Attendees: Lt. Gov. Donna Raycraft, Mary Knight, Diane Lestage, Joan Lanzillo-Hahesy, Jayma Hall and Seren Derin
Membership Chairs Missing: Bonnie Haghkerdar, Maida Follini, Nicole LaMattina, Dana Fraser, Lisa Emery, Regina Caines, Janice
Tatarka
Donna Raycraft called the meeting to order at 6:05. She welcomed Jackie from the Berkshire Club and asked each attendee to report
on the number of current members. Berkshire – 30, Chelsea No. Shore – 18, Concord – 33, Northampton – 9, Quaboag – 20.
Next, we watched a 40 minute video called How to Recruit and Retain Younger Members. All clubs are encouraged to watch with
interested members. It is filled with great ideas on how to plan for and approach younger members, and how to engage and retain
them. It is posted at https://membership.zontadistrict1.org/recruitment/
Feedback from attendees was very positive and generated some additional ideas to try in their clubs. Joan reminded us to try to leap
frog: get 50 year olds on board – they know 40 year olds who know 30 year olds, etc.
HOMEWORK – an idea from the video is to check your website from a phone (as younger members do) and see what 1st impression it
makes. NOTE from Mary Knight – contact info@zontadistrict1.org if you need help with sprucing up that home page. .

The next meeting is June 5th at 6pm EST, 7pm AST

We adjourned at about 7:08
Sincerely, Mary Knight, Notetaker

District Membership Meeting  April 3, 2023

*Mary Knight is on vacation, and no one wanted to take her place because her notes are impeccable.  By default, these are Donna Raycraft’s notes.  She asks that members correct any information that is incorrect because sometimes Donna gets caught up in a conversation and forgets she is supposed to be writing it down.

1. This month’s discussion was centered on ideas to draw prospective new members to attend a meeting.  We were to bring ideas that we have used or ideas that we plan on doing.  And if we had none, we were to come to listen to ideas we could appropriate.
2. Diane (Concord NH) talked about the club’s plan to have their usual presence at Market Days selling used books but also having a table with a whiteboard listing not only all of our accomplishments but also the current members.  We talked about the lure of that being that if someone recognizes the name of a current member, the more inviting it would be to come to a meeting.  For most people, it’s hard to join a group if you don’t know someone in it.  She also said that the club had ordered pins saying “Ask me what Zonta is” that all the book sellers and the tabling people will wear.  The question was asked wondering where to buy the pins.  Donna said she’d find out and mail the info out to people.
3. Seren (Northampton)noted that her club has members, especially older ones, who do not show up for meetings. She thought about what would make old members, as well as prospective members, attend.  She came up with the idea of having very interesting, motivating, and well-known speakers.  She added that older members don’t attend for a variety of reasons, and it’s up to us to reach out to them.  We all agreed that our mission as membership chairs was not only to recruit new members but also to retain current members.
4. Joan (Chelsea and North Shore) said her club gives out gift cards to 5 high schools in their area for families who are experiencing food insecurity. It was pointed out to them that a lot of organizations help out around the Christmas season, but they forget that they are food insecure all the time and that there are spring holidays (Easter, Ramadan, Passover) when people need help.  So the club decided to double their giving…$300 worth at Christmas and another $300 to each school in $50 increments in the spring.  The school administrator was so impressed that she joined the club on the spot.
5. Maida (Halifax) explained that they used to do a very large awards banquet that cost a lot of money to put on that they recouped by charging admission. However, with dwindling numbers, it became a cost to the club instead of revenue.  They give awards to community college students so now give a smaller banquet on the college campus.  School administrators and all college students are invited, as are all potential new members.  She also said they have recently learned that tabling is inexpensive, productive, and needs few people to staff.  They plan one for either June or in the fall to take place in a busy mall.
6. We talked about the universal fact that our clubs are aging which impacts the likelihood of younger members joining. Maida (Halifax) mentioned that one of their scholarship awardees joined the club, and her boyfriend does the technical aspects of the hybrid meetings. Joan (Chelsea North Shore) described her club’s new approach, which all the rest of us marveled at the reverse decade chain.  Joan explained that they have members in their 70s who know people in their 60s who they could bring in.  Those new members in their 60s probably know people in their 50s who they could recruit.  And the new members in their 50s could bring in people they know who are in their 40s.  We all agreed that with intentionality this could be a great campaign. Seren (Northampton) noted that our aging membership is not inviting to younger people.  And also that they see retirees as “professional”.  We agreed that it was a good thing that ZI omits that word from our description because all women are professionals whether they know it or not.

