Like, share, and comment about this membership tip

Once a month, I share a membership retention or recruitment tip on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pnwoptimist/. 

I could probably share more ideas more often, but the timing is meant to allow individuals in Optimist Clubs, wherever they are around the world, the time to give the suggestion a try. One month seems to be a good standard. 

This month, June 2018, we are on membership retention and recruitment tip #58:

Get everyone involved in promoting your Optimist Club. 

Budget time at every meeting for reflection. Ask your members to think about and share what they appreciate most about being a member. 

When we start new Optimist Clubs in new communities, we tell the potential new members about the heartwarming projects that we provide our neighborhoods and explain how rewarding it is to do them with our fellow members, people who share our same goals. Often that process reminds us how great it is to be an Optimist Club member. Doesn't it make sense to share that feeling with your fellow members? 

Create a social media post after every meeting that expresses one member’s thought or testimonial. Ask every club member to share that particular post on their Facebook timeline. 

One of my favorite testimonials comes from Judith Hillend of the Gresham Optimist Club. Speaking about the Optimist International Oratorical Contest, she said, "When you are allowed to listen to nineteen wonderful students speak to you how optimism helps them over obstacles, the outcome is overwhelming. These children of several ages spoke from their hearts about their lives, their obstacles, and their successes - obesity, family problems, hard of hearing and deafness - it brought tears to my eyes and many other Optimists in the audience. The previous list is very limited, but these kids were talking in one of the greatest obstacles in any child's life, talking to adults in a crowd. They are all winners, and those who didn't win prizes are encouraged to return next year. We will be waiting!"

Isn't that a great way to learn about the Optimist International Oratorical Contest? I think so and shared it on the PNW District Optimist Clubs website way back in 2012. It still garners hits today. 

 

Homegrown public service announcements will help others be aware of who is involved in your local Optimist Club, what projects it performs, and how it will make them feel to be a member. It will warm people to joining. Now all you have to do is ask. 

Don't let the light go out in your Optimist Club

I write stories about Optimist Clubs. I share optimism nearly every day on this site, at www.pnwdistrictoptimist.com, or on Facebook by telling what Optimist Clubs do and how their actions impact youth and the community in which they live.

Most importantly, I highlight how they make their members feel about belonging to a group of positive-thinking do-gooders. I try to share the feeling of fellowship that is gained by working together for a common cause.

When I saw this post today from Poetry in Motion, I knew right away I was going to share it because it truly sums up why I write about Optimist Clubs. Perhaps my eyes fill with light as I write these stories. I know for certain that the stories I write about have struck me because of the light I have seen shining brightly from the storytellers.

Sadly, my positive light story is going to have a bit of a twist today; it is a downer, so to speak. While I hate to do it, I feel I must because if we don't talk about it, we can't fix it.

Saturday, March 24, 2018, I attended a Super Zone Meeting for the Optimist Clubs in Washington and Oregon, PNW District - Optimist International. It was sparsely attended, which was disappointing, and the agenda was rather thin. But that's okay, I thought, if nothing else, I'm going to gain enthusiasm from my fellow attendees about the projects that we do in our communities.

Sure enough, we heard lists of projects with fundraisers and Respect for Law programs taking the forefront and the Childhood Cancer Campaign and other Optimist International programs taking a less prominent position, among a few other community-specific programs. What we didn't hear from any of the Optimist Club participants was passion. No one lit-up or got excited talking about the projects they do. They simply said, we do this, this and this, and moved on.

Instead of the usual optimism and contagious energy, concerns about participation and communication dominated the discussion. Even the club fundraisers had challenges that the storytellers shared.  And sadly, nothing was suggested to help the participants and Optimist Club members solve their clubs' problems. Unlike the positive environment we expect when we attend an Optimist District or Optimist Club activity, it was not upbeat and quite frankly, it did not include information that would help the clubs succeed.

