- Excitement- You just started a new community! You are so excited to get things going! You search for a leadership team, lay awake at night thinking of all the great events you want to do and cannot contain your enthusiasm! So much so, your family is sick of you after the first week! Your first event is a success and although only a few people turned out you know it’s going to be great!
- Confusion-Your second event was the same people. Your weekly events are just you or maybe one other. What’s going on? What am I doing wrong? I know, let me change it up! Paddleboarding, squash, yoga, running, OCR, rock climbing, biking, we should offer something for everyone! Let’s do it all!
- Frustration-Why are there not more people coming to our events? Why was I the only one out running last week? Why can’t I get the leadership team to communicate better? Why is it always the same people who show up to everything? We’re such failures!! We’re the worse RWB community out there, I know it!
- Hopefulness-Hey…who’s that new person? Wait..three new people? Holy $#%* we had 40 at our last event! Is this finally working?? Are we doing things right?
- Acceptance-So we only get 12 per event? Remember when it was only two of us? I can live with 12, especially when I hear how much RWB has helped them. Let’s plan on two weekly events now and stick to those events.
This was a little tongue in cheek, but there’s some truth to
it. When you first start off, you want
to do everything! You plan event after event
after event. You go to every one of them only to find out that in most cases,
you’re the only one. You change events
for one or two people only to find out they don’t end up showing.
What’s the key? Opinions vary, and there's really no right answer, but here are some tips for those of you who are starting out or in your infancy:
What’s the key? Opinions vary, and there's really no right answer, but here are some tips for those of you who are starting out or in your infancy:
1. Consistency: This is the most common and I believe the most effective. YOU HAVE TO BE CONSISTENT! Do consistent events and ensure that at least one member of your
leadership team is at every event and it will pick up.
2. Commitment: If you are a volunteer leader, you made a commitment. In any volunteer work it is too easy to blow off an event when something "better" comes up. Stay committed. If you plan an event, put that on your calendar and if anything else "comes up", your answer should be "Sorry, I'm already busy.
3. Do what you want: Another piece of advice is plan events that
you (as in the team) want to do. This
way if you’re the only ones who show up you’re at least having fun doing
it!
4. Basics: Stick to the basics, one or two
weekly events a week and your numbers will improve.
5. Don't base success on numbers: Sure you love seeing lots of people come out to your events but in reality, the norm is 10%, so if you have that amount
coming out to planned events you’re doing well. But don't get hung up on the numbers. I live in a small state, so having 40 people come out to an event is huge! However, if you lived in NYC or LA, 40 may be a slow day.
The bottom line is who you are helping. I would rather have five people at an event and 2 or 3 of those state how grateful they were that an organization like RWB is around and how it's helping them. Enriching veterans lives is our business. Whether that's 1 or 100, if you're making a difference in a veterans life, you're being successful.
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