By Brandi McGrath Kong, Director of Member Services & Conferences
 

Much of the education and conversation at the 2022 National Conference earlier this month was focused on the three Fs: fellowship, fun and the future. In today’s blog, we wanted to share five lessons shared during the curated conversations in Denver:

Both change and tradition should have a seat at the table. 
Never shut down ideas. This goes both ways. Just because it’s always been this way does not mean it has to stay this way. It’s also important to acknowledge tradition. It can’t be about personal attachment, opinion or belief. It has to be about what is best for the club. It can be hard to drop the personal, but it’s important to remember that is OUR club, not MY/YOUR club. 

Our members want to have fun! 
Celebrate little victories. Sure, we all make a big deal out of our accomplishments, but how about finding ways to enjoy life’s little landmarks? Someone bought a new car? Celebrate it. Someone’s daughter won an award? Celebrate it. Someone’s pet turned 10? Celebrate it. Allowing your members to share the little things in their lives reminds us that we’re all human and there because we care about what our club is doing together.

Create fellowship through volunteerism.
Make service part of your club meeting. Can you make volunteering part of your club meeting? Use this as a way to collect food donations for your food pantry, pack toiletry kits for a local shelter, write greeting cards for a local nursing home or any other easy-to-assemble project that can be done in the span of an hour or so.

Millennials represent the next generation of Sertomans.
74% of this generation consider themselves as philanthropists, so this is the perfect demographic to go after. Seek fundraisers that appeal to younger generations but make it simple to give (think Facebook Fundraisers, in-person giving at fun events, text-to-give, etc.).

Keep your best leaders involved after their tenure is over.
Create opportunities for past presidents to keep them engaged in the club. This could mean serving as a judge for your scholarship committee, presenting a special award at your banquet, forming an advisory council on possible club changes, etc.

We hope that you will make plans to join us for the next National Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, on October 13-14, 2023. Watch Sertoma communications early next year for additional information.