I've expressed in my blog posts before that not everyone is an inspirational or informed leader. The PNW District has suffered through two years of such poor leadership and we had high hopes that this year would be the one to turn us around. Challenges still remain. In defense of the current governor, he pulled out information from Optimist International that explains the purpose of the District - to be an administrative arm of Optimist International and to help clubs succeed. However, from the agenda I just witnessed, he seems to be taking his cues of what help looks like from the previous administration.

I'm disappointed that the light has been dimmed in so many Optimist Club members' eyes. I hope and pray that this will be turned around soon by bringing back the leaders that share their energy and passion for the organization. They are out there and like me, they are just waiting to be asked.


For an enthusiastic presentation on what it means to be an Optimist Club member, please contact Linda Vaught here.

PNW Optimists take on the Rainiers

A little rain didn't deter our crazy PNW Optimists from enjoying a night at the ballpark. Now that is a Real Friend of Youth.

To 100 members and beyond!

Another Optimist Club that is on a big wave of additions is the Optimist Club of Lebanon, Oregon. On its Facebook page today, it shared, "Getting so crowded with Optimists that some had to be cool kids and sit in the back."

It went on to explain that the club was only 10 members away from fulfilling a challenge. Club members Jim and Heather McDaniel have promised to donate $25,000 to the Lebanon Skate Park when the club reaches 100 members. At 90, it's close!

The Lebanon Optimists have already met one challenge this year. By reaching 80 members, the McDaniels gave each member a commemmorative coin designed to celebrate the community. What's more, the Optimist Club, as of this writing, has added 44 new members for a net gain of 30 new members for this year.

Asked how they do it, the humble-brag is that the Optimist Club is the happ'n'st club in town. They are also optimistic at their meetings. No drama allowed. This club gets together to make a positive change it its community.

I had the wonderful experience of visiting the Lebanon Optimists in June 2015. At that time, the membership was between 80 and 85. At least 50 members were in attendance to share fellowship, learn about community events, and to stand together to recite the Optimist Creed. All of those elements combine to make them a truly outstanding Optimist Club.

That's why I'm sure it will meet its challenge. To 100 members and beyond! Keep going, Lebanon Optimists!

How our passions impact the world

Students compete in oratorical contest in the
PNW District - Optimist International

On Saturday, May 17, 2014, I attended the PNW District - Optimist International Finals for the Optimist International Oratorical Contest and Communications Contest for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

Sixteen young adults told us how their passions impact the world. Early in the competition one young man explained, "Passion determines skills. Spend time with what you like and you will develop skills that lead to accomplishments."

That is so true. The quote reminded me of Malcolm Gladwell's definition of expertise being 10,000 hours of practice and I thought how perceptive that he sees that without Gladwell's encouragement.

Another played on the same line of thought saying, "Passions impact our lives through the accomplishments we achieve." I found it interesting that for our young speakers, passion equaled achievement.

Other speakers drove more into their personal passions. For the hearing students, that included such things as robots and innovation, art, reading and journalism. For the hearing impaired, their passions were similar and included such things as education and technology, but they were also much more interested in causes ranging from animal rights to obesity, anti-bullying and activism.

Closing out the competition was a young man, hearing impaired, but delivering his speech aloud. Wise beyond his years, he spoke like a true optimist when he said that he'd seen hardship in his life and realized it was his responsibility to rise above it. He explained that it is every individual's responsibility to change the world around them. If everyone would do this, then together the impact could change the whole world.

"Stand up when you know something is wrong," he said. Quoting Gandhi, he concluded, "You have to be the change you want to see in the world."

Indeed.

Well done, students. Thank you for your thoughts and the promise you give our future.

Optimist Club of Salem, Oregon appreciates kids every month

I always look forward to seeing the Youth Appreciation events at the Optimist Club of Salem, Oregon. When they come across my Facebook feed, I click and enjoy the stories about the students that they have honored during the month. 

