June Top Ten: Ways to Make Every Day "Add an Altrusan Day"

From our fabulous Membership Development Committee comes this month's Top Ten list:

Ways to Make Every Day "Add an Altrusan Day"

1. Wear your Altrusa pin every day for a month, and have your elevator speech ready!
2. Write your own Top Ten list about why you love being an Altrusan, and post it to your Facebook page. (It is Facebook Friday, after all!)
3. Choose someone from your office to invite to your next meeting or service project, and keep going until you get a "YES!"
4. Make donations to the International (or your Club) Foundation in honor of friends' and family's birthdays and other special occasions.
5. Add a great Altrusa signature to your personal email.
6. Create an "Altrusa" board on your Pinterest account, and pin great ideas for service projects, meeting decorations, or anything else that sparks your fancy.
7. Look up old friends and make an Altrusa meeting or other event the place where you reconnect.
8. Ask your spouse to invite a potential Altrusan to join you at the next meeting.
9. Put a collection box--for pop tabs, books, toys, or whatever your Club is collecting--in your office at work with a sign that clearly shows Altrusa.
10. Have Altrusa business cards made, and give them to every person you meet for the first time.

Do you have an idea individual members can use to make every day "Add an Altrusan Day"? Send them to Governor Beth. And keep your eyes open for a kit of materials that will help you plan for and celebrate "Add an Altrusan Month" (April) like never before.

Fundraising Q&A

Here’s a few questions (and answers) for you about fundraising…

Why do we need to fundraise?  Fundraising is an essential part of service. Your club will have to have money to do the wonderful service projects it wants to do. Start early and remember no idea is a bad idea. Know your goal and your purpose for the funds you are raising and know your limits. Tell people what service project(s) the funds provide. Make your event unique. Provide a quality service or product so people will remember your club and ask you to participate next time! Be sure to thank those who helped you and patronize the businesses of donors and suppliers.  Then the next time you ask them, they will want to help!

Our club is raising funds through an event open and advertised to people other than our club members. Does this mean all the money we raise has to be used only for our club’s service projects or can we use it for our operating expenses or even to send delegates to District Conference?

Any funds raised from outside the club’s members must be used for Service projects, none can go to club’s operating expenses.

Our club wants to have a raffle. Can the prize be money?
No. Any other prize is acceptable according to Texas laws, just not cash.

For more details go to Texas Attorney General’s website at www.oag.state.tx.us.

Make your fundraising event profitable for your club in more ways than one.  Consider making your fundraising event a way to meet and recruit new Altrusans.  Make it a FUN event, introduce guests to Altrusa and your club members, learn more about your guests and ask if they would be interested in becoming Altrusans. Have club info available and include upcoming events. Be sure to follow up with them to answer any questions they have. Invite them to your meetings and service projects as well and soon you will have more Altrusans in your club!

Make your fundraiser a success.  The more people who know about your club, what you are raising the funds for, the better! Publicize your fundraisers in the local newspaper, local magazines, local radio stations, local cable stations, set up a separate Fundraising Facebook page, other Altrusa clubs.  Get your communications committee to help. Be sure to send your fundraising event dates and info to District Nine so we can also help you get the word out. Email your fundraising event dates and stories (with photos/videos) to me at janelle@apextrading.com and I’ll help get the word out by sharing them with Governor Beth, the District Nine board, past governors and current club presidents. The District Nine Communications Committee is working on YouTube videos, Facebook posts, and helping with local club and district publicity.

Janelle Williamson
Second Vice Governor/Fundraising Committee Chair

Let your voice be heard! Guest blogs are always welcome, so write about an Altrusa topic that is dear to you and send it to Governor Beth at bethelene@tx.rr.com.

Books for West: A Districtwide Service Project

On June 24, Governor Beth Blair received word from International Foundation Board of Trustees Chair Ann Marie Snyer that the Altrusa Club of Dallas Foundation had received a $6,000 grant for its library book project for the schools in West, Texas, that were destroyed in the horrific explosion there on the Thursday night before our 2013 District Nine Conference.
 
