Passion was the hallmark of the South Area Meeting in Biloxi, MS, October 15 – 17. Members came from as far away as Aruba and Alaska to Think 30! – the goal of the South Area to expand clubs to at least 30 members. The weekend combined hard work on strategies for growth with social activities ranging from a ‘50’s party, complete with poodle skirts and banana splits, to a derby party at a beautiful estate. Participants came to the meeting with passion for Quota and left fired up with new ideas about how to grow.
The format was three general sessions of presentations concerning some aspect of planning for growth, each followed by round table and general discussions. (The questions from all program segments and some of the responses can be found on the Area website, www.quotasoutharea.com. Click on South Area Director, then on Think 30! If you are serious about growing your club, using the questions from this meeting to brainstorm with your club members would be a worthwhile workshop to help your club members focus on this topic.)
The first program segment was “Who are we? How do we present ourselves?”, introduced by the PowerPoint presentation developed and presented by Vicki Miller, Quota International of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, explaining in a most entertaining style what Quota International is and how the local club fulfills its goals through fun, fellowship and service. Past International President Bobbie Carey continued the discussion of who we are by discussing Quota’s worldwide service initiatives, highlighting specific Club to Club projects. (The complete PowerPoint presentation is an inspiring portrait of some the service projects supported by Quotarians in developing countries. It is available through the Quota headquarters or through its website, www.quota.org.)
QI Treasurer Enid Croes-Marugg updated us on Quota’s financial status, followed by remarks about opportunities to donate to support our service projects through “Blue Light Specials”, gifts of special Quota jewelry for donations. This was explained by QI President Nicôl Lea, expanded upon by PIP Lynn Stephenson with her famous raffle tickets, and put into the context of buying memories by PIP Charlotte Schamadan. “Who are we” presentations ended with brief reports about what’s going on the South Area by district governors: Dr. Ron Kath, District 8; Gloria Collins, District 19; Dr. Gwenn Jackson, District 21; Hester Carey, District 23; Nanette Winterstein, District 27; and Noris Van Lis-Donata, District 42. Discussion for this program segment revolved around identifying why one would want to join Quota, our strengths and weaknesses, and our recruiting experiences.
The second segment, “Can these programs help?”, was devoted to examining the tools we have to help us grow. Central Area Director Daryl Perrine explained the District Dynamo award, given to the club in each district with the greatest net gain in membership during the contest year – April 1 through March 31. It avails clubs of an added incentive for growth. The South Area boasts the first two branches in the USA. Formation of the Carolina Piedmont branch of Greensboro, NC, was described by Branch Coordinator Suzanne Groat, and formation of the Central Florida branch of Plantation, FL, was described by Branch Coordinator Nan Winterstein. PIP Mary Cotter explained the philosophy and mechanics of forming a branch and a lively question and answer session followed. Discussion questions for this segment identified programs used by clubs and branches in the making, as well as other tools and suggestions to help our expansion. At a later point, PIP Lynn Caroon spoke to some of the issues that had been raised about club vs. branch formation as well as some target populations.
“Developing our marketing strategy” was the third program segment. It was introduced through an eye-opening PowerPoint presentation by Dr. Gwenn Jackson on the characteristics of various generations and challenged us to develop marketing strategies to fit potential members based on this knowledge. Discussion questions focused on identifying target members and appropriate recruiting techniques, participants’ personal plans for growing their clubs to include who and how to convince others to support this effort.
A high point of the weekend was a presentation by President Nicôl during which she recognized Quota International of Coral Gables, FL, for its 50 years of Quota service. She also recognized all district officers as well as new members and first timers. Other certificates of recognition came at the end of the meeting when QI of Atlanta, GA, was recognized as the club with the greatest percentage of its membership in attendance (50%); QI of Aruba as the South Area club which traveled the greatest distance to attend; QI of the MS Gulf Coast as the club with the largest registration (11 and even more participated in social functions); and QI of Monroe, LA, as the non-host club with the largest registration (9).
South Area Meeting wasn’t all work and no play by a long shot. Early arrivals were treated to the aforementioned ‘50’s party at Paula’s Diner (actually Paula April’s home filled with unbelievable collections). The opening reception was held at the George Ohr Museum, where we ate, drank, mingled and bought souvenirs. Much of the food was prepared by the club members and was great!
Saturday night, we traveled by buses to the beautiful estate of Earline Sawyer (who prepared much of the great food), where a carriage ride was available, a horse racing game based on Quota facts was played, and awards were given in various derby hat categories.
Not enough can be said for the magnificent hospitality shown to us by members of the MS Gulf Coast club. They not only developed and tended to all the social and housekeeping functions of the weekend, but they were there with and for us throughout. Our undying gratitude especially goes to Paula April, event coordinator, and Vicki Miller, AV coordinator, photographer, Jacqueline of all trades. They worked tirelessly for months to make sure this meeting was a happening.
This was an exciting meeting with participation from every attendee. We only lacked in time to do all we wanted to do, say all we wanted to say. Nevertheless, I believe we accomplished our primary goal. We decided what we wanted to do about growing our clubs and left with a passion for doing just that.
