency preparedness.  Outreach with
> professional groups is another way to get known.
>
>
>
>            The discussion also focused on getting new members to attend.
> One suggestion was to contact colleges and disabled student services
> offices
> and offer our chapters as resources for students with visual impairments.
> If
> your chapter meets in a restaurant, you could offer to pay for the first
> meal. You could also offer free one-year membership to students.
>
>
>
>            It was suggested that chapters conduct a membership project
> involving the whole chapter, with a prize given to the member who brought
> the most visitors. You could involve other chapters in your state or
> special-interest affiliate by having a contest between chapters. Some
> chapters have a problem with members leaving early. You could offer
> incentives to those who stay for the whole meeting, perhaps a raffle of a
> free Christmas dinner or other monetary gift at the end of the year.
>
>
>
>            We also discussed publicity as a means for finding new members.
> Most felt that chapters and affiliates should have a good web site with
> chapter information, including contact information, for those looking for
> peer support, resources, and other relevant information. The site should
> also have links to local sites of interest to people with visual
> impairments. If you need help building your web site, try contacting local
> colleges and ask about students taking courses in web site design.
>
>
>
>            For good photos of your officers, convention, etc., try
> contacting art schools, or the photography department of local colleges or
> universities. They could have a byline on your web site ("photos by .").
> You
> can also show links to local TV or radio news web sites. Profiles of
> members
> could be highlighted as well. You could also include articles on issues of
> interest, such as guide dog issues. Other publicity could be handled
> through
> PSAs and local news releases. You could also use the NFB Newsline to share
> about your meetings and when they occur.
>
>
>
>            Please plan to attend the next membership focus call, to be
> held
> Sunday, Jan. 17, 2010. The topic will be "How can we complete our business
> during meetings and committee meetings more efficiently?" The call-in
> number
> will be (218) 339-2699 and the access code is 757720. If you have
> membership
> concerns, contact me by phone, (818) 238-9321, or by e-mail,
> abazyn at bazyncommunications.com.
>
>
>
>
>
>

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