You see, almost two years ago, the members decided that if they were indeed friends of youth as the Optimist International motto says, then they needed to interact more with children. That led them to reach out to the schools in search of students who deserve a little recognition. The criteria is different for every recipient, based on what the teachers would like to emphasize. Sometimes it's most improved in a particular subject, other times it's recognition for arts or music acumen or sports ability. They are especially aware of students who improve their attendance record and give community service to others.

One of the best things about the recognition is that the Optimist Club of Salem shares the stories on their Facebook page and gives a little boost for the kids that they serve while at the same time making a clear statement of why its important and rewarding to belong to an Optimist Club.

This month's honorees come from several different schools. With permission, I've reprinted their stories here. Enjoy!

There were many students with a plethora of reasons to be acknowledged during our Youth Appreciation event on April 10. The picture shows you the students, here are their stories: 

The students are (from left to right): 

Tomah Linwood from Chemawa Indian School honored for his significant improvement in academics. Tomah follows in his grandfather's footsteps, his grandpa was the first member of the family to attend Chemawa.Tomah started his school time as an underachiever, liking to fight and carrying a . 1.7 GPA. During this last year he wanted to graduate with a 3.75 GPA and he made it happen. He changed his attitude and his life. Tomah served as the school librarian among other leadership roles. Tomah plans to go to Portland Community College in the fall. 

Idallis Riggs from Chemawa Indian School was selected as that school's Youth of the Year (Chemawa graduation is on April 25th so we had to present this award today). A Navaho from Arizona, Idalis chose Chemawa for the social programs offered there. She has spent four years in the AVID program. She was Miss Chemawa in the Pow Wow events for two years. She played volleyball and basketball. She will attend PSU after she graduates and will play basketball there. 

Nicholas Becker from Blanchet Catholic School selected as Most Improved in Academics. Nicholas has managed his school years with a great balance of all topics. Whether it was math, Drama or Science, he was always at the top of his class. Nicholas plans to attend Chemeketa Community College for two years, then will move on to OSU. 

Adriana Bernard from McNary High School selected as Most Involved in Community Affairs (last month's category). Adriana has been a true leader in community service projects and a role model for other students. She plans to go to OSU to study Athletic Training. 

Eduardo Rangel from McNary High School selected as Most Improved in Academics. Eduardo had trouble in his freshman year and "iffy" attendance as a sophomore and was expelled. He knew that he needed to come back to McNary and when he did he turned his life around. He was even given an awarding T-shirt at a CE2 luncheon. He is now considered a role model for his two younger brothers. 

Kymmery Simmons From Sprague High School selected as Most Improved in Academics. Kymmery is an awesome champion of the AVID program and has served students so well that Sprague even gets appreciative phone calls. Not surprisingly, she will be going into college to allow her to teach children!

Past Optimist International President looks to the future

Reprinted with permission from PNW Optimist Clubs. 

In 1973, Washington resident and PNW District member Ronald E. Thompson was inducted as the President of Optimist International.

In July 2013, he attended the 95th Annual Optimist International Convention and thus made his 48th crusade to the gathering of Optimist Club leaders. At 82, he is the the second oldest of the past presidents.

A lot has changed since Ron was president. Women are now members and leaders. Programs have been added including the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships and the Communications Contest for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. And sadly, although Optimist Clubs continue to do even more in their communities, membership is down.

Ron recently made a presentation to the West Tacoma Optimist Club, his home club, regarding the business conducted at the most recent convention. He explained that membership in the international organization is now at approximately 80,000 individuals and made a plea that new and younger members were needed.

He also explained some steps that were taken by convention attendees that might attract busy young members to get involved. Among those changes was an initiative for online voting. Beginning in 2014, Optimist Clubs will vote online for international officers prior to the convention.