7. Donna (Concord Club/Lt. Gov/District membership chair) suggests that membership chairs pull in the publicity committee to get the word “Zonta” in the paper as much as possible: announce the availability of a scholarship, then the announcement of the winner, an announcement of events.  Joan mentioned that they have a contact at one of their newspapers who willingly put in everything they offer.  Donna suggested that because newspapers are dying and have fewer and fewer reporters on staff, often if community members write an article themselves, the paper will print it.  She suggested an article about the history of Zonta.  Joan said they wrote something a number of years ago that is very long but could be edited down.  Jayma (Northampton) suggested that it could be broken down into three separate articles.  Seren (Northampton) asked if after Joan writes it would she share it with all the membership chairs, and Joan agreed.

8. It was agreed all around that club’s regular fundraising events are ways to introduce club membership to already supporters. Donna shared that they often invite one of the recipients of our community college scholarship to tell her story at their well-attended holiday auction.  It’s always a compelling story and invites donations…why not couple that with an invitation to join.  Jayma said that the lure is always in the story.

9. It was mentioned several times that these monthly meetings are interesting and helpful.

The meeting ended at 7:05.  As Donna was writing these notes, Janice Severance, who ordered the Ask Me About Zonta pins answered her text.  Her answer:  www.stickermule.com.

Attendees: Lt. Gov. Donna Raycraft, Mary Knight, Maida Follini, Diane Lestage, Dana Fraser, Lisa Emery, Regina Caines, Janice Tatarka
Membership Chairs Missing: Bonnie Haghkerdar, Rosanne Frieri, Nicole LaMattina, Jayma Hall, Joan Lanzillo-Hahesy

Donna Raycraft called the meeting to order at 6:05.   She checked in with each member and thanked us for coming to share and learn

Add Your Voice Campaign in April, May.  https://membership.zontadistrict1.org/recruitment/
Set an intention to mention your affiliation with ZONTA – talk about your experiences and try to sign up as many individuals as possible. They pay full membership for 2024 and get April and May free. This page has useful tools, suggestions, posters, etc.
More voices are needed to hep build a better world for women and girls.

Great resource for you (and all members” of your club) – Please Share Membership.ZontaDistrict1.org
Take a tour!  We have accumulated some good information for clubs to use as resources and tools.  Ask members to each choose a tab and report back on what they found useful and why.

Ideas Shared

• Including “Membership” on the meeting agenda is helpful for keeping the topic front and center. Be enthusiastic and share things you learn from this meeting and the membership.ZontaDistrict1.org website.
• Tabling opportunities are a great way to share info about Zonta. SHARE A TABLE WITH ANOTHER ORGANIZATION!
• If you club needs a great handout – contact Mary to get a new brochure she has printed – 25 for $15.
• When your club gives out money for causes in your community, suggest members of those organizations should join Zonta
• Use Facebook to share events, activities, education awards, new members, achievements of all sorts. “Borrow” posts from ZI and other clubs. Ask members to comment and share. Not a FB person?  Find someone in or out of the club who would be willing to spend 15 minutes every couple of weeks – make them honorary Zontians!
• Send letters to the editor about events or issues your club is advocating for. Get Zonta’s name out there.
• News releases to local papers – the public needs to hear the name ZONTA lots of times to finally sink in!
• Invite past education awardees to join your club or the new e-Club!
• Invite BUSY people to join. If they really care about gender equality, they will find the time.
• Retired members may not have coworkers they can invite, but they still have networks to tap. Think about folks in church, social clubs, services and shops you frequent, etc.

The next meeting is April 3^rd  at 6pm EST, 7pm AST
Note:  Mary is out of town that day – notetaker needed.

We adjourned at about 7:00

Sincerely, Mary Knight, Notetaker

Attendees: Lt. Gov. Donna Raycraft, Mary Knight, Maida Follini, Diane Lestage, Jayma Hall, Joan Lanzillo-Hahesy
Membership Chairs Missing: Dana Fraser, Bonnie Haghkerdar, Rosanne Frieri, Nicole LaMattina, Regina Caines

Donna Raycraft called the meeting to order at 6:08.   She reminded us that next to the Club Nomination Committee (responsible for succession planning), Membership is the most important role for a successful club.  She thanked us for coming to share and learn.

