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SEPTEMBER 2009 - MEMBER'S RIGHTS
Have you ever thought that as a member of the Grange, you have rights? Or that all members have rights? Yes, in the Grange all members have rights. Three come to mind right away:
- Every member has the right to feel important
- Every member has the right to be productive
- Every member has the right to an opportunity to make a difference
Let’s think about each of these one at a time.
Every member has the right to feel important . Do we agree that all members are important and play an important role in our Grange? If so, then what are we doing to give them that feeling of being important? Do we make sure that other members feel important to the Grange? Do you feel that you are important in the Grange?
We are a member-driven organization that prides our self on our grassroots heritage. We love that there are Granges from coast to coast and north to south, across this country. I am not talking about Grange Halls--I am talking about Granges made up of PEOPLE! Members are important. We each bring something different to the Order and that is the kind of diversity that makes us great. Each member has something to contribute and that is important. We need to make sure that our members and whatever they contribute, big or small, is important and that we appreciate it.
The right to be productive. Does every member have something to offer to the Grange that would be productive? I think that every member is capable of contributing something helpful. We all have different abilities, skills, and experiences that we can draw from. We have members that are big and strong while others are small and frail. We have members young and old, new members and 50+ yr members, and members that are quiet/shy and loud and boisterous. All Granges should be doing activities and programs that let each member be productive. Let each member do what he or she can with the abilities they have. Find something for everybody.
The right to make a difference. As I talk to Grangers out there about why they joined the Grange and why they continue their membership it usually comes down to the feeling that the Grange makes a difference. Now what the Grange makes a difference in varies from community to community. The point is, each member has the right to make a difference in what is important to him or her. Has your Grange asked your members what difference they would like the Grange to work on? Each Grange should, on a regular basis, ask its members this question. After all, the Grange should be relevant to the community’s needs.
Now do you see that these three rights that we have just discussed all work together? If the Grange is asking each member “what difference the Grange can make in the community” each member will feel they are important, because we are asking. Then as the Grange talks about how to go about making a difference we are giving everybody the opportunity to be productive.
July 2009 - Family, Friends, and the Fourth
 I certainly have a lot to be happy about this summer. I have been enjoying the time with my family, of course I was talking about my wife and kids, but I also got to spend most of a week with all of my Grange family and friends in Washington state at our annual session. It was a great privilege for my son and I to attend the opening day of their 136th annual Oregon State Grange Convention. And now it is time for us to enjoy Fourth of July celebrations as well as summer reunions, picnics, fairs, and vacations.
As you are out and about traveling, meeting new friends, and getting reacquainted with old friends, let them know about your family’s involvement with the Grange. Talk to them about our family values and how we have something for the whole family. Let them know that you couldn’t ask for better friends than Grangers. Invite your friends and family to your Grange picnic to meet and greet everybody from your Grange. You will see that if you talk positively about the Grange, about how being a member carries with it a special kind of seal of approval, and that you are a good person, they will feel honored to join when you ask them to. They will then know that you think they are a good person and that you talk positively about them also. They will know that you feel good enough about them to include them in a group of special friends.
Summer is a great to time to show potential new members that the Grange is a family organization and that your family and community mean a lot to you. Family, friends, and the Fourth of July are essential parts of summer and mean so much to each of us. I encourage you to share these traditions and those of the Grange with your community.
God Bless America
Rusty
MAY 2009 - ANSWERING THE QUESTION
People ask me all of the time “How do you answer when some asks you the question….?” The questions vary in topics and interests and most folks are asking because they have had people ask them these questions and they didn’t know how to answer them. So now they are asking me hoping for a great answer that will fit any situation.
As a parent, I have been asked many questions that aren’t always easy to answer. They may be funny or they may be serious. They may be personnel and make me feel very uncomfortable. They may even be about me and my actions as an adult that may not always lead to me being the kind of example that I need to be or want to be for my kids. The most important thing is that I “Answer the Question!”
