Membership Numbers Up This Quarter!
The third quarter of the VJJA membership year closed March 31, 2009, with a significant increase over the second quarter. The Tidewater District is due the credit for this increase. The Tidewater leadership went forward this year with their Annual Spring Fling, and we are so glad they did. This year’s event is credited with increasing membership by 93 members. I was not able to attend, but I did enjoy working with Robin Bailey to get participants’ membership dues paid. Several people joined not only for the remainder of this membership year, but also for next year. To those who paid only through the end of June, I hope you will decide to continue your membership into the new membership year.
In the week following the Spring Fling, I was asked to do a presentation about VJJA to a group of folks who in our area have typically steered clear of the Association. As I started the presentation, I found that I could not say enough good things about VJJA and what the Association means to me. I just kept thinking about the wonderful people I’ve met through VJJA, the camaraderie, the understanding, the support of others who have had similar experiences, to share information and just the opportunity to make good friends in the process. A couple folks offered positive comments about the presentation, so hopefully we will gain new members from it and I hope they enjoy the VJJA experience as much as I have.
As we head forward into a new membership year, I am very happy to announce an actual Membership Committee has been formed! Yey! A member from each District has volunteered. (I think one may have been volun-told, but it will be fine.) The Membership Committee members are Ben Morgan, Blue Ridge District; Stephen Stark, Capital District; Tina Casper & Elaine Butkiewicz, Northern District; Pat Scott-Cobb, Southwest District; Paul Greggs, Tidewater District; and me for the Valley District.
At this point, committee members are resting up because our busy season begins in June with the disbursement of renewal notices and then we really get busy as the bulk of dues are paid in July and August. The membership processing will begin with the renewals/memberships coming to me. As the data base is updated, each member will receive an email notification of the receipt. Each member of Membership Committee will then receive a list of the members renewing/joining in their respective Districts and will assist in the distribution of certificates and stickers.
As we move deeper into the membership year, the District Chairs and the Membership Committee members will be notified regularly of their active members and non-renewals. In addition to knowing who their members are, I’d also like for them to assist in reminding and encouraging our non-renewers and to assist in locating people if they have absconded without changing their contact information.
I very much appreciate having the volunteers’ assistance in keeping up with membership mailings. I will be supplying them with everything they need and look forward to everything going smoothly. And just as a reminder to the general membership, everyone who takes on a role within VJJA, from the President to the committee members, from the Advocate Editor to the conference staff, everyone is a volunteer, giving up their time to make a difference. Be sure to say thank you to the VJJA leadership for all they do!
As always, please send any changes in your employment, or updates to your email and/or mailing addresses to me at membership@vjja.org . The new membership year begins July 1, 2009 and the NEW renewal forms will soon be available on-line.
The following are my membership tips for this issue:
- Mark you calendar for the new membership year.
- Renew early – July 1 is fast approaching.
- Renew on-line – it is fast and it is easy and if not call me!
- Note that new members no longer have the option for a paper Advocate – we are now a techno-savvy, paperless (as we can be) association.
- Lastly and most importantly, DO NOT USE OLD FORMS – my mailing address has changed.
Now that I think I have made Susan Farmer wait long enough, here are the membership numbers by District:
DISTRICT |
|
2008-09
2nd Qtr. |
2008-09
3rd Qtr. |
BLUE RIDGE |
|
112 |
112 |
CAPITAL |
|
120 |
132 |
NORTHERN |
|
105 |
111 |
SOUTHWEST |
|
40 |
41 |
TIDEWATER |
|
261 |
328 |
VALLEY |
|
43 |
50 |
TOTAL |
|
681 |
774 |
Have a wonderful spring and summer and hopefully I’ll get to see you at a VJJA event soon!
