by Rusty Hunt
National Grange Director of Leadership and Membership
Always be Prepared
When we are packing for a camping trip or to go on a hike it is always a
good idea to plan for what ever could happen while we are there. So how
does this apply to the Grange? How do we as the leaders of the Grange
prepare ourselves? What are we preparing ourselves for?
How many times have you been
asked the question “What is the Grange?” only to hesitate, hem or haw,
and stumble over the answer? I think we all have. We need to prepare
ourselves to tackle this question and other questions that may come up
in conversations about the Grange.
As Leaders of the Grange we
should know Grange history. We need to know at least the basics like
when it was formed, what purpose it was created for, and what we have
done since that time. The answers to these questions are not just for
your Community Grange but for the State Grange and the National Grange
as well. We should be reading books about the Grange, checking out
websites, getting familiar with the different handbooks that the Grange
publishes at all levels. You can also get a lot of information by just
walking around your own hall and learning from the ribbons, plaques, and
pictures on the walls. They will help you get to know the history of
your Local Grange. We should be talking to our long time members and
finding out why they joined, what they have accomplished in the Grange,
and why they value their Grange membership. Using our eyes and ears to
learn about the Grange will help prepare us for opportunities to talk
about the Grange.
Practice, practice, practice is
another way of preparing ourselves. You may ask what and how we are to
practice? Your Lecturer can help with that! Put all the members’ names
in a hat and draw a couple out and have them give their 30 second
elevator speech to the Grange. It sounds easy until you have to say it
out loud! We should learn how to ask questions back to those that ask
about the Grange. We need to engage them in conversation so we can learn
more about them. This helps us get more specific about the things that
Grange can do to fill their personal needs. Practicing can be done just
by talking with other members. Talk with each other about getting new
members. Help each other out when it comes to getting potential new
leaders to join the Grange.
Stocking up on Grange supplies
helps prepare for opportunities. Make sure your Grange has extra copies
of program handbooks, legislative policy handbooks, benefits brochures,
and applications. Really, stock up on anything that you can get your
hands on that a potential new member would be interested in. The more
things we can show or give them increases the odds that we can touch
their interest in becoming one of us and joining the Grange.
I hope you all can see how
important it is for all of us to Always Be Prepared. As the leaders of
the Grange we have many ways to help us get prepared. You never know
when the next opportunity will come for us to share this GREAT
organization with others.
Join us on Tuesday evening, April 8, 2008 at 9:00 p.m. on TeamSpeak when
we will discuss the topic of "Always Be Prepared." I will be presenting
the topic and Carl Meiss, your own Public Relations/Membership Director,
will be hosting the session. If you need information on how to access
TeamSpeak on your computer, contact Carl at the PA State office at
800-552-3865 or
publicrelations@pagrange.org All you need is a computer with
internet access and a headset with a microphone. Hope to "see" you
there.
