What's sad, as Seth Godin recently said in a post, is that lonely people join organizations. The sad part is that they join, but don't realize the necessity of participation.
10 Rules for Connecting
1. I cannot just be a name on a list.
2. I must believe in the works and mission of the group.
3. I must schedule a meeting with an officer or executive of the group, to find out how to best get involved.
4. I must join an active committee.
5. I must attend all or most of the meetings and events of the organization.
6. I must financially support the club with more than just my membership dues. I will need to budget that much more into my marketing budget.
7. I must budget time into my schedule so that I am not stressed by having to attend functions.
8. I must figure out how I can give back to the organization.
9. If appropriate, I must invite and financially underwrite guests to each meeting and event.
10. I must take on a leadership persona, helping the group to prosper.
You'll notice that the above ten rules are NOT about you and how you can be less lonely. It's all about making the group more successful. Doing so will eliminate your loneliness as a side benefit.
2 comments:
Debby, a great set of guides...but as an association consultant I believe much of the accountability for these 10 points being valuable for rthe member is that associations quite often fail, and miserably at that, by not understanding their role in creating opportunity for members to succeed.
Dave, thanks for your comment. I do agree that many groups could do a better job of funneling people into active membership. Hmmm. maybe another ten rules are needed for the organizations!
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