Also beginning this year, Optimist International will host a series of summits at sixteen different locations. The idea is to host quality affordable and accessible Optimist Club training at more locations than ever before.  And of course, for the Optimist Club members in the Western Region, we'll be delighted to know that the Optimist International Convention will also be affordable and accessible. It will be held in Las Vegas, July 10-12, 2014.

And yes, Past International President Ron Thompson plans to be there for the 49th time.

Photo courtesy of the West Tacoma Optimist Club. 

Every day is a great day when...

According to Facebook’s 2013 Q1 financial report, there are approximately 350 million photos uploaded to the site every day. More than 1.3 trillion likes have been recorded on photos, status updates and  pages since the site was first launched in 2006. That is a lot of sharing between people around the world and helps move Facebook ever forward in its mission to make the world more connected.

I manage the Facebook page for the PNW District – Optimist International. It’s a modest page with 226 likes where we try to post inspirational notes and sayings on a daily basis. Those notes are intermixed with links to stories on the PNW District blog about PNW Optimist Club projects, but it is the pictures that get the most attention and garner the most likes and shares. My view is that people, once they arrive to Facebook, don’t want to leave so those links directing them to other websites get fewer clicks.

Human beings are very visual. It is one of their strongest sensory perceptions. Social media sites like Facebook, among others, have made visual marketing a trend and brands have quickly adapted. Consider the tweet sent immediately by Oreo in response to the blackout at Super Bowl 2013. The brand’s quick wit and creativity was shared and shared again on social media sites.  Once content was king, but now we know that a picture does more than merely say 1,000 words. Pictures share emotions and they can be digested, no pun intended, and shared quickly.

In social media sharing is gold. My advice today: make your statement about your brand easy to share. Since my brand of choice for this blog is optimism and the experience of participating in an Optimist Club, I chose the accompanying visual. Tweet, share and pin away because the sentiment is true. I invite you to find out for yourself how great every day can be and you will when you join an OptimistClub near you today. 

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.

My #GivingTuesday post

Please join me in giving a hat tip today to the folks who are participating in #GivingTuesday. As an active Optimist Club member, I take the opportunity to give time and make donations to different causes every day. Making the time to write on this blog and the PNW District Optimist Clubs blog is one such commitment. I take neither lightly.

Other ways that I give are supporting the projects that Optimist Clubs choose to do. Sometimes that is with money, but most often it is merely with attendance. Being present means so much to children, parents, grandparents, spouses and friends. We become so busy with our lives, or our smartphone, we forget just being there really makes a difference.

As holiday consumerism takes its place in American culture with Black Friday and Cyber Monday, it is only fitting that we take time to show American philanthropy as well. Take some time today find a cause that truly speaks to you and make a donation and then go one step further and pledge some of your time in the very near future. You'll be rewarded with good feelings for doing so.

Find out about #GivingTuesday here.

Find out about Optimist Clubs here.

Be the best you can be: Be an Optimist

When one attends an Optimist District meeting, one will find that a question is often debated:

 Do Optimist Clubs build new Optimist Clubs or is that a function of the District? 

In order to answer the question, I fall into the both and neither categories. I believe that people are responsible for starting new Optimist Clubs. It doesn't matter if they represent a club, a district, Optimist International, or even themselves, people must have a passion for sharing the purposes of an Optimist Club in order to inspire others to be involved.

At a recent meeting of the Pacific Northwest District Optimist Clubs, Rocky Jackson spoke about the need for new clubs in our communities. He also discussed why he joined an Optimist Club and why he stays involved. For him, it's about doing all we can to ensure children have opportunities to play, learn and grow into responsible and caring adults. He claims that he joined an Optimist Club almost as a favor to a cousin. He stayed because he learned that the work he did helped not only kids, but it helped his community and most of all himself.

It's not selfish to help ourselves. Being the best we can be allows us to help others. I invite you to become the best you can be by joining an Optimist Club. Ask me how.

