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Potlucks with a theme can be very successful. Our favorite is the Mexican Potluck where everyone brings some sort of Mexican dish - which means lots of chips, salsa, queso, bean dips, etc. We almost always host our events at a member's home. Last time, everyone else brought the food and the host provided great margaritas - both spiked and virgin options.
We also have "philanthropy" nights where everyone brings a donation for goodie bags to donate to a local charity - such as a battered women's shelter - we spent the night stuffing bags with soap, shampoo, etc, munched on snacks and spent some fun time with sisters swapping stories.
We had a financial advisor come one time, she was free, and got some referals out of it. She spent 45 minutes or so talking about women and investing, giving advice, warning us of mistakes that many women make, etc. I'm sure if you called any American Express Financial, AG Edwards, etc office, you could get someone to come. They will see it as an opportunity to find new clients.
Look for "Free Concerts/Movies/Plays in the Park" type events in your area. We did that when I lived in Texas and it was great fun. We all just brought our own picnic dinner and enjoyed the concert.
One of our other associations had a wine and cheese tasting party where 1/3 brought their favorite white wine, 1/3 brought their favorite red wine, 1/3 brought their favorite cheese and crackers.
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