What's going on?

[alum]

Originally posted by paulaKKG
Have you tried coordinating interest groups? Any idea the ages/background of these individuals?

Our local alumnae organization has 225 active no-kidding members at the moment; and ironically it is because we are very decentralized. We have 14 active interest groups and this is where 96% of our membership comes from. We have a day and evening book club (evening is mostly working women/women with kids, day is mostly retirees, some stay-at home moms); we have a day and evening bridge group, a needlepoint group, a happy hour group, a wine-tasting group, a runners group, a moms and tots playgroup, and a few "zip code" groups - groups of people that meet to do random gatherings based on area. Most of these groups have 20-30 people on the list, and any given meeting is 8-12 of them getting together once a month. This solves the get-to-know people problem - once these core groups get established it is very easy to connect because now you are not trying to get to know 200 people, you are connecting to 20-30 people.

We have 4 "big" events a year (they are fairly well attended - 50-60 people) but otherwise all events are done on a small scale. There is no obligation to attend any given event, and participation in an interst group does not require the person to attend other functions. Each interest group has a "chair" that organizes meetings, and we do have an executive board - but otherwise it is a very low-key approach.

As these eager members email you - suck them in. Have them be the chair for one of your groups.

I think PaulaKKG and I are in the alumnae association. It is an excellent resource. I am involved with 2 of the interest groups that she mentioned.

Even smaller alumnae associations have a lot to offer as well. I have relocated several times to hubby's work and have always found the association to be nothing but welcoming and inclusive.