Yes, I am still here

Hello friends, 

It’s been far too long since my last check-in, and I wanted to take a moment to provide an update. I’m happy to share that my commitment to optimism remains as strong as ever. I continue to stay actively involved as a proud member of the Share-a-Smile Optimist Club, and I also help support the scholarship programs with the West Tacoma Optimist Club—efforts that bring real hope and opportunity to our community.

Most importantly, I continue to share daily messages of optimism on Facebook, as I’ve done for the past eighteen years. I actively manage five pages and one group, all dedicated to spreading positivity. I’d love for you to join me there so we can share the journey of optimism together. 

Just click the links below to like, follow, and stay connected. Thank you!

Join An Optimist Club - Inspiration from Linda Vaught Disney

West Coast Region - Optimist International

PNW Optimist Clubs

Share-a-Smile Optimist Club

Pacific Central District - Optimist International

Experience Optimism

$30 membership incentives end December 31, 2020

 Adding new members to your Optimist Club should be a priority for officers and members alike. Only when members are added are we able to truly meet the needs of our communities. The extra hands make current projects run more smoothly and the new ideas bring new programs to life. 

Over the past few years, Optimist International has offered several different $30 membership programs to give prospective new members the opportunity to sample an Optimist Club at a reduced rate. The $30 under 30, Heroes, and Recruit-a-Teacher incentives targeted individuals like young professionals, first responders, and teachers. 

This notice is to alert all Optimist Clubs that all $30 incentives will expire on December 31, 2020. Hurry to save money for all of these categories of membership. Watch the video for more information.

Strategy is relevant

During this time of COVID-19 disruption, I've had the good fortune to stay connected with many Optimist Club members from different clubs and regions. We've shared worries and most importantly, we've shared positive thoughts and plans for the future. We've also shared thoughts for what I've heard called our NOW normal.

Led by the Optimist International office, President Adrian Elcock, and its international committees, the organization is conducting online elections for its 2020-2021 leaders and is in the planning stages for conducting the Optimist International Convention virtually. Yes, I think we are adapting to our NOW normal. I promise to share more here about the virtual convention, among other things, as information becomes available.

This website was created to share information that we, as Optimist Club members and Optimist Clubs, might not be getting from other sources. Over the past thirteen years, we've experienced ups and downs in communication. Right now, during this time of disruption, I've sometimes felt over-connected and perhaps you have too. Certainly, hearing the news media, the US President, other world leaders, and state/province, and local leaders and politicians might be seen as a full-time job. Reading the memes, both positive and negative, can fill up our social media streams making it tough to connect with those with whom we most want to speak. Even the messages created by Optimist International and Optimist Clubs can be staggering as we stretch our minds to ask, why does this matter to me?

Hence, I decided my membership recruitment and retention message for this month must touch on strategy.

Membership recruitment and retention tip #81: [COVID-19 social distancing edition #2] 

Stay connected in a meaningful way. Last month, our advice was to stay connected in this time of physical distancing. We encouraged you to connect with your members via social media platforms like Zoom, Facebook, Instagram, among others, and even the old-fashioned telephone. By reaching out, we let others know that even during a crisis, we can weather the storm together. With another month ticked off the calendar, we want to say that while it is important to reach out, it is even more important to reach out in a meaningful way. 

Once the connection is confirmed, you must add some strategy to your communications plan. Decide what the message is that you want to say - it may be informative, entertaining, or a call to action - and then create a text, graphic, or video to deliver the message. 

But don’t stop there. Use data to determine where the message should be posted and how your members will be most likely to receive it. Be selective in the content of the message and the delivery system. With all the media that is bombarding us at this time, it’s easy to overlook something important because the last time we heard from a particular source it was frivolous or worse. 

The content of your messages must be consistently relevant or they won’t be worth your member’s time.

Do you need help? 

If you need help creating relevant content for your Optimist Club members, I would love to help. We have a tried and true social media editorial calendar that will engage your members and help your Optimist Club excel. 

Reach out to Linda Vaught here. 

Stay connected

As a federation of Optimist Clubs around the world, Optimist International can count on assistance to stay connected to those who rely on its message of hope. With that in mind, we give you the monthly installment of our membership recruitment and retention tip. 

Membership recruitment and retention tip #80: [COVID-19 social distancing edition]

Stay connected. 

Around the world, the novel coronavirus has disrupted daily lives. As people stay home to be safe, they also cheer on those who travel to work on the frontline. Physicians, nurses, and all medical personnel have become superheroes. Those who work in the grocery and transportation industries are the new rockstars. And at home, individuals are hopeful as they watch and wait for the days that they too can resume their traditional routines.