Rocky Jackson, OI VP, 10-11, talks about new Optimist club building at PNW District Optimist meeting. twitter.com/newoptimistclu…
— Linda Jackson (@newoptimistclub) October 20, 2012

Optimists at the fair

It is fair time in the Pacific Northwest and Optimist Clubs in Idaho, Oregon and Washington are working day and night at their biggest fundraisers.

In Caldwell, Idaho, the Optimist Club works the food booth at the Caldwell Night Rodeo. This week-long event is one of the top 20 professional rodeos in the United States. There are events for junior ropers and a rodeo queen competition with scholarships and also country music artists free with rodeo admission.  The 48-member club found a little (or a lot) of help from the Junior Optimist Club. 

In Oregon City, Oregon, the Oregon City Optimist Club works the Clackamas County Fair for an extended weekend, Wednesday through Sunday, making pronto pups. As the only pronto pup supplier at the fair, they work non-stop. In other words, don't believe the pictures that show them waiting for customers. 

The Tri-Cities Optimist Club in Richland, Washington also work a full week at the Benton County Fair. They have a large, permanent building where they cook and serve, and a nice covered picnic area for the patrons. And, oh, did I mention the mechanical bull? 

All of our fair fundraisers are well-supported by their respective communities. Fair-goers enjoy knowing their money stays right in the community to support projects that bring out the best in children. Please enjoy the slideshow from Optimists at the Fair. You'll see being an Optimist Club member is not all work; it's a lot of fun.

Photos provided by Lareena Roberson, Casey Crookham and the Oregon City Optimist Club. Thanks! 

Optimist Clubs sponsor complimentary empowerment workshop

The Pacific Northwest District - Optimist International has opened the final day of their annual convention to the public in order to welcome MK Mueller, internationally recognized author of 8 to Great and motivational specialist to the Seattle area.

Mueller will present a three-hour workshop that will cover, among other things, her patented Positive Attitude Formula, FGH: Forgiveness of the Past, Gratitude for the present and Hope for the future. Her empowering message of positive change is now being taught by more than 1,000 educators across the country.

The presentation will take place at the Red Lion Bellevue, 11211 Main Street, Bellevue, WA, Saturday, August 27, 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. It is free to the public, courtesy of the Optimist Clubs in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia.

Please click to review and download the press release "Empowerment specialist MK Mueller to speak to Optimists in Seattle " or watch a video of Mueller discussing the Optimist Creed.

An easy way to show your Optimist Club is accountable

Does your Optimist Club brag about the great projects that you do throughout the year to make you community a better place to live? It's okay to do so. Really it is.

When we speak to others about the accomplishments of our Optimist Clubs, we recharge our enthusiasm and excite those with whom we are speaking with the promise of potential projects yet to come. Demonstrating that we have led successfully in the past makes it possible for potential volunteers and sponsors to envision more success. People want to associate with winners and that is okay too. It's human nature to want to be among the best - the in-crowd - the movers and shakers. After all, those who get things done are just more fun than others who merely talk about doing something; not to mention, that when I make a donation, I like to know that it is being used appropriately.

One of the age-old ways that corporations tell us about their accomplishments is through the use of an annual report. If you own stock or have invested in a mutual fund, you have probably received an annual report loaded with numbers and fine print too small to read. Not to fret! That is not the way your Optimist Club annual report should look.  Your Optimist Club Annual Report should touch on the highlights of the year, the goals for the coming year, discuss who is involved and give a brief look at how your money is spent. And the reader should be able to finish it in the time it takes to drink a cup of coffee.

Serving as the Governor of the Pacific Northwest District last year, I decided to create an annual report for our district. It is an example of what your club can do at home using Publisher.

The accompanying presentation was given to those who attended our second quarter meeting when all recognition for the previous year was distributed. Take a look and see just how easy it is to share the state of the organization with your constituents.

Annual Report 2009-10 - PNW District - Optimist International

I know your stakeholders will appreciate learning and they will thank you for not being bored.