New Materials – Mary shared a new District Membership Application and Brochure, that can be used by clubs as well – especially if your club does not currently have these materials. Please review and provide feedback on suggested edits and uses. Mary will get the price for printing the colorful trifold brochure.

Videos – Donna shared videos on Tabling and ‘Zonta – Then and Now’  – please review with your committee/club and discuss how they might be used. We will discuss it next month.

Recruiting – Attendees shared the current number of members and their recruiting goal for this biennium.  Chelsea (17 to 20), Concord (33 to 38+), Halifax (9 to 15), Northampton (9 to 15), and Quaboag (17 to 22).   Joan shared that the only successful outreach has been personal invitations; tabling, news releases, fundraising events, generous donations to good causes have been good for exposure, but have not attracted new members.

Retention – We all agreed that keeping current members engaged and feeling appreciated is critical. Jana shared that the Northampton President sends birthday cards to members from the club. Concord has tried ‘spotlighting’ a member (with a flashlight) and recognizing an accomplishment. Quaboag has highlighted members in their newsletter and may try that again.

Challenges – In-person meetings have gotten expensive (finding a suitable meeting space with food) and driving in the dark is an issue for some members. Joan’s club is trying lunch meetings. Other clubs are doing virtual or hybrid to accommodate members. Jayma raised the issue of getting new recruits involved right away. Mary suggested Mentoring tools and Onboarding Checklist on the www.membership.zontadistrict1.org site.

The next meeting is March 6 at 6pm EST, 7pm AST

We adjourned at about 7:00

Sincerely, Mary Knight, Notetaker

See also:
Membership Procedures (DRAFT)
OnBoarding Checklist (DRAFT)
How to be a Mentor – Leadership training
District Brochure
District Membership Application

Donna Raycraft called the meeting to order at 6:05.  As this was a VERY small gathering, the meeting was very informal. Donna shared regrets about timing so close to the holidays.

Highlights to share with members:

• Be sure Membership is on the agenda at every business meeting. We need to impress on members that attracting new members and retaining existing members is critical for the District’s survival.  We need 10% increase in every club.
• Please follow protocol with new members. See the procedure attached “DRAFT Club Membership Procedures”
  Also attached is a Club Membership Application Form that can be used to send info to the District Treasurer (Janice Severance – zdist1treasurer@gmail.com
• All members should be practicing their ‘elevator speech’ to use when they get the question: What is Zonta? Role play!
• At EVERY event (speaker, program), each member is encouraged to invite a guest who would benefit from hearing/participating. Be sure to include a 5 minute intro about Zonta and let guests know we are looking for new members to help us make a difference in the lives of women locally and globally.  The ASK is key!
• NOW is a great time to become a member of Zonta! Between January and April – half-price on the ZI portion of dues ($45):
  Annual dues = $91 for ZI + $22 for ZD1 + $ whatever the club bylaws has for its share
• On Saturday 1/7 @9am EST, Area Director Sandy Carroll will hold a basic training on CANVA – showing templates available for clubs to customize and print, and tips on creating original flyers and other materials. This is a wonderful opportunity for your club to promote events, have materials for tabling, and so much more! Please invite any members who are interested in learning some easy and fun tools!    Flyer attached.

We adjourned at about 7:10

Sincerely, Mary Knight, Notetaker

IMPORTANT  Message from Theresa Harris, Membership Committee Chair, 2022-24

Going forward, each month, Top Performing Districts will be recognized in the following categories:

# of New Members

# of New Clubs Chartered

Greatest % of Net Membership Gain (From May 31, 2022)

We will also note the top countries with greatest # Young Professional Members.

We will update our biennial # of clubs in formation & Chartered for your information.

Please see the attached 46 second video with November results & share with your board & club membership chairs.

Congratulations to our toppers!   Thanks for all you do for Zonta Membership.

PS  Be watching for information emailed by Chief Club Creator Ansmarie VanErp regarding the ‘submit a new club request form’ contest details & award results.

Reminder Canva for Beginners Webinar: Making Eye-Catching Marketing Images.

