National Involvement

The following post is courtesy of Region 3 Director, Jason Deshayes.

It was right before I was going to make my regional director speech that I realized that two years ago, I stood in front of the delegates at WOCO 2008 at the Flamingo in Las Vegas, asking for the opportunity to serve them as a regional director. I had never been involved nationally before this, and here I was asking to serve as a director! Looking back, the experience and engaging in the national association helped our club (and myself) more than I could possibly imagined.

In early 2008, Albuquerque #103 was in the midst of a major change. Our senior members all disappeared, leaving behind a club that was young, understaffed and uncertain of its future. We had contemplated going co-ed, or perhaps just closing up shop. The sense of dedication you could feel in the air at the national convention sparked a renewed and more purposeful flame within me for Active 20/30. Since then, our club is stronger than ever. Our core membership is a tight-knit group; we started a second fundraising event; and we have a stronger sense of purpose than we have had in a long time.

This is not intended to say that going to one national convention will fix all of the woes of your club. It is saying that active participation in your club, as well as the national association, can and will help strength and grow you and your club, as well as further enhance the lives of the children we impact through our work. Some ways you can get involved are:

Serve on a national committee – these are the guts of the national association. They are not overly time consuming and don’t require any traveling (i.e. cost effective!). You get a chance to work with other engaged individuals throughout the country and start building relationships with other members. You can provide important and irreplaceable value by bringing to the table your specific skills and talents. Are you a PR professional? Sign up for the Public Relations committee! Do you have a knack for membership issues? Help with the Membership Growth & Retention group!

Check out an event outside of your own club – If you happen to live in California, you are fortunate in that there are Active 20/30 Clubs all over the place. If you don’t (like myself), it takes a little more time/energy/cost, but it’s still doable. Don’t just go to the parties and events

Sit in on a conference call – the national board has a monthly conference call that you can sit in on and see what is happening in the big picture. These run about two hours and are very informative.

Go to a midterm or national conference/meeting – There are typically 2 midterm meetings a year in different geographic areas to draw all sorts of people. The national convention, held usually in July, is a 4 day event, where you get to learn from other clubs through breakouts and workshops, see what your national board is doing for you, and also have a great time socializing with your 20/30 cohorts. The next convention is in Albuquerque, NM at the Hard Rock Casino from July 13th – 17th, 2011.
We’re a part of something way bigger than our individual local clubs. Embracing that will not only help your local club, but clubs and children throughout the country!