Show your Optimist pride on February 4

On February 4, Optimist International encourages all Optimist Clubs and Optimist Club members to tell the world that they are proud to be an Optimist. 

Take a photo of yourself in Optimist-branded attire and post it on your Facebook page for all to see. Use the hashtag #OptimistDay and join the movement. 

I'm proud to be an Optimist and you should be, too. 

While you are at it, please share the Optimist Creed because, now, more than ever, we must Choose Optimism. 

Are your members proud to belong?

Thursday, February 7, 2019, was the third annual #OptimistDay. According to Optimist International, the day originated in 2013 when Optimist Club member Sylvain Levesque introduced a motion to the National Assembly of Quebec to recognize the first Thursday of February as Optimist Day. Perhaps that set the date for the first Thursday of every year, but it took several more years for Optimist International to pick up the cause.

Before it did, other Optimist Clubs and Optimist Districts were involved in their own "Proud to be an Optimist" activities.

The one that first caught my eye was promoted by the Caribbean District. On March 27, 2013, the PNW District announced, in conjunction with them, that Larry Blackburn, PNW District Governor 2012-2013 was proud to be an Optimist. The round red logo, created by the Caribbean District and shown in the photo, was used by many Optimist Club members for many years.

This year, in 2019, my Facebook stream showed many Optimist Club members displaying their Optimist pride by wearing clothes embellished with the Optimist International logo. Clubs from Ghana, Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean, among other places around the globe, demonstrated unity in their mission and pride in the fellowship that belonging to the group instills.

Due to the outpouring of pride demonstrated by some Optimist Club members, it was inevitable that the membership recruitment and retention tip for February 2019 had to follow the same theme. Read on to see how pride in membership may lead to membership growth.

Membership retention and recruitment tip #66: Make it easy for members to show they are proud to belong to your group.

Members of Optimist Clubs are always happy to wear their team shirts when working on a club project, but how many actually wear their shirt when they go to work or go out for dinner? From first-hand observation, I know that a significantly fewer number wear their Optimist Club apparel when outside of the club domain. For many years, club members were encouraged to wear their logo pins, and some clubs even gave friendly fines to members who did not, but not only has the practice of fining diminished, the popularity of wearing a pin has, too. 

Donning the club colors is only part of the battle. The real truth is your members have to be proud to belong. Pride comes from association with a group that is ethical, successful in meeting its goals, drama-free, and making a difference. When that happens, when an Optimist Club delivers that feeling, its members are more than happy to wear their club clothes wherever they go. The bonus is when they feel that pride, they will talk about the club in a positive way so that others will want to join the cause. 

Be sure that your Optimist Club makes you feel proud to belong. Share that feeling and you'll retain the members you have and be well on the way to adding new ones to the mix. 

What are you wearing for #OptimistDay?

If you are like me, every day is Optimist Day. You see, I'm proud that I belong to an Optimist Club 24/7.  But some of our friends need a little extra reminder to share their Optimist pride and that is why Optimist International has invented #OptimistDay.

Now in its second third annual celebration, Optimist Club members in the Pacific Northwest are invited to join the celebration.

February 7, 2019, you are invited to wear your Optimist Club apparel - shirts, pins, hats, coats, and more - whatever you have that tells the world, "I am proud to be an Optimist."

Next, take a picture of yourself in your Optimist Club clothes and post it on your Facebook page, Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #OptimistDay.

Finally, share it with us by email or on the PNW Optimist Clubs Facebook page. Be proud. #BeAnOptimist. We can't wait to see how you represent.

#OptimistDay 2018

Today has been declared #OptimistDay by Optimist International and Optimist Club members around the world are celebrating by showing their Optimist pride, wearing their Optimist colors and clothes, and doing what they do best - sharing their optimistic attitude with others. 

For me, I thought it was a great time to share what it means to be an Optimist. Being an Optimist Club member is about carrying compassion in your heart, service in your hands and positive thoughts in your mind. 

Of course, when you share those positive thoughts, service, and compassion with others, you help build more optimism to make our world a better place to live. 