Dallas' newest member, Gillian Allen, was already thinking and formulated a fabulous service project on her own. With the seed money from the International, Gillian is leading the Dallas Club and all District Nine Clubs in a two-year project that will make an enormous impact. Here are Gillian's thoughts about the vision for the project.

"Two days before my first conference, a deadly explosion ripped through the town of West, Texas. I have been to that town to work. I know some of the people there. As I sat through various seminars and gatherings at Conference, my mind frequently returned to thoughts of the area. But what could I do? I am one person. I am not wealthy. Yet the one gift that I myself received early in life was the joy of reading. I can remember visiting my local libraries, both at school and in my community, and the joy, the peace, the contentment I found in books. To this day I am a bookworm. I make no apology for it. So on my way home from conference I decided I had to do something. I had listened to many speakers talk about service projects and the idea that had sparked them, and thought to myself “How do I do this?” I called Beth and asked the question. I told her I knew there had been significant damage to the schools, and I wanted to find some way to help. Over the next few days and then weeks, we learned that two schools would require complete demolition, and a substantial portion of a third would need to be razed to the ground and then rebuilt.

My vision for this project is, first and foremost, to give books to the library of the Intermediate school. I want the children to know that people in their wider community are still thinking of them, and to give them a refuge in books. We can give them that escape into books that I cherish to this day.

I intend to utilize every resource and personal contact we can to obtain corporate matching of our funds. I believe that success in our group fund-raising efforts will fuel further success and help us give more to the school.

I am also very cognizant of the fact that our clubs need members. To encourage people to look at our organization as an endeavor worthy of their time, talents and potential monetary contributions, we have to let them know we exist. By going into our communities and talking about how we intend to help our neighbors, we demonstrate by our actions what we are: who we are.

 

I also think that one of our greatest strengths is our network of clubs. Alone, I can do very little; together we can do mighty works. I love that other clubs have heard of our project and asked to share in it. We are united in our intent to help our neighbors, and it unites us as clubs, as districts, as a national organization too.

Gillian is a visionary. It's our hope that you will catch the vision, too. To help, email Governor Beth Blair (bethelene@tx.rr.com).

More Thoughts on Retention

Some thoughts on member retention:  Most clubs have (or should have) a process to determine why members fail to renew, but does yours have a process to evaluate why people remain members? Do you do a survey of your members every year to evaluate how your club is doing in the member’s eyes? To evaluate projects? To suggest new projects? Clubs are only as strong as their members. To keep your club strong you need to understand why it is strong, and if it’s not a strong as you’d like do you know why it’s not?

Members remain Altrusans because Altrusa fills a need (often many needs) in the member’s mind and heart.  Some of these reasons are a sense of belonging to something worthwhile, having a feeling of accomplishment and having other women to relate to and rely on…a sisterhood. Building that feeling of sisterhood can strengthen your club. And while doing service together certainly can accomplish that to a certain extent, having a chance to know your members as friends can add a different dimension to the relationships among members.

So how do you encourage that feeling of sisterhood? How about having activities that you do together just because you like each other and want to be together? How about arranging a quarterly lunch (or dinner) that is available to whoever is available to come.? How about a book club? How about a shopping trip? Or visiting a museum or concert together? Or whatever else you and your Altrusa sisters like to do! Maybe even look at forming a “committee” just to plan those fun things for your club to do, which gives you a chance to get to know your Altrusa sisters as people, without the pressure of having to perform some service. This is a wonderful accomplishment in itself.

I look forward to sharing ideas with you about what your club does or could do to build another dimension of your Altrusa bond. Contact me at bobbiklein@gmail.com.

Altrusa Hugs,

Bobbi Klein
Membership Development Committee Co-Chair (Retention)

Talkin' Retention in Anderson County

One of the main problems that seem to be facing all of our clubs is keeping up membership numbers.  Not only do clubs seem to be having trouble attracting new members, but also in retaining existing members.  What does your club do to try to keep members?

