February 2018
Fra Presidenten
Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. Winston Churchill
We have heard it all before – we can’t do that, members won’t like it; that will never work; we tried that before, but it didn’t work.
My response is that old adage – if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. I am not sure of who said it, but it has been traced back to Frederick Maryat a novelist in the early 1800s.
I will give you a few examples of not giving up and trying something new. The 3D has sponsored a table at Scanfest in Budd Lake, NJ for the last three Labor Day weekends. The first time we were excited to be there, had a great location, had quite a few people to sign up for our mailing list. We were sure we would get new members. Well, it didn’t happen. We did it again the following year, we had great displays, plenty of material but with the same result. The third attempt this past September, we changed our location. Instead of being in the entry area, we set up our table in the vendor area. Well guess what, not only did we get people to sign the list for our mailing list, we gained at least 5 new members! Is it because we changed our location? Is it because attendees were used to seeing us at Scanfest? Or a combination of both? I don’t know but are we stoked for this year, you bet!
We have held a few events at LOV that were not lodge focused, the lobsterfest comes to mind. This year we tried a Summerfest which combined vendors and antique cars. The 3D sponsored a membership table. We learned a lot from this event and to our great delight, we gained two members!!!
As I read your lodge newsletters, I am excited and encouraged to see diverse activities including, ice skating, hiking, kayaking, skiing, concerts, plays and volunteerism- all great events and better than sitting in a meeting!
As you plan your activities for 2018, do something different. Try something you tried before but may not have worked as you had hoped, maybe it was timing or maybe you just need to tweak it a little.
Don’t let your enthusiasm wane! You are doing great even if you don’t think so, I see it!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
All the best,
Mary