Saturday, January 7^th from 9 – 10 a.m. – https://us06web.zoom.us/j/7187825735
 This 1 hour class is for beginners who would like to learn how to create marketing images in a free, online program called Canva.  You will learn how to create social media graphics, brochures, notecards, short videos, animated graphics, presentations or any designed element in a simple to use program full of templates.  In this class, follow along while we:

• How to login and create an account.
• Discuss Pro versus Free Account
• Review how to use Zonta Templates
• How to create a design from scratch using Canva
• Quick tips to make your designs look good
• How to choose the dimensions for your design
• How to create a background for your design
• How to add and change text, images and more
• Searching and Using Other Templates to start with a cool design
• How to send for printing
• How to request a free pro account for non-profits
• Discover the Phone App Options!

Feel free to share with any Zontian who is interested!  This will be recorded for future viewing as well.

Taught by Sandy Carroll of the Zonta Club of Berkshire County and District 1 Area 2 Director.

Donna Raycraft called the meeting to order at 6:05.  She invited members to share information about their club.

Chelsea No. Shore has three new members and the entire club is actively working to recruit and retain. The club is going to try meeting at lunch during the winter months as members are not keen about night driving.
Medford has one new member and the club is working tenaciously to attract interest working with the Cambridge YWCA
Concord NH has two new members and Donna R’s daughter has decided to join as well.
Northampton is generating excitement with great speakers and hoping to capitalize on connections being made. They are also reaching out to past members and guests and inviting them to join in.
Quaboag Valley is reaching out with Service Grant Awards and drumming up publicity about our local and global ties. They are also sending newsletters and announcements to past members, guests, scholarship recipients, etc.

It was noted that Chelse No. Shore, Malden and Medford clubs will jointly sponsor an Amelia Earhart program on 1/19 at Anthony’s Restaurant in Malden at which 2 of the 3 2022 AE Fellows from MIT will attend.  This should be a good draw for potential members.

We were pleased to welcome Governor Donna to join us tonight.

Governor Donna shared that she has an interesting NASA connection working with youth on a climate action project and is also taking a course in Global Diplomacy at the UN and making great connections there as well. She is looking for opportunities to capitalize on these new relationships to expand Zonta’s outreach. We all are encouraged to do the same – the Zonta story resonates with people who are passionate about making an impact.

Starting new clubs is another way of building membership and that is the job of the Club Creators – a subset of Membership – led by the Governor, Lt. Gov. Donna Raycraft, and Angela Burke (Northampton). District 1 is awaiting approval from ZI for a new club: Zonta e-Club of Atlantic Northeast. We will then launch a campaign to recruit new members to our e-Club – while also generating interest in supporting our Club Creators committee. We need members inside or outside of Zonta – especially ‘experts’ who do outreach on their job, recruit and communicate, etc. Please be on the lookout for individuals that might fit that description.

On another note, both Donnas were on a Zoom call with members of Ukraine clubs this week. The story of how our sisters are helping the women and children in this war-torn part of the world was both heartening and emotionally draining. Several Zontians are looking at ways we can support this effort. One might be to raise money and get it directly to these clubs through a Zonta District 8 connection.

More to come.

Prayers for peace, health and love to all Zontians and their families at this time of year.

Next Meeting:  January 2^nd at 6pm EST, 7pm AST.

We adjourned at about 7:10

Sincerely, Mary Knight, Notetaker

Donna Raycraft called the meeting to order at 6:05.  A motion was made and seconded to approve minutes for the October 3, 2022, meeting.
Donna explained that this is a special meeting with our liaison from the Zonta Spirit Working Group, so Presidents, Board and Committee Chairs were invited to join us. We are honored to welcome Lori Robinson from Toronto CA, Past Governor for District 4 and an active participant in leadership development and membership under multiple ZI Presidents. With a background in business development recruitment and human resources, Lori is well versed on issues of retention and growth and is here to share insights and to learn from us.

Lori began by explaining that Zonta Spirit is the heart and soul of clubs and supports clubs to create a strong culture of community, fun and friendship in an inclusive approach. The Working Group has been tasked by President Ute with creating some short videos and collecting ideas, activities and tools for clubs to discuss and promote the Zonta Spirit to all members. These will be shared on the ZI site under Member Tools.

Our #1 strategy for membership growth and retention in Zonta should be “building relationships”. Here are a few action items we might want to try:

• Be sure every member is engaged in some Zonta project (esp. in November and March) and having fun!