Organizations, businesses, and the government are reaching out via social media to keep their publics informed. They are reaching out to give assurance that together we can weather this storm. They are reaching out with optimism. 

Now is the time to stay connected to your members. Reach out by any social media means. Reach out via telephone. Let members know they matter today as much as yesterday. Keeping connected will make them - and the organization - matter even more tomorrow.

Who said there is no such thing as a free lunch?

Optimist Clubs encourage potential members to visit them and try them out. Most clubs that gather at mealtimes offer a complimentary meal to the guest.

This quick post is a membership recruitment and retention tip that we received from the Twin Falls Optimist Club.

In addition to offering a meal to the potential new member, the Twin Falls Optimist Club also gives a free meal to the sponsor of the new member when they join.

Now we know! Whoever said there was no such thing as a free lunch wasn't an Optimist. But you can be an Optimist by joining an Optimist Club today.

Find a club near you by clicking on this link.

If you need additional help or would like to start an Optimist Club in your community, please send an email to Linda Vaught.  We'd love to help you #BeAnOptimist.

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. 

Consider a transitional membership category for your Optimist Club

It's a new year and our tradition of serving-up monthly membership retention and recruitment tips on Facebook continues. Occasionally, like today, we share the tip here, too.

Membership retention and recruitment tip #65: Offer a transitional membership category for members - or potential members - who are in flux.

Sometimes we ask someone to join our club only to hear that they don’t know where they will be next year at this time.

At renewal time, some current members may weigh the value of continuing their membership because they are anticipating a career change or are moving their place of residence.

Throughout the year, sadly, some members may lose their jobs.

All are good opportunities to offer a transitional membership, one that reduces or suspends dues payments, attendance requirements, or project participation until the potential member or at-risk member has the opportunity to sort out their commitments on a personal level.

Working with members during uncertain times shows loyalty and friendship, some of the most valuable benefits of belonging to an Optimist Club and strengthens the bond they feel towards the club as a whole.

An observation about the past, an appeal for the future

During the last week of the year, many websites and blogs will review their most read posts and highlight how their musings may have shaped trends and beliefs. I thought it was more telling to review what drew the least attention in our corner of optimism: Create a path to leadership.

The irony is that it occurred during a time that Optimist Club leaders were, in theory, planning for the future.

So...what was happening in the PNW District on May 12, 2018? 

On that day, Optimist Clubs in the Pacific Northwest were attending the third quarter meeting where members heard from students in the Optimist International Oratorical Contest. Members also participated in the District Board Meeting and were introduced to the new organization structure being planned by Governor-elect Ben DeRemer. Lt. governors were being elected and preparations were being made for transitioning officers and committee positions on October 1, 2018.

It just so happens that the least read submission on the Optimist Clubs in the Pacific Northwest blog was posted May 12, 2018.  The text from "Create a path to leadership" follows:

We know this to be true - some people prefer to follow, some people want to lead, and all people like to be heard. In your Optimist Club, you must create space for the different levels of interest shown by your members and be aware, interests will likely change as engagement or disengagement occurs. 

If one person is always the committee chair of the club’s biggest event, always doing things his/her way, that leaves little room for new ideas to grow. Not only does the club suffer from the lack of new ideas, but members also become disillusioned and leave. 

The same is true for club officers. If the president and secretary-treasurer continually repeat in their roles, they create a perception that others are not needed. When people are not needed, what do they do? More often than not, they leave. 

It is up to current leaders to find and recruit their replacements so that the organization at the club level and beyond does not become stale from the lack of fresh, enthusiastic, new people, dreams, and goals. 

Great leaders are always training their replacement so that, in addition to fresh energy, they can provide continuity on the initiatives already begun that will move the organization forward. An organization like Optimist International relies on the quality of leadership that begins at the club level and is nurtured at the district level. It is more important today than ever before that succession planning begin. As individuals, we may not be here forever, but with planning, the organizations we love will thrive well into the future.

While this post cautions Optimist Clubs to make way for new leadership, it also explains that the same must be done at all levels of the organization. If the same people attend the District meetings each quarter without bringing their respective club's current officers, the same people are occupying space into which others might step. Furthermore, they are continually making decisions on behalf of others and sometimes that does not take new ideas and opinions into account. Most of all, it does not emphasize the importance of succession.

