Regional Ramblings |
Great news! American Mensa finished the year to March 31 with an increase in membership. The total count was 44,824, an increase of 668 or 1.5% over last year. This may not sound like a large increase, but after several years of decreasing numbers and with other organizations loosing membership, this is great news. The number of members who paid their dues by the end of the membership year was also up considerably on previous years.
Much of the credit for this achievement must go to our National Office staff. Not only are they professional but they are Mensa friendly. Although employees are not allowed to be Mensa members, they feel part of the family. They want to hear your suggestions and concerns and have been responsible for initiating many of the new programs that have revitalized Mensa. One of the criteria in selecting staff is their ability to fit in with the Mensa scene. These people work, not to make their job better or easier but to make your Local Group more fun, more efficient and more rewarding.
The AMC has been run efficiently and and in a cooperative spirit. The appointed officers and some of the elected officers (whose names I cannot mention because it is election time) have brought us new programs and revised handbooks to enrich our groups. Many of our Local Groups have offered their members more by taking part in more activities. All these things have worked together to create a new spirit in Mensa.
Our region did not fare as well as other regions in membership growth, but with the enthusiasm generated at the recent Leadership Development Workshop and with the Annual Gathering in Long Beach, we will show them this year.
At the recent AMC meeting we approved a balanced budget. There will be no increase in dues but testing fees will go up on July 1. Local Groups will receive a little more funding from testing. I voted against this motion because I did not approve the way the funds will be distributed. Your group will also get a little more money for new and reinstating members and to contact lapsed members.
By now you will have your election material. Be sure to return it by the end of the month. The AG is almost upon us. If you have not already done so, register, book your hotel room, and volunteer to help, now.