You have to keep members interested and make them feel like they matter.  Make new members feel as if they are not just valued as a “membership number” bas as an important member of a team.  Be inclusive to all members and try to not rely on just a handful of members for all ideas and opinions.

One way that the Anderson County club has tried to make all members feel like they are a part of the team is to ask members to volunteer to chair the four main committees.  Members are also asked by the incoming president for their preference in placement on these committees.  These placements are on a first-come-first-serve basis, and once a committee is full, the member will be asked to choose again.  Volunteers are also asked to participate on the annual Scholarship Committee which is responsible for sending out and then screening scholarship applications to choose the recipients of the club’s annual scholarships.

All new members (members who have not yet celebrated their one-year anniversary) are invited to be on the Make a Difference Day Committee.  This committee, which is co-chaired by the current president and immediate past president, is tasked with developing and implementing the club’s annual literacy based Make a Difference Day project.  It was a new member whose idea for a book collection drive and day of reading to children that formed the basis for the 2012 MADD project which turned into a three month collection drive to gather children’s books and stuffed animals which were then passed out to children at a local festival on Make a Difference Day.  The children had to sit and listen to a portion of a children’s book before they each received a book and stuffed animal to take home with them.  Not only did this project benefit the children and Altrusans, it also involved a local youth organization that needed service hours.  The youth group was invited to dress up in costumes and come out and help read to the children.  Many of the youth group members participated, which added entertainment to the children being read to, while earning the youth group members valuable service experience and credit.

The 2013 MADD project is already under development and was the brain child of a member who was only initiated last month!  This project promises to involve at least one other community organization as well as involving students from all seven county high schools.  All of this while creating a work of art that can be enjoyed by everyone in the community for many years to come.  More details about this project will be shared at a later date as the project is more completely developed.

Laure Bruner

Altrusa International, Inc. of Anderson County

What Altrusa Has Given Me: Laure Bruner

I’ve been giving a lot of thought into why I became an Altrusan and, more importantly, why I stay an Altrusan.

The answer to the first question is simple, I joined because I knew my mother really wanted me to join in this organization that she really liked and I saw it as an opportunity to share something with her.  The answer to the second question is because Altrusa has given me so many blessings and changed my life in so many beautiful ways.

Of course this organization has given me the satisfaction that I am helping many who are less fortunate and helping to make our community a better place to live.  I have also met some amazing people from all over the state, country and even in other parts of the world.  Some who have become extremely important to me and whom I consider my friends.  But the gifts of Altrusa do not stop there.

Many people who know me now will really laugh about this next statement.  When I joined Altrusa back in 2006, I was extremely shy and lacked any sort of self-confidence.  I was the member who looked for the seat where I thought I’d get the least amount of notice.  I was happy to sit back and listen while everyone else did the talking and made all of the decisions.  I would literally get sick at my stomach if I had to speak in front of more than 2 or 3 people.

As you all know, that has certainly changed!  Now, while I may get emotional and have tears in my eyes when I get up and talk about Altrusa, I can do it with courage and pride.  The support and encouragement that I have received over the years from my fellow Altrusans has given me a self-confidence and poise that I don’t think I would have ever found in any other place.  Me!  An introverted woman from a little known small community in East Texas.

In my second year in Altrusa, I was asked to serve as the club secretary.  A job I knew I would not be good at, but one I figured I could not botch up too much.  So I accepted the job with as much dignity as I could muster and did the best job I knew how to do.  I was by far NOT the best secretary in the world, but at least I didn’t screw up too badly.  At least I don’t think I did.  So began my long tradition of not knowing how to say “no” when asked to do a job.  I was surprised when the next year they asked me to help out with the club’s yearbook.  But, being the soldier that I am, I accepted and helped the yearbook editor get the book out on time.