If Optimist Clubs are to continue well past the organization's Centennial Year, it is time that prospective leaders be given their clear path to succession. Some will be ready, and others will not. That is why a strong foundation of past leaders must remain engaged, but resolved to let others learn and teach the path we and our heirs are to take.


Photo credit: @rawpixel

Optimist volunteers are Santa's helpers

Any time of year is a good time to join an Optimist Club, but the holiday season may be the most exciting. Most Optimist Clubs host a multitude of Santa-like activities, from breakfasts to food drives, parties, and more.

While your help is needed at this busy time of year, it is also needed throughout the year when clubs sponsor Scholarship Contests, recognize children at Youth Appreciation events, and encourage good sportsmanship with Optimist Junior Golf, football, soccer, or curling, among other things.

The projects are endless and with a few more helping hands, Optimist Clubs can provide more meaningful moments to bring out the best in youth and themselves.

Please click here to find an Optimist Club near you and #joinanOptimistClub today. Your future self will appreciate it!

An incentive to recruit more teachers

Does $30 sound like a good price point to encourage someone to try out an Optimist Club?

Optimist International thinks so and that is why it has announced that the Recruit A Teacher for $30 remains in effect for the administrative year October 1, 2018 - September 30, 2019.

Just like the $30 for under 30 program, the Recruit a Teacher incentive allows a new member to join for a flat rate. There are no processing fees and in the PNW District, there are no additional district dues. Teachers, administrators, counselors, coaches, and others who work in the school system, may join for only $30 for the first year of membership.

Adding teachers or school personnel to an Optimist Club's roster is a boost to a local club's programming options. It gives a direct contact for the Scholarship Programs and informs the club of appropriate times, locations, and other teachers with whom to connect to expand the reach of the Optimist Club. Additionally, it might just provide the needed insight to start a Junior Optimist Club and help your club serve even more children.

Please click on the image to get the details for the Recruit a Teacher program then head on over to your closest school and start recruiting. Now. Thank you.

An incentive to recruit young professionals

Every Optimist Club should plan for growth. Adding new members to our clubs is how we accomplish our mission of bringing out the best in youth, our communities, and ourselves. New members bring ideas, energy, and even more new members. All together, they generate the funding that is needed to operate our programs and share optimism with the world.

The Optimist International Membership Committee has created a membership recruitment calendar that it recommends be used to target individuals each month. This month, for November, the suggestion is to recruit young professionals.

Furthermore, it recommends using the popular "30 and under for $30" program.

What is it?

The $30 under 30 program lets Optimist Clubs add members who are 30 years of age or younger to their club roster for only $30 for the first year. There are no administration fees and no district dues to be paid for the new members who are added under this program. Please click to enlarge the photo to learn more.

The incentive allows young adult members to experience the positive force of an Optimist Club without a financial impact. Our hope is they renew at the end of the first year, and for many years to follow.

Please add this resource to your Optimist Club's membership recruitment plan and help Optimist International make a difference in your community for another 100 years.

It's time to come home

We typically share a membership recruitment and retention tip on Facebook on the second Saturday of the month. This tip has such a great offer from Optimist International that we couldn't wait. We had to share today!

Membership retention and recruitment tip #63: Welcome past members with open arms. 

Times change and so do the commitments and interests of those who once belonged to your Optimist Club. It’s important to always keep the door open for your past members to return. 

Unless they asked to be removed, keep them on a special event mailing list and touch base with them occasionally to see how they are doing. Ask past members to help with projects that were interesting to them and to attend social activities with the group. 

In time, some may ask to rejoin. Don’t be pushy, but don’t be afraid to ask them to return. You never know when the time is right for them to say, “Yes!” 

Right now, through September 30, 2019, it’s even easier with the special Homecoming offer from Optimist International. Past members can rejoin ANY Optimist Club for only $30.00. Now that's a membership recruitment and retention tip worth sharing with all. 

Guarantee satisfaction in your Optimist Club

Is it time for a membership retention and recruitment tip again? Of course, it is. With this idea, this once-a-month suggestion has completed five years of publication. I hope you like it!

Membership retention and recruitment tip #60: Give a money back guarantee.

I recently bought a pair of slippers online. I wanted the slippers and had been looking everywhere for them. Sadly, when they arrived, they did not feel good on my feet. They were tight and a tad short and the top didn’t come as far down on my foot as I would like and...you get the picture. Even though they were something I had wanted for months, I hadn’t tried them on and when I did, they did not work, so I had to return them. Fortunately, the business made the return process simple. 

