Celebrations inspire membership retention

Over the years, some districts and/or governors in Optimist International have decided to forego the second quarter district meeting in favor of smaller zone-style meetings.  I am sad to report that my home district is one of those. The thought put forward by some is that by bringing the district leaders to the zone, more members will participate in the meeting.

In a district that covers more than 1,500 miles from the eastern-most club in Idaho to the western-most club in Alaska, there might be some truth to such reasoning. However, in reality, the same people tend to come, whether it is at a near or far location. Sure, there might be a few extra members at the  host location, but I question whether that is enough benefit to warrant the governor and secretary-treasurer, in the PNW District's case, to be on the road for four weekends. This year, those four weekends started January 28 and end on March 18!

Alternatively,  on Facebook, I have noticed some Optimist International districts, WEMO, AMSNW, and OK, among others, were holding full district meetings and hosting big celebrations to recognize the Honor and Distinguished Clubs from the prior year.  What a great idea!

Celebrations are an important part of member retention. As humans, we need to feel that someone appreciates what we've done and as a team, by recognizing the high achieving Optimist Clubs, we will inspire others to do what it takes to be recognized too.

This message is to encourage all districts to make a big deal out of Honor and Distinguished Clubs. When an Optimist Club earns Honor Club, they have proved their value to their members and community by showing excellence in administration and community service. When an Optimist Club earns Distinguished Club, they have also shown another community the impact of optimism for they have started a new Optimist Club. Both Honor and Distinguished Clubs have extended the reach of Optimist International by adding three, five or fifteen or more net members consecutively. All of which deserves a large celebration indeed.

On March 4, 2017, the Caribbean District will host a Hall of Fame Plus One Awards Show to recognize their high achieving Optimist Clubs.  In addition to the awards presentation, there will be general sessions featuring education to inspire achievement this year and a business session to manage the fiduciary matters and strategic direction of the district. Of course, fellowship will be enjoyed by all.

Now that's what district meetings are supposed to be about. And for me, I hope to see the full district meeting model, with awards show to boot, returned to the Pacific Northwest District.

Barbados Optimist Clubs proud of its young orators

Right now is one of my favorite times of the Optimist International administrative year. It is when Optimist Clubs and Districts all recognize young people for their communications skills through participation in the Optimist International Oratorical Contest and Communications Contest for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (CCDHH). In fact, I like it so much that I use Pinterest collect pictures from Optimist Club scholarship contests submitted to local newspapers and then posted online. This is one reason, among many, that Optimist Clubs and Districts should be diligent about submitting press releases and recognizing their deserving youthful winners. People like me might pick up the story and help amplify it through their own networks.

A special post on Facebook caught my attention today. Posted by the Optimist Club of Barbados-Bridgetown, the young orators winning the Caribbean District Optimist International Oratorical Contest in 2015 were from Barbados. Congratulations to all.

2015 Caribbean District Oratorical Contest winners - all hailing from Barbados and we are proud:2nd place winner...
Posted by Optimist Club of Barbados - Bridgetown on Monday, April 20, 2015

Proud to be an Optimist: the promotion continues

One of my favorite activities that I've seen an Optimist Club do this year just got better.

On March 27, 2013, the Caribbean District - Optimist International celebrated Proud to be an Optimist day. The Pacific Northwest District followed suit.

The key method of sharing information about Optimist pride was Facebook and Twitter where members proclaimed their association with their Optimist Club and explained why it was important.

Today I saw the poster created by the Sunset Optimist Club of Kingston for the event on Facebook and got all excited about the promotion once again.

It's so simple, even you can do it for your Optimist Club! Ask five or six members to share their pictures and their names to the cause and then create a poster of your own. Share the poster on Facebook, take out an advertisement in the local paper, and post it on bulletin boards about town. Don't forget to add your contact information - people will want to associate with your club!

I'm proud to be an Optimist. Are you?

Proud to be an Optimist Day

The Caribbean District and the Pacific Northwest District of Optimist International have proclaimed today, March 27, to be Proud to be an Optimist Day. Optimist Club members are declaring their pride on Facebook and other social media platforms by changing their profile picture to the Proud to be an Optimist badge. (right)

Additionally, the district organizers have asked their members to wear their Optimist Club apparel to work today and to take extra time to talk about their Optimist Club's projects.

The best way to increase awareness of the good that Optimist Clubs do is to talk about it. I think that's a lesson that we learned yesterday when when we discussed, "What's Your Story?" Of course, it might be uncomfortable for some to bring up the subject of their Optimist Club first. This passive promotion will hopefully encourage others to ask questions in order to learn more.

If you are an Optimist Club member, please join us in the Proud to be an Optimist project.

If you aren't a member, why don't you consider joining us? It's a good thing to do. Find a club near you now.

Help when and where you can

"Don’t give up the opportunity to help five children because you think that you should be able to help twenty." - Nutilia Simon, Governor-elect, Caribbean District - Optimist International 

In a motivational note to the members of the Caribbean District, Governor-elect Simon shared that nugget of hope and wisdom. I've seen it happen; individuals and their respective Optimist Clubs get so caught up in the potential of their ideas that they spend most of their time planning and little of their time doing. They talk a good game, but fail to take action. 

The two main reasons that clubs give for lack of action are universal: 

1. We're underfunded.
2. We don't have enough members.

Both speak to the beauty of Governor-elect Simon's message. Help those you can, when you can and one day your club may have the capacity to do more. Your Optimist Club's good deeds will draw attention and others to the cause. And if it doesn't, you will still have made a difference because you gave of yourself in service. 

Photo courtesy of JOOI Barbados on Facebook. 

Caribbean District plans to make a difference one child at a time

October 1 marks the beginning of a new administrative year for Optimist International and its Optimist Clubs and Districts. As the current leaders push hard to add more new members to their rosters, new leaders are finalizing their plans and motivating their teams to take office immediately. It's always nice when the two administrations are able to work together, and for the most part, they do; however, at some point the new leaders have to start sharing their message. 

One way that the leaders will inspire their team is by developing a new logo that signifies their theme for the year. The logo, including a tagline, is not meant to distract from Optimist International's mission. It is designed to enhance it by bringing a local touch to the message.

Over the weekend, I began to see the logo developed by the Caribbean District. Lynden Buchanan, Governor 2012-2013 will ask the team to make a difference by focusing their attention on "One child at a time."

I'm impressed with the message and the design, but Governor Lynden has even more to share about teamwork and individual responsibility within one's team. He used a story about a feared but respected hunter, the wolf,  to make his point. You can watch The Wisdom of the Wolves to learn more, but I think "The Wolf Credo" by Del Goetz, contained in the video, says it all:

Respect the elders
Teach the young
Cooperate with pack.

Play when you can
Hunt when you must
Rest in between.

Share your affections
Voice your feelings
Leave your mark.

The Caribbean District of Optimist International is off to an inspirational start. I'm looking forward to the mark it leaves for all.