• Challenge each member to connect for coffee or cocktail (in person or virtually) with someone they currently do not work with and report back at the next meeting on what they learned. Mix things up!
• Reach out to people in the news (promotions, new hires) with a handwritten note of congratulations. Include a Zonta business card or brochure and invite him/her to join our network or attend a specific event.
• Ask guests to invite young people in their lives to attend your next event on climate change – fire up some intergenerational discussions. Invite them to join our movement! Those under 18 can be ‘junior members’ and work on a project in lieu of paying dues.
• Busy, passionate women want to help other women – they just need to be asked. Try it!
• Students at local high school or college showing an interest in service and advocacy for topics on our agenda? Offer to mentor and learn from each other.
• Recognize accomplishments, look for ways to boost each other’s morale.
• Think about why you joined Zonta and why you stay. Cultivate more of that! Others want to be part of a movement that is making a difference and having a good time doing it.

Next Meeting:  December 5^th at 6pm. We will be joined by Governor Donna and learn about Club Creators.

Assignment:  Get on the agenda for your next meeting. Share what you are learning and ask for at least one recruitment idea and one relationship suggestion to try.

We adjourned at about 7:10

Sincerely, Mary Knight, Notetaker

Donna Raycraft called the meeting to order  at 6:05

Donna explained her role as District Membership Chair. As the smallest (but mightiest) district in the world we are in the limelight. For the health of our clubs and the district, we need to (1) retain members and (2) find new members during this biennium.
To retain members:  we need to make sure everyone in the club has a job, feels valued and is not overwhelmed.
To find new members, we have two avenues:

• Start new clubs – this is not solely our mission; Club Creators have the lead here. Currently, we are (1) starting an e-Club where members of varied locations can participate and (2) looking for geographic areas and targeted groups with an ‘influencer’ in the area that can plant seeds for new traditional clubs. They can use our help with ideas! Governor Donna Sroka will be invited to the December meeting to share more information about Club Creators
• Add to our existing clubs – THIS is our mission and our purpose for these monthly meetings.

Next, each attendee was asked to introduce herself, her club, the number of club members and whose shoulders she is standing on in the profession and life she is living.

Bangor (2), Chelsea No. Shore (7)  Halifax (7), Northampton (10), Chelsea No Shore (15), Quaboag Valley (20), Berkshire (20), Concord (32). Most attendees pointed to their mother (or parents) as the inspiration for their service, activism and advocacy activity in Zonta.

As each member had the floor, she also shared ideas and concerns:

• All agreed that membership is THE pressing issue for their clubs – starting with retention. Some existing members are experiencing burnout; many are aging and not willing/able to stay fully engaged; too many clubs have had internal conflicts that have prompted valued, experienced members to leave in frustration. Other members never “returned” after COVID.
• Attracting new members has been hard with COVID, especially due to the inability to meet in person and do hands-on service and fundraising. It’s taking a while to get revved up and excited about inviting prospective members.
• We spoke about our “target prospects” – what do they look like? We decided we should not be hesitant about inviting young professionals, busy women with children, and women and men who look different from us. Even if they say no, offer insights about Zonta’s local and global impact and ask them if they could be a supporter for now, to keep them in the loop.  As Bonnie noted, “never give up – just go for it!”

A few specific ideas that members shared (sorry I didn’t catch all of them):

• Medford is working with the Cambridge YWCA, publicizing programs of interest to women (currently: reproductive rights, building resiliency to deal with stressors, and Rape Aggression Defense for personal safety)
• Concord NH had a very successful Multicultural Fair and will follow up with individuals who expressed interest in learning more about Zonta.
• Chelsea No Shore is trying Tabling to get visibility in different locals.
• Bangor is planning their annual fair/membership event.
• Halifax was able to hold a successful membership event with a speaker, in the midst of cleanup from a hurricane! That’s dedication!
• Someone mentioned spotlighting a member (with flashlight!) at each meeting to recognize her/his contributions to Zonta.

As our one hour time was up, Donna thanked everyone for coming and contributing.

Next Meeting:  November 7^th at 6pm.  Presidents will be invited as we have an important guest speaker: Lori Robinson

Assignment:  Bring at least one recruitment idea

We adjourned at about 7:10

Sincerely,

Mary Knight, Notetaker