Club memberships should work the same way. People are curious about what service clubs do and often they are interested in being associated with the people who belong to such organizations, but they are sometimes hesitant to join because they don’t want to spend money on something that isn’t a good fit for them at the time. That’s where a money back guarantee comes into play. 

Ask potential members to give your club a try and if they are not satisfied in 90 days, let them know you’ll refund their investment, no questions asked. Then make it a priority to help the new recruit become a fully involved member so that they want to stay.

Being involved in a cause helps one develop loyalty. Loyalty leads to commitment and commitment leads to passion. All are desirable traits for member retention and all make it easier to attract more people to the cause. 

What's a teacher to do in the summer?

School's out for summer - what better time is there to ask a teacher to join your Optimist Club?

Teachers, school administrators, coaches, and others in the education system offer excellent connections for Optimist Clubs. As members, they can encourage more students to participate in the scholarship programs offered by Optimist International that must begin at the local Optimist Club level. As members, they can steer aspiring athletes to gain skills in Optimist Club sponsored youth sports programs. As members, they might provide hands-on support to start a new Junior Optimist Club program within a school or school district.

Above all, teachers as members provide new ideas for supporting the youth of your community from hands-on activities, to funding programs, sponsoring scholarships and more. Teachers are truly a vital link and because of that, Optimist International encourages you to add a teacher, or two, or three, or more, to your roster for only $30. That's it. One payment of $30 covers the entire year, offer valid through September 30, 2018.

Find out more about the Recruit a Teacher program here. 

Create a path to leadership

It's the second Saturday of May (already!) and that means it is time for a new membership
recruitment and retention tip.

Membership retention and recruitment tip #57: Create a path to leadership.

We know this to be true - some people prefer to follow, some people want to lead, and all people like to be heard. In your Optimist Club, you must create space for the different levels of interest shown by your members and be aware, interests will likely change as engagement or disengagement occurs. 

If one person is always the committee chair of the club’s biggest event, always doing things his/her way, that leaves little room for new ideas to grow. Not only does the club suffer from the lack of new ideas, members become disillusioned and leave.

The same is true for club officers. If the president and secretary-treasurer continually repeat in their roles, they create a perception that others are not needed. When people are not needed, what do they do? More often than not, they leave. 

It is up to current leaders to find and recruit their replacements so that the organization at the club level and beyond does not become stale from the lack of fresh, enthusiastic, new people, dreams, and goals. 

Great leaders are always training their replacement so that, in addition to fresh energy, they can provide continuity on the initiatives already begun that will move the organization forward. An organization like Optimist International relies on the quality of leadership that begins at the club level and is nurtured at the district level. It is more important today than ever before that succession planning begin. As individuals, we may not be here forever, but with planning, the organizations we love will thrive well into the future. 

Membership retention and recruitment tip #56: Offer a reward.

Membership retention and recruitment tip #56: Offer a reward. 

Sitting at a stoplight, I saw a sign on the car wash next to me that read, “Join the club.” With a smile on my face, I thought, don’t they know that it’s hard to get people to join a club? 

Then I thought, no wonder people don’t want to join a club, they are confused about what it means to join one. A car wash club is a purchase, whereas a service club means joining with other people for fellowship and volunteer opportunities.

And then as a last thought, I wondered, what does this car wash know about membership that I don’t know? 

The answer was actually pretty clear: As a member of the car wash club, you could wash your car every day for $1 per day, at multiple locations, hassle-free, with no contracts and automatic billing to make the transaction super-simple. The car wash club member was rewarded with a clean car and savings for their loyalty.

What can an Optimist Club learn from this example? People are not afraid to make to make a commitment, they just need to see the reward. It can be difficult to explain that fellowship is the reward for joining an Optimist Club. Perhaps instead we should offer something tangible like a club shirt or a free online listing for a member's business. The reward should relate to the image of the club in the community and help the new or veteran member and the Optimist Club to be recognized a positive force for good. 

Reward your members and they'll continue their investment in your club. 

Please #JoinAnOptimistClub today

Comparing the PNW District t-shot to previous years, it's easy to see that the retention level is good. Members are not leaving Optimist Clubs at an alarming rate.

However, it is also evident that new people are not rushing in to join an Optimist Club.

That is not an unusual situation. This may be a simple statement, but we fully believe that one of the reasons we don't have membership growth is that we just don't ask. We don't ask others to join our Optimist Club.

We could look at the many reasons behind this phenomenon, and perhaps we will in the near future, but for now, we want to remind you that the time is always right to ask someone to join an Optimist Club.

