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Worldwide Community Membership Activity Strengthened During Pandemic
Membership activity strengthened during pandemic
by Jim Boyd Director of New Club Building for Optimist International
A majority of Optimists Clubs became stronger during the global pandemic, creating an unexpected benefit from the unprecedented event. The directive was released on March 13 that all District conferences and meetings should be canceled through April 30. The nature of the pandemic prompted most Optimists members to carry the directive into May.
Traditional projects had to be shelved or postponed. Fundraising events also fell by the wayside as members scrambled to react to the ever-changing world around them. The weekly, bimonthly or monthly Optimist Club meeting quickly became jeopardized as government officials began recommending and then restricting group gatherings as a means to flatten the COVID-19 curve. Despite all of this, Clubs found their membership strengthening. Our Creed calls on us to
Optimists throughout our organization began to first explore and then utilize means to stay connected with each other and most found the answer in a four-letter word. Zoom. The explosion of video-conferencing enabled our members to stay in touch with each other and, as it turns out, more frequently than before the pandemic. Members came together just to see each other, to find out how they were handling orders for shelter in place, social distancing and other restrictions that were unheard of in January and February of this year.
Anecdotal evidence alone supports the assertion that membership engagement has increased. “Our Club meeting attendance is higher now than before this all started,” said one Club president. “Six weeks ago I hadn’t even heard of Zoom. Now, I’m on it every day with other Optimists,” said one member. The need for the video technology prompted a series of webinars providing our members with the basics to connect with others.
It also laid the foundation for future use by providing an electronic platform for our Clubs to market to non-Optimists in their community and around the world. It quickly is becoming another tool in the membership recruitment and retention toolbox. The pandemic also made evident why Clubs have been encouraged to use social media for engagement and recruitment.
The opportunity to engage the non-Optimist public in their activities such as online trivia contests and to provide guidance about the benefits of membership via social media can and should make our Clubs stronger. Optimists need to drive home the message that membership affords people access to professional and personal development, networking occasions, an avenue to give back to the community and regular contact with like-minded people.
Many Clubs should be able to maintain and increase their membership in a post pandemic world by keeping these membership benefits front and center whether meeting someone for coffee or within the next post on social media. The strength of the local Optimist Club lies in its members and it has been during these trying times that many members and Clubs have risen to the challenge.
Optimist Clubs around the world have found a way to bring us closer together despite the lack of public gatherings. Utilizing the new tools in toolbox while remembering to use what’s already in it should position our Clubs well for the months and years to come.
