Looking for guidance to rebuild a dying organization

[garnigal]

I belong to a community group called Guelph Needlecraft Guild. We meet every couple of weeks for classes organized by the group, or just to sit and work on our crafts. In October, it became apparent that the organization is in a contracting phase (over 50 members when I joined 7 years ago, 28 now), and we've lost a lot of our active members.

I'm an idiot.

I volunteered to be president.

So now I'm responsible for either putting it on the right path to rebuilding or... putting the final bullet in it.

To that end, I posted a survey on Facebook - and got bupkis. Clearly, FB is not the place to get responses. So I'm going to try here. Mostly I'm looking for ideas and advice, though if there are local Guelphies out there in the ether - come join us! We're friendly, hardly bite at all!

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I've volunteered to be Guelph Needlecraft Guild vice president for the remainder of the year, which means I'll be president next year. We're currently in a membership contraction and rebuilding (we hope) phase of our guild, and I'm looking for some external guidance about going forward. The guild's purpose is to bring together like-minded crafters for education and fellowship.

1) Are you a crafter (knitting, beading, quilting, sewing, embroidery etc)?
2) Do you have any interest in getting together in person with people who share your interests?
3) How do you find people with the same interests as you?
4) What do you expect to get out of meeting with people who share your interests?

Thanks for your input. Once I have some ideas, I may approach those of you who respond with to ask for more detail. Let me know if you want me to leave you alone!

Comments

[kehlen.livejournal.com]

You could post a link to this poll in an Idol Green Room if you haven't already. I know for sure there are crafters among the contestants, some of their intros said as much. :)

1) Are you a crafter (knitting, beading, quilting, sewing, embroidery etc)?
A bit. I knit sometimes, and I am learning how to sew... well, to sew things like mattress covers and putting patches on work clothes because I enjoy it. I also darn clothes for the same reason.

2) Do you have any interest in getting together in person with people who share your interests?
Maybe. I have planned once but it did not pan out, and I am not too keen on the idea.

3) How do you find people with the same interests as you?
Crafts-wise, I don't. I just pick things up from the internet or from my mother who is much better at them, or do whatever I feel needs doing, basically, and keep what works for me, because right now I only mend and sew things that I don't intend to parade anywhere, but only be quietly chuffed with myself that I did, even if it is nothing to look at, merely serviceable.

Fandom-wise, online. It is weird how you start talking about your new interest and people just come out of the woodwork as interested in the same, or find you (several did on Twitter), or you find them by following others' conversations.

4) What do you expect to get out of meeting with people who share your interests?
Talking about those interests and exchanging information and tips on how to do better, or where to find stuff.
If it were a crafts group, maybe working together on similar things, and seeing how others are doing and offering/getting tips on what works for others.

The most important for me would be that the group felt informal and did not strive for perfection, or to create this GREAT THING for some goal or the other. I currently shun perfection, because chasing it has caused me grief in the past. Simply getting things done, however imperfect they are, feels better right now.