Doing good in your community and bringing out the best in youth and yourself is a timeless and priceless pursuit. Please #joinanOptimistClub today.

Click here to find an Optimist Club in your community. If there is not an Optimist Club near you, please send a message and we will help you get one started.

Planting seeds of optimism in Vernon, BC

Scrolling through my Facebook feed, I am always inspired by the North Okanagan Optimist Club. The members always look happy, its messages are uplifting, and the activities are purposeful. The club is located the furthest distance from the PNW District and in a way, it does its own thing; however, youth is forefront in its mission and sharing a positive mental attitude is an equal pursuit. The North Okanagan Optimist Club certainly lives up to its name.

On Saturday, March 17, 2018, North Okanagan Optimist Club members joined the "Seedy Saturday" Fair and shared their popular programs: Unplug and PLaY WEEK, Playground Boxes, and more. What's more, I bet they also invited others to join in their optimistic causes by being a member of the Optimist Club. The members are always planting seeds of optimism and watching them grow in Vernon, BC.

Have the luck o' the Irish every day

Once a year, all the world turns Irish. People look for four-leaf clovers and the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. They wear green clothes, eat green food, and speak with an Irish brogue even though they have never been to Ireland.

For one day, many people feel an affinity for a common theme, an idea that makes them happy.

That feeling is like being part of an Optimist Club. As an Optimist Club member, one has an affinity for positive thoughts and they seek to do good things, especially in their community. Optimist Club members work together to make the world a better place to live. They help children and adults alike in the pursuit of this mission: to bring out the best in youth, community, and ourselves.

Every day is a lucky day when you are a member of an Optimist Club. You can do it! Make your day lucky: #joinanOptimistClub.

Click here to find an Optimist Club near you.

If there is not an Optimist Club in your community, we would love to help you start one. Click here to start a new Optimist Club today. 

Find strength and wisdom in numbers

Optimist Clubs in the Pacific Northwest District of Optimist International are going through a seemingly endless series of "super zone" meetings in place of a district meeting for the second quarter of the 2017-2018 administrative year. It seems endless for the first was February 17 and the last will be March 24.

According to my Facebook stream, most other districts have already held one-day affairs where they celebrated the accomplishments of their respective Optimist Clubs for the 2016-2017 administrative year. It is a sad circumstance that the PNW District has little to celebrate; however, that is no excuse for not gathering the troops together for a "super dose" of motivation. This is my soapbox, so to speak, for encouraging an end to the practice of second quarter super zone meetings.

The super zone meeting is a plan promoted by some governors to bring District-level information and education to the local level. Not a bad thought, but isn't that the purpose, or shouldn't it be, of every zone meeting coordinated by the corresponding lieutenant governor?

Some cite the possibility of poor weather conditions as a reason to hold the local meetings. They say that way, fewer members will have to to have to travel far distances to attend; plus, there is the possible bonus that with the meeting being close, more will want to participate. I don't know whether that has proved successful. From the meetings I've been to over the years, I would say not so much.

The Optimist Clubs in the PNW District will come together as a whole for the third quarter meeting on May 12. That will mark only the second time that the District's Board of Directors will have met since the first quarter meeting in October. What's happened since that time? Have the club presidents been kept informed of the goals of the District and how their Optimist Clubs are part of the plan of success? Have the club presidents provided counsel to the governor and been given the opportunity to provide fiduciary oversight to the District as is their responsibility as members of the Board of Directors?

Here is the big question: are all working to leave their clubs and the district better than they were when they took office? Time will tell, I guess.

Over the past two years, the third quarter meetings have accomplished little more than serving as a platform for the Optimist International Oratorical Contest and Communications Contest for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. As inspirational as the students may be, there has been no training or education and the District Board Meeting has been reduced to the election of the lieutenant governors for the coming administrative year. That has provided little incentive to help the clubs grow right here, right now.

If the District is to return to a growth model, the administration must return to a growth message. The best way to deliver that message, concisely and consistently, is to return to education first and leave the social by-product as the second important reason for coming together.

Of course, the point of my message, is we need to come together as a District in the second quarter to celebrate the achievements of the previous year and to inspire achievement in the current administration. This is the time to provide last-minute encouragement and advise the process for entering the District-level Optimist International Scholarship Programs, among other things. It is the time to grow stronger with one another as clubs plan for the calendar year ahead.

A famous American once said that a house divided cannot stand. The same is true for the PNW District. As much as a super zone meeting may encourage localism, it discourages unity. When each group learns something different from the other, there is the risk that each will go its own way and soon, it may not need the others at all.