I’ve been reading some discussion about Local Group funding
and how to improve the members’ experience in Mensa. I’ve watched as membership
numbers slip downward, and as testing numbers continue to drop, despite all
sorts of massive efforts and incentives to Groups to promote testing.
Even in Chicago, widely-admired as an active and
high-functioning group, there is a sense of… staleness. I know that despite
being quite committed to Mensa, and proud of my chapter, even I find myself
feeling rather “meh” about most offerings. Another party with the same people
and same types of food and entertainment. Another dinner out with the same
crowd. Another spread of pictures of the same people playing games in our
newsletter. I like the folks here
just fine. I enjoy the beer selection and some of the speakers at meetings and
gatherings are quite entertaining. No complaints, really. Just… nothing that really grabs me any more
enough to put on my shoes and drive an hour.
If the group had even more money, what would I get? Another
page or two of the newsletter, perhaps with some puzzles, which I can get
online for free. Maybe some well-written an thought-provoking articles and
essays, which I can find all over the Web whenever I sit down to catch up on
the 37 blogs I follow. Perhaps two more parties a year, with some good wine and
some nice hot hors d’oeuvres and the same smart people standing around talking
and playing games. It’s even possible that we might hire a famous professional
speaker to give a really great lecture, much like I can watch on TED. All quite
nice. Might even get me to drag myself out to a meeting. But might not.
The other day, I was fantasizing about winning the lottery
and what all I might do with a bazillion dollars. One of the things I
daydreamed about was writing a check for a million dollars made out to American
Mensa (not the Foundation, since as a bazillionaire, I was not really concerned
about getting the tax deduction, but what the heck, I also dashed off a check for two million to the Foundation just because I could). In my fantasy, I arranged a meeting with Pam,
Nick, and Elissa, and quite enjoyed their eye-popping gasps when I presented
the check.
But there was a catch.
I challenged them to come up with an answer to this
question: Since Mensa already excels at offering acceptance and succor to very
smart and socially awkward people, how could they use a million dollars to
provide very smart, socially adept people something they cannot easily find
anywhere else?
The daydream trailed off at that point, but the emails I’ve
been reading lately made me think about it again. Obviously, since I don’t buy
lottery tickets, my bazillionairehood is still far in the future. But still…
I challenge the leaders and other members of Mensa to:
Think of what Mensa could offer smart and
socially skilled people that they cannot easily and cheaply find elsewhere.
Develop and implement a massive fundraising
campaign (hell yeah, I’ll kick in $100 for something novel and wonderful).
Make it happen.
7 comments:
Well-written, but you didn't say what events you'd find exciting. It's all well and good to say it's our job as leaders to create value, but without the information, we can't cater to those needs. Also, most of the fun events are fun, not because they're on the schedule every month (for the same place/date and attended by the same people), they're fun because the host/ess has a passion, enjoys it, and often uses their own time and resources to bring others together to enjoy it also.
I tell all of our new members, start an event and you'll find others with like interests!
I like this. Then again, I like brainstorming.
If I had a Million dollars for Mensa....hrm. I think I'd get a bunch of us together to solve something. Or science something. An in-person think tank weekend, to come up with an idea and be given X amount of budget to make it happen. Then you've got the whole rest of the year to work on implementation. Next year's project would need to be in a different topic category.
I think it's a cool way to jumpstart some brainstorming.
Like the OP, I have a bunch of events locally, but I don't go to them. They seem...ok, but they're not awesome.
If I had a Million dollars for Mensa....hrm. I think I'd get a bunch of us together to solve something. Or science something. An in-person think tank weekend, to come up with an idea and be given X amount of budget to make it happen. Then you've got the whole rest of the year to work on implementation. Next year's project would need to be in a different topic category.
I don't have a specific need I'm wishing Mensa would fill. I'm already hooked enough to stick around and help out now and then. My gut says its not an event or three that will fill the bill.
It's like the days before smart phones.. I had no idea how utterly necessary one would be for me. What essential-in-the-near future service can Mensa offer potential members?
Except for my wife and boys, going through the Basic Program for an Adult Education at the U of C was the best thing I ever did. It helped me learn to think. Also, for several years I was part of a book discussion group, in which we talked about non-fiction books, predominantly philosophical and pertaining to social sciences. This, too, was great.
I can remember some of the best times I've had at Mensa meetings have been group conversations rambling long into the night covering all manner of topics.
What Mensa has to offer is conversation with other Mensans. Games are great, dinners and movies get-togethers are terrific, but nothing matches smart conversation.
Lately I've been thinking about doing something like this in conjunction with the Monthly Gathering, but haven't actually done anything about it yet. Maybe this will prod me into putting out some feelers for it.
We have to be the change we want or else be content siding on the sidelines drinking beer and grumbling about how no one is doing anything for me. Although if the beer is really good...
Buy a lottery ticket once in a while, RC. SOMEBODY wins from time to time, ya know? I’d really like to see what you did for/to Mensa with a handful of “real” money.
How about this? A free “youth” membership to everyone under 22 who qualifies and self-idenfies to us in the usual ways.
To keep things affordable, “youth” membership would be electronic distribution of newsletters only, and no voting rights. “Youth” members could get a vote and a dead-tree newsletter if they want to pay regular dues. About 10% of our members are under 21, so some of your donated funds will simply go help AML absorb the dues loss. The rest would be pretty low cost, as we’d skip dues bills for several years substituting only a snail-mail letter that “you’re about to lose your “youth” status at Mensa.
This could:
1) Plant the idea of Mensa in their younger brains, perhaps with more of them sticking as adult members.
2) Create a body young people large enough to attract advertiser interest (about 60k – 80k). The fantasy is that such a plan would become self-funding in a couple of years.
3) Bypass the public education “blob” and get information to kids about who they are (most won’t tell you how well you did on IQ type tests).
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