I was nearly speechless when, in my third year in Altrusa, a member of the nominating committee approached me and asked me if I would serve as the club’s president the next year.  I wanted to ask her if she was out of her mind, but I figured that was too rude of a reaction.  But I did tell her I didn’t think I’d be any good at it.  She assured me I’d be fine and so I accepted.  I stayed president for 3 terms.  Our club did not disband during that time, so I guess I did okay.

Since that time, I have been asked to serve on committees at the district level (I’m on my second committee now) and now on the international level.  I’ve accepted each time with the thought that I will always help in any way that I can.  But each time, it is I who has received something in return.  These positions have helped me learn more about Altrusa and also to grow as an individual and hopefully as a leader.

Hopefully in sharing my story, I will encourage at least one of you to have the courage to step up and accept a leadership role.  Volunteer to chair a committee or to fill a position on your local board.  Get involved at the district or international level, you’ll be glad you did.

I know I am biased, but I believe Altrusa really is the best organization you could ever belong to.  It is truly a builder of women (and men now as well), but it has helped me to grow and I know it can help you to grow as well.

Laure Bruner

Anderson County

Please share your thoughts about Altrusa with the world. Guest bloggers are always welcome. Email Governor Beth with your idea (if you want help), or just send your post.

Keeping Track of All Those Service Hours!

I've been keeping a record of my club's service hours for several years.  In a lot of cases, the member in charge of a service project will give me a record of the hours spent by members participating in the project.  In some cases, a project will be done during a meeting, so I get the attendance records for that meeting.   Our yearbook contains a place to record hours, also.  Some members send me monthly updates.  Periodically, I send a note to all members with the spreadsheet of hours, so members can send me upates as needed.  On the sample spreadsheet shown below, new members can be added between the two blank rows.  Service projects can be added between the two blank columns.  This allows the formulas to include the additions.  The spreadsheet indicates members with no hours (asterisk in column after the first name).  It will also exclude members who are on leave of absence for the formulas (CMEMBER  in the sample).  This spreadsheet will calculate the % of members who participated in the project.  It also includes a column for unreimbursed $'s.  The explanation of what activities should be included is shown at the bottom on the spreadsheet.  At the end of the year, the spreadsheet is sent to our club president for her year-end report.

--District Nine Past Governor Carolyn Rash

 

	Last Name	First Name			Service Project 1	Service Project 2	Service Project 3	Service Project 4	Service Project 5	Ways & Means		Service Hours Total (1)	Member Hours (2)	Other Service (3)	All Hours	$'s (4)		Leave of Absence
1	AMEMBER	A	*									0.0			0.0
2	BMEMBER	B	*									0.0			0.0			Y
3	CMEMBER	C	*									0.0			0.0
4	DMEMBER	D	*									0.0			0.0
5	EMEMBER	E	*									0.0			0.0
6	ZMEMBER	Z	*									0.0			0.0
	TOTALS		6		0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0		0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	$0.00
	Reported Through May 11				Service Project 1	Service Project 2	Service Project 3	Service Project 4	Service Project 5	Ways & Means		Service Hours Total (1)	Member Hours (2)	Other Service (3)	All Hours	$'s (4)
	Counts of Participants				0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0		0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0
	Guests
	Average hour per member											0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
	% of Members	5			0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%		0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
	(1) Service Hours - spent on service projects and activities sanctioned by Altrusa and documented in the Club's minutes.  They include planning, preparation, execution, evaluation of service projects (including ASTRA and new club building), and fundraisers.  It also includes travel time to the event.
	(2) Member Hours - spent on Club, District, or International operations, not including club meetings.  Include activities such as production of club newsletter, yearbook, or website; planning and execution of leadership/training workshops; serving as International representative at Conferences, serving as delegate at Conference/Convention business meetings, etc.
	(3) Other Hours - spent by club member participating in non-Altrusa community service activities.  Examples are volunteer work in hospitals, schools, libraries, and other not-for-profit organizations.
	(4) Unreimbursed $'s