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Date: 10/1/2019
Subject: GWR News Blast - OCTOBER 2019
From: Governor Lori Reed




October 2019
News Blast
Governor's Corner
Hot Topics
Governor Lori
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"International"
 
I was fortunate last month to experience the "International" aspects of our organization on a personal level.   My husband and I traveled to the United Kingdom and Scotland for fun, no official business.  I reached out to the clubs in the areas that we planned to travel and was so happy to meet up with members from 3 clubs.  First, we were greeted by Hilary Laidler, from SI Ellesmere Port and District. She and her husband met us at our resort and took us to areas we never would have ventured in England.  We spent the entire day touring the English countryside and beautiful lakes, stopping to eat & drink at the local fares.  Next, we met with Pat Black, former SIGBI President, and member of SI Edinburgh, Scotland.  She was a master tour guide for Edinburgh and the historic Edinburgh castle.  We had coffee and scones in one of her favorite cafes and then had a "back of house" tour of the grounds around the castle.  It was such a delight!  After exploring Liverpool (and all things Beatles!) and London on our own, we capped off our trip with a coffee event held at a Jann Landles house, overlooking the Morecambe Bay.  10 members from SI Lancaster joined us at Jann's house and we talked all things Soroptimist for nearly 2 hours!  We also managed to stay at Number 63 in London - a Soroptimist owned hotel, across the street from Hyde Park and Kensington Palace.
 
Why am I sharing all of this with you?
 
Because I want to encourage all of you to be enriched by the "international" part of our organization when you are out and about the world.  Reach out to other clubs when you can, whether in the US, or any other country you visit.  Our Soroptimist sisters are as excited to meet you as you are them!  There are several ways you can informally reach Soroptimists from around the world:
 
1. Request to be added to the closed Facebook page called Soroptimist Facebook Friends
2. Join the Soroptimist Chat Line - this is a Google Group that functions like a forum discussion on different topics.  Click on this link to request to join:
3. Stay informed about all of the worldwide news of Soroptimist activities by subscribing to the "Global Voice", an online publication from Soroptimist International.
Click on this link to subscribe to the
 
Happy travelling and I'll see you all soon at the Fall Meetings!
 
Governor Lori
2018-2020

Instagram and your club

Instagram specializes in letting users share photos and videos and has become the favorite way to share among teens and young adults, beating out Facebook and Twitter. In the US, young people 18-29 years old make up half of the users on Instagram. It is estimated that Instagram users will exceed 111 million in 2019 (Statista.com). 

 

 If you are not tapping this Instagram market, you may be leaving a lot of potential on the table. If you use Instagram for your nonprofit organization and not for your personal use, you need to sign up for an Instagram for Business account. It is free, and it provides you with several useful tools that you do not get with the personal account, including analytics and a Contact button.Your profile is your homepage on Instagram. It is the first thing people see when they find you, so make it stand out. If you have an Instagram for Business account, you can automatically pull your contact information from your Facebook Business Page, and link the two pages. 

 

You will hear more about how to set-up your club account at the Fall Meetings, but here are a few tips:

  • Sign up for Business Tools
  • Make your profile accurate and complete
  • Compose compelling captions
  • Create your content strategy
  •  Use stories
  • Increase your followers with hashtags
  • Be consistent

The most successful Instagram accounts are not a little bit of everything. They focus on a particular visual style of content and the audience they want to reach (think Dreams Programs).  If you have not used Instagram before, the process might seem strange and awkward. However, we have all learned from other social media platforms. You can learn Instagram too. It is likely to be worth it.

 

Quote for the month:
"Stop being afraid of what can go wrong. Start being excited about what can go right" anonymous
Featured Article
Reminders/Deadlines
Montage of Words
TIPS:
Providing a Positive Club Experience
 
Clubs can grow and retain members by providing an engaging and civil member experience.  Inviting and encouraging members to get involved on committees - or helping when they can if being on a committee is too much of a commitment - is an ideal way to engage members.  Empower your members to make decisions within your committees. 
 
Making members feel welcome by hearing and responding to their feedback and ideas in a positive manner, even if they are not feasible to implement, helps create a civil member experience.  Engage your members to create a campaign on your club's Facebook page called "It's GREAT to be a Soroptimist", and ask members to post their experiences.   
 
Recognize members that go beyond expectations for the betterment of the club.  A simple public "Thank You" goes a long way.  Develop and deliver leadership training opportunities within your club (and encourage members to attend regional and SIA meetings)
 
 

Calendar

2019 Important Dates:

Oct 3, 2019 - D2 Fall Meeting reg. deadline
Oct 3, 2019 - Founders Day
Nov 15, 2019 -LYDA portal closes
Nov 15, 2019 - Club Taxes due
Dec 10, 2019 - Human Rights Day
 
2019 Meeting Planner:
 
October 2019 FALL Meetings:
District 1 - Oct 4-5 in Corona, CA
District 2 - Oct 18-19 in San Jacinto, CA
District 3 - Oct 25-26 in Flagstaff, AZ
District 4 - Oct 11-12 in Glendale, AZ
 
2020 Meeting Planner:
Spring Conference 2020:
May 29-31, 2020
Twin Arrows Navajo Casino Resort
Flagstaff, AZ
 
SIA 46th Convention 2020:
July 22-25, 2020
Bellevue Hyatt Regency
Bellevue, WA
 
Reminder:
Submit your club events to Pat Box to be displayed on the GWR event calendar
patbox1@verizon.net

GOLDEN WEST REGION NEWS BLAST -October 2019
Contact Governor-elect Laurie Moses - 
LaurieM.GWR@gmail.com
Soroptimist International of the Americas