Second annual “Let’s Go Find the Others” event encourages each sister to introduce one friend to P.E.O.
March 2, 2011, was my mother’s P.E.O. initiation day. It was then she became a sister to more than 240,000 other women—including me, her oldest daughter. Now the members of Chapter HB, Texas, have a wonderful new sister and my mother Dawn King has become part of one of the oldest, most philanthropic women’s organizations in North America.
Mom’s information was one of five I sent last August on an Introduction of a Woman Who is Not a P.E.O. form. Three went to Indiana, one went to Arizona and Mom’s form went to Round Rock, Texas. After I put the forms in the mail, I shared my excitement with the other members of International Chapter’s membership team. What if every member of P.E.O. sent in just one form, we wondered. And so, “Let’s Go Find the Others” month was born. Last October local chapters all over the Sisterhood participated in the first annual membership initiative designed to intentionally grow our sisterhood. As a result of your participation, initiations rose to 9,019 in 2010; a 7 percent increase from 2009.
“We took The Record article to heart”
Jeanne Herder, Chapter EM Wisconsin, said the “Let’s Go Find the Others” initiative inspired her sisters. The five year-old chapter has almost doubled in size. Three of their new members were initiated in November following the “Let’s Go Find the Others” membership initiative. “Just the quote itself prompted our sisters to think of others in the community,” Jeanne said. Chapter EM meets at 4:30 in the afternoon to accommodate working professionals and those with young children. They enjoy great age diversity; members range from women in their 30s to those in their 70s. Their activities range from kid-friendly picnics in the park to dinners after meetings.
“Membership is something we do naturally”
As a result, each generation introduces their good friends to their P.E.O. sisters. “When we went to ‘go find the others’ we pinpointed dear friends in our community who were already involved in philanthropy,” Jeanne said. “We enjoy getting together so much, our sisters want their friends to become a part of it. In our chapter, membership is something we just do naturally.” 
Second Annual “Let’s Go Find the Others” MonthHere are a few suggestions for participating in P.E.O.’s second annual “Let’s Go Find the Others” month. For the Chapter 1. Visit the online Membership Tool Box and download the “Let’s Go Find the Others” flyer from the Membership Initiatives panel. Agree to participate as a chapter. 2. While you’re there, download the special “Let’s Go Find the Others” Hot Spot for suggestions on having a “Let’s Go Find the Others” event. 3. Ask your membership committee to conduct a “Let’s Go Find the Others” program. A program template is available in the Membership Initiatives panel of the online Membership Tool Box. 4. If you decide not to have a “Let’s Go Find the Others” membership program, download FRANC’s list worksheet and the Introduction of a Woman Who is Not a P.E.O. form for each member of your chapter. Distribute them as part of your membership committee report and ask everyone to bring completed forms back to the next meeting. 5. At the next meeting, discuss ways to meet women listed on FRANC’s list. Offer help to sisters who want to send introduction forms for friends or relatives. 6. Follow up. If your chapter participates in this initiative, you have a head start on realizing the membership goals you’ve set for the year. Continue meeting, proposing and initiating those women who share our values and support our mission. For the Individual Member 1. Visit the online Membership Tool Box and download the FRANC’s list worksheet from the programming panel. 2. Once you’ve completed the worksheet, consider how you will introduce these friends, relatives, acquaintances, neighbors and children’s friends to your P.E.O. sisters. 3. If some of the women on your list live in another community, down load the Introduction of a Woman Who is Not a P.E.O. form from the Membership Forms panel and send the completed document to the appropriate state, province or district. Tips for sending a successful Introduction of a Woman Who is Not a P.E.O. form are included in this article. 4. During Suggestions for the Good of the Chapter, tell your sisters what you’ve been up to. Encourage them to join you. 5. Talk about P.E.O. Wear your P.E.O. pin all month. Develop a 30-second “speech” explaining P.E.O. and its projects. Use it when P.E.O. comes up in conversation. 6. Follow up. Continue inviting your friends to P.E.O. socials and activities. If October isn’t the best month for your chapter to participate in this initiative, choose a different month. Membership is a three-legged stool: we need to nurture those sisters we already have, we need to help unaffiliates find a new P.E.O. home and encourage inactive sisters to reinstate and we need to grow. All three legs are necessary to reinforce P.E.O.’s firm foundation, for when our membership is healthy and thriving, we are better equipped to serve our projects. |
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Tips for Sending a Successful Introduction of a Woman Who is Not a P.E.O. Form Some of the women we’d like to introduce to P.E.O. don’t live close enough to attend our own chapters; however, that shouldn’t prevent you from introducing them to the P.E.O. sisters where they live. You can do that by sending the Introduction of a Woman Who is Not a P.E.O. form. The form is located in the Membership Forms panel of the online Membership Tool Box on the P.E.O. website. Here are some tips for successfully introducing your friends and family with this form. 1. Provide accurate information. Take the time to confirm their correct email address and telephone number. If you are not completing this form online, write legibly. Provide phonetic spellings of potentially hard-to-pronounce names. In short, be sure the information you provide will aide in making the initial contact a smooth one. 2. Use the reverse side of the form to write a personal note. “Take time to write a paragraph or two about the woman you’re introducing,” Freda Cronemiller, California State Chapter membership committee member suggests. “Without it, it’s just a cold call and it takes more time to get acquainted. The additional information makes it so much easier for chapters to reach out and, hopefully, make these friends a sister.” 3. Send it to the appropriate people. Consult the link for local chapters in the Directory of Presidents located on the P.E.O. website and send the form directly to each chapter as well as to the state, provincial or district (s/p/d) organizer. If there are numerous chapters in her area, send the form directly to the s/p/d organizer. She will distribute it to the appropriate chapters. 4. Follow up. Chapters receiving your form are asked to complete and return the bottom portion to you as a courtesy. If that doesn’t happen in a timely fashion, don’t be afraid to follow up. Each s/p/d has its own way of handling introduction forms. It may be longer for some to process the forms than others. “Sometimes it takes at least six months,” Freda said “especially during the summer months when many chapters don’t meet.” |
