Public Relations and Membership

Public Relations/Membership

Carl Meiss
Director
20 Erford Road
Suite 310
Lemoyne, PA 17043
800-552-3865
publicrelations@pagrange.org

The first thing I want to do this month is to list those Granges who received the membership recruitment recognition from both National and State Grange. At State Session, Pennsylvania still had 280 Granges. We lost 17 Granges between July 1, 2006 and June 30, 2007 (the dates for these reports). 58 Granges (20.7% of our total Granges) showed a net gain in membership during that National Grange fiscal year. They were:

Sanatoga #25

Russellville #91

*Progress #96

Sparta #110

Windfall #257

Brokenstraw #407

Dawson #419

*Lawrence #533

*McKendree #722

Eureka #816

*Rundells #871

Elkland #976

Elk Creek #997

Curfew #1052

Watson #1068

Oliver #1069

Chestnut Ridge #1133

Victoria #1193

Eldred #1237

*Odin #1254

Bottle Run #1301

Fairview #1351

**Valley #1360

Jefferson #1384

Tamarack #1388

*Bald Eagle #1390

Harveys #1444

*Lawsville #1455

Donegal #1495

Burgettstown #1502

*Kimmerlings #1529

Ginger Hill #1549

Big Creek #1559

Mahoning Valley #1649

*Stony Point #1694

Unity #1710

Mifflin #1725

Plumsteadville #1728

**Gouglersville #1743

*Bell Twp. #1756

Kingwood #1765

Liberty #1780

Perry Valley #1804

Reynoldsville #1825

**Virginville #1832

Greenwood #1852

Marion #1853

*Pleasant Hill #1861

*Washington #1949

Frankfort Spring #1989

Community #1994

Norwich #2018

Dunkard Twp. #2045

Greeley #2053

Geigertown #2061

Elizabethtown #2076

Twin E Hanover #2089

Cumberland Valley #2104

(* indicates 2 consecutive years with gains)
(** indicates 3 consecutive years of gains)

As I noted earlier, these 58 Granges make up 20.7% of our total Granges. Our new National President, Ed Luttrell had calculated that if 40% of all Granges within a state show a gain in membership, that there should be an overall gain in membership for the entire state. That means that if we get about 54 more Granges to recruit just one more member than they lose, that we should see a net gain in membership for the entire state! How can that be you may ask?

Well, many of those 58 Granges that showed a gain this past year recruited enough new members to not only offset their own membership losses (through death, non-payment of dues, etc.) but they offset the losses of many of our other Granges who may only have lost a few members. But they can't offset all the losses.

So, we simply need every Grange in the state to recruit at least one more new member than the total number of members lost. Does this make some sense? Our numbers dropped off slightly this past year. As you will see on page 15, we recruited 332 new members in 2007. That is down slightly from a high of 475 in 2005. Let's make 2008 the "Grange Year of Recruitment" and hit the 1,000 mark for new members!

We are so close to seeing positive membership numbers! In the past five years we have seen our membership net losses dive from more than 3,000 per year to less than 800 per year. So all of you are doing things right! All we need is the help of a few more members and Granges and we will be one of the few states to show a total net gain in membership for the year! I know that you can do it!

Additional congratulations are due to Marvin Berger from Virginville Grange #1832 in Berks County, Deedra Rhodes from Shermanata Grange #1796 in Perry County and Mary Kaye Shutt from Hookstown Grange #1980 in Beaver County! Marvin, Deedra and Mary Kaye have all taken advantage of my membership incentive offer and recruited two or more new members between September 1, 2007 and December 31, 2007. I just had the secretary write a check to Virginville Grange in the amount of $30.00 to pay Marvin's dues for 2008! Deedra's and Mary Kaye's checks will go out in the next day or so. I am sincerely hoping that many of the secretaries out there are going to be sending a lot more reports of membership recruiters who I have to pay their dues for 2008 with their fourth quarter reports. This is one budget item that the Executive Committee won't complain too much to me if I go over budget.

I wrote this article before Christmas so I have not seen the majority of the Fourth Quarter Reports that will come in after the first of the year. If it appears that this membership incentive program went over well for the final quarter of 2007, I will see if I can get approval to extend it into at least the first quarter of 2008.

The Advocate
Don't forget to read this entire issue of The Advocate. Embedded somewhere within the text of at least two of the articles in this issue are the names and Grange numbers of two of our members. (These names were randomly selected by the computer) If those members read their names and contact me here in the State Office (1-800-552-3865) within two weeks of the date that I send The Advocate to the printer, they will each win a gift card from Sheetz for $20.00! If you see your name and Grange number, call me. You must be able to give proper identification and the exact location of your name in the article (page and article) to win...Good Luck and Good Reading! (Note: None of those Grange members mentioned in this article are the "embedded" names.)

Farm Show
Please take the opportunity to head to the PA Farm Show between January 5 and 12, 2008 and stop by the PA State Grange booth in the Old Exhibition Hall off Maclay Street. We will be along the far wall as you walk in. Or if you come in from the rest of the complex, take an immediate left turn when you come into the hall and we'll be along the wall on your left.

I sincerely hope that everyone had a very Merry Christmas (or Happy Holiday if you prefer) and a safe and Happy New Year!

Carl

CALLING ALL PENN STATE STUDENTS!

If you are attending Penn State Main Campus, we need you! We are working to reorganize the Penn State Grange, which has been inactive since 1965. We had our first organizational meeting on December 11, 2007 and plan a second meeting in late February, 2008. Watch your Advocate and your college email for additional updates. We know there are a number of current Grange members who live in University Park who could re-charter a Grange under the auspices of Student Activities. We only need 20 students to get started. If you are a current student or if you live in the Centre County area and would like to help with this effort, please contact the State Master at master@pagrange.org