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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>My affiliate is attempting to revitalize some of its chapters, and could use some advice.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The chapter in my area, Salem, Oregon, hasn’t met since March of 2020. We attempted to do an open house event with speakers explaining what the NFB is and discussing their participation in the organization. We planned one event in my area and the other in Portland, both on the same day. We had our state’s library and blindness agency send out a flyer, and we asked those attending to register in advance so we could get some idea of who would be coming. We tried to keep it under two hours so people could go from one location to another.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>We’d planned to have a panel discuss their participation in the NFB from the viewpoint of a blind parent, a student and a professional. After a break, the attendees would learn some thing about the history of our organization, major accomplishments, and how they could get involved.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I have to wonder if we’d bitten off more than we could chew.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>At my event, the only ones who showed up were those of us who already participate in the NFB. We talked among ourselves, then left the meeting space an hour later.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I haven’t heard how the other event went, but I know we need to find out where we went wrong, learn from it and try again.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The whole thing has left me scratching my head about what to do. It seems like my area has so many obstacles working against us, and it’s not easy to bring people out after the pandemic. Yet I’m stumped on what to do. I’m wondering if we need marketing help, surveys, or something else. Does anyone have advice on what I could do with our chapter? Is there a list I could join that might give me ideas? Are there any good books out there on marketing or communication that my team and I could learn from? <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I’d hate to have people sit there and listen to speaker after speaker, so are there other ways we can do an engaging open house. We still need to explain things to prospective members, but are there other ways to do that?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I feel like I’m caught between the lecture format and something more interactive. If we do speaker after speaker, we give them a lot of information. If we go more interactive, we could make it more engaging, but how would we articulate our philosophy without everyone getting so exhausted they get tired of repeating the same thing?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Yet we want to give them just enough to whet their appetite and then come back for more.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Something tells me that if we do a lot of history, they could possibly get turned off or bored. Yet prospects need to know something about our philosophy.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I sometimes fear for this generation due to shorter attention spans. I sometimes wonder if it’s getting harder for people to stay engaged unless there’s something distracting them, or everything needs to be artificially propped up. Are things really as bad as I see them?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I also don’t really know what my area needs.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>And what about doing things online versus in person?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Bottom line: I’m scratching my head, and could use some tips. Thanks.<o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>