| MAY 1, 2023 -- By the time you read this in May, all three Pomona Granges will have completed their Fifth Degree conferrals and inspections. The National Grange Committee on Pomona Granges continues to meet and has been split off into subcommittees which will consider various aspects of the subject (mine is Activities and Membership). We will report to the National Grange Convention in November in Niagara Falls. I hope there is a future for our Pomona Grange division.
I hope as many Granges as are able are having craft night programs and that our “crafty” members are producing items to be sold at the New England Grange Building at the Big E. These sales, including the food items, are the lifeblood that keeps the building operation alive (without the need for an assessment charged to each New England State Grange). We are always exploring better ways to use that edifice to better market our Order to the public.
The Leadership Academy will start this month and run with two meetings per month of one hour each Sunday nights at 7:00 P.M. on Zoom. The topics will be varied and include: What is Leadership?, Leadership Style, Membership Retention and Growth, Fundraising, Member/Community Involvement and Activities, Conflict Resolution, Mediation & Mentoring, and Grange Procedures. “The Five Graces of Life and Leadership” by Gregory Burnison will be the guide or text for the series. I would like to see one or more involved from each Grange.
Every Grange could do more to advance their membership, but many are unsure about how to go about this. Amanda Brozana-Rios, our National Leadership/Membership Director offers the Membership Matters Zoom discussion session every second Tuesday of the month at 8:30 P.M. The Zoom link is on the National Grange website and is greatly underutilized. Phil Vonada, National Communications Director also offers monthly programs. I attended one on the Canva computer program for designing graphic fliers for events. Check the National Grange website for these as well. These are the things that National Grange offers us to help our local Granges.
I would also advise more Grangers to subscribe to Good Day Magazine. It is a valuable resource to mine for ideas by way of looking at what Grangers across the country are doing for programs and fundraisers. It is a quality publication that is quite affordable. Another thing National Grange does for us that is underutilized. Subscribe!
As I travel around, I notice Granges have different meeting styles and some are more ritualistic and others less so. Some members, both new and longtime ones, are accepting our traditional ritual and others are put off by it. Brothers and Sisters, remember that you have options. If the traditional form is too “old fashioned” for member’s tastes, consider the new simplified ritual in the paperback manual. I recommend using some form of opening and closing along with the Grange Order of Business to keep your meetings on track and define the start and the finish. Otherwise, meetings descend into anarchy and go on forever. People complain about boring business meetings. Try to have some sort of program or entertainment to lighten up the meeting and provide fun or some learning experience. If well run, a meeting can be completed in less than two hours. Business matters can be handled by committees between meetings and then chairs report back to the group a summary of the matter at hand. If meetings go on too long, consider two meetings a month instead of one. Sometimes change is necessary for efficiency sake.
As I travel around, I see one common theme, dedicated and friendly members who care about the organization and their communities. Some folks are a wee bit tired as much is expected of few. That is why we must attract new blood into the organization if we are to survive. It is being done so I know that it can and will be done in the end. Look to the tools available to you and take advantage of them. Remember from the charge of the Overseer in the Third Degree, “While you strive to make labor honorable, exert yourself to make it pleasant and cheerful for all around you.”
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