If people are asking questions about the Grange or its members it shows they are interested or concerned. They may even want to make a point about their perception of the Grange and its members. So we have to answer their questions or run the risk they will write us off as a viable organization. And if we don’t know the answer we find out and get back to them Pronto!
We don’t answer them or don’t want to answer them because we either don’t know or don’t like the answer we would give them. Like when my son asked, “why can you say that bad word and I can’t?” See what I mean! I shouldn’t be saying the “bad word” either but I did so now I am faced with answering a question that puts me on the spot.
The questions about the Grange such as; “Don’t you have to be a farmer?”, “isn’t the Grange a secret organization?”, “Why do you have an open bible on an Altar?”, “We have an Active Community club, why do we need a Grange?”, “Is there any money available to build a Grange Hall?”, “What does National Grange/State Grange do with all the money they get from dues?” are all questions I get asked frequently and I know that some of you have been asked the same questions. So, how do we answer these types of questions with a smile, positively, truthfully, and still be inviting and encouraging to those potential new members? We choose the right attitude and put on a smile, tell them the truth and let them know with our answer, that all these things are what makes the Grange different from other groups and that we like the Grange and think they will too as they continue to learn more about the Grange.
I know all of you love the Grange and have a desire to see the Grange continue after we have gone. We know that means getting new people to join and take the “reins” and start steering the Organization. Many of us are seeing our role in the Grange changing from “the one doing everything” to the “teacher” or “mentor” of the new members. And with new members come lots of questions that we will have to answer and be the example of what a Granger is and can be.
So, go out there and start talking to people about the Grange. Ask them to join and be prepared for questions about the Grange. Choose to have a good attitude and let your passion for the Organization show in your answers. It will pay dividends in the end. Just remember, the most important thing is to “Answer the Question!”
MARCH 2009 – I’M TOO BUSY
Have you ever said “I’m too Busy”? I have. Did you mean it or was it just an excuse to not do something? I have used it both ways myself but it never seems to work for me. I still end up doing whatever anyway.
Has anybody ever said “I’m too busy” to you when you asked them for help or do something for the Grange? Have you ever asked someone to join and they have said “I’m too busy”? Do you have a good answer for them when your hear “I’m too busy”? We should. Aren’t we too busy. I know a lot of good Grangers out there and they are all busy people. We are working on things from Home, Family, work and Grange. We Care about people, schools, kids, health and safety. We care so much that we make time for Grange meetings, Grange programs, and Grange activities. We raise money to give dictionaries. We raise money for the foster children, March of Dimes, Deaf Awareness and etc……… We see the importance in it all. When we see a need we don’t just complain about it, we act and do something about it.
I have had many people tell me that they haven’t asked people to help or join because those people are too busy. That is just an excuse not to ask. We should never assume someone else’s answer. We should never give them that excuse automatically. If we believe so much in the Grange why should we assume that they won’t see the value of the Grange and believe in it too. By giving them the excuse we are not allowing or offering the opportunity for other members or potential members to be a part. In some cases it is an excuse to make sure that we get to do it our way. Because, if the other person was to say “yes” to us asking then we may have to do things differently, like their way.
By continually offering the opportunity to help with Grange programs, activities, and projects and by asking folks to join we are showing them that we value them. We are showing them that the Grange has value to us and our community and they need to be part of it. By asking we see them as an important person with things to offer to the Grange. And by being a part they will be able to get that good feeling of helping their community, State and Nation.
So next time you think someone is too busy to ask to help out or join the Grange, ask anyway. You might just get surprised by their answer. If they do say “I’m too busy” then you answer “I know, I am very busy too but that is the reason I ask you”. The Grange needs busy people. We don’t need anymore members that don’t want to do anything. We need people with ambition. People that want to accomplish something. Members that see or have a need and want to help out. Just like us. Because we are all too Busy!
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