Please join an Optimist Club and help us move this world forward with hope, with optimism. 

Resolved: Talk about membership in a positive way

Did your Optimist Club make a New Year's resolution?

Did you, as an Optimist Club member, make a New Year's resolution?

I recommend taking time right now to resolve to share optimism by talking about membership in a positive way. Please read on to discover this month's retention and recruitment tip.

Recruitment and retention tip #53: Resolve to talk positively about membership.

As this tip is being posted in January, it’s easy to talk about resolutions; however, resolutions may be made at any time and in order to follow-through, one must be frequently reminded that they have resolved to do something. The same is true for membership in any club or association.

Because we know that we want to add members to our Optimist Club, we should talk about what it does and how good it makes us feel so that others will become interested in joining the cause. Our positive conversations improve membership recruitment and instill the pride that we need to retain those members we already have.

Don’t forget to celebrate #OptimistDay, every year, the first Thursday in February. Oh, to heck with that! Celebrate by being proud to be an Optimist every day.

I am an #OptimistDay is February 1, 2018

Don't be fooled! We know - we hope - that you celebrate being an Optimist Club member every day.

However, for the second year, Optimist International is encouraging all of its clubs and their respective members to show their pride on one, unified day and that day in 2018 is February 1.

The purpose of #OptimistDay, according to Optimist International, is to promote the mission and values of optimism to the public by wearing Optimist gear.

I think it is much simpler than that. It is about showing our pride by wearing our colors, shirts, hats, pins and other accessories. That helps Optimist Clubs and Optimist International gain awareness so that our colleagues ask, "Tell me more."

That is when it is your opportunity and responsibility to let others know what your Optimist Club does to bring out the best in youth, community and ourselves. It is more than wearing an octagon on our chest or sleeve. Being an Optimist Club member is about carrying compassion in our heart, service in our hands, and positive thoughts in our mind. Being part of the Optimist movement means we  #shareoptimism with others, with the world.

Please join Optimist Clubs in the Pacific Northwest and around the world in celebrating #OptimistDay February 1, 2018. Wear your Optimist gear and take pictures. Then, share your pictures on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms with the hashtag #OptimistDay.

Don't forget to send us one too to this link: PNW Optimist Clubs celebrate #OptimistDay. 

How did you celebrate #OptimistDay?

Yesterday, February 2, 2017, was #OptimistDay. Optimist Club members from around the world celebrated on Facebook and other social media sites. However, there did not seem to be much participation from Optimist Clubs in the Pacific Northwest. A couple of posts and a share or two was it. That's too bad. It was an easy project to conduct and it demonstrated unity with a larger group.

I cite a few reasons for the weak participation:

1. Since the only way that one heard about #OptimistDay was through social media, only those who avidly follow social media knew about it. There wasn't enough lead time to write about it in club bulletins or talk about it at an Optimist Club meeting.
2. Optimist Club members wear Optimist Club apparel all the time, when they participate in a project, attend a meeting, among other times.  Wearing their apparel on one particular day seems routine. 
3. Not everyone likes to take a selfie. Not everyone likes to share their photos. The average age of an Optimist Club member is no where near the millennial category where photo sharing is the norm. 

So how do we fix this problem for #OptimistDay 2018? 

1. Keep the same date -  February 2 - and start advertising it now in print as well as social media. It's a widely accepted statistic that one has to hear or read about something seven times or more before they take action.
2. Use a hook for the apparel-based theme. Maybe everyone should wear purple or gold or something to help set off the Optimist International logo. 
3. Use the photos from those members who did participate this year to encourage other members to take pictures and share them next year. The photo didn't really have to be taken on February 2. The impact was in the share.

I also believe that Optimist International should set a goal and purpose. Perhaps aim for 1,000 photos or shares as a way to show the fellowship of an Optimist Club. That idea might benefit from some refinement, but it's a start.

Now let's do it! Show your Optimist pride on #OptimistDay 2018 and throughout the year.