AAUW MEMBERSHIP MATTERS By Bonnie Penix and Jan Stuter

Thankfully, President Joe Biden’s inauguration went smoothly. When you read this we will be well into the second month of 2021. But I’m fairly certain that many of us will still be in pandemic mode, waiting for the first of two vaccinations or waiting for the second. We will still be mostly isolating, not meeting person to person at our branch meetings or in our interest groups. Some are hoping that life will return to “normal” by the summer; others are predicting that it may take as long as 2022 before we can safely re-engage. Whatever happens, AAUW Sacramento is facing serious difficulties in recruiting new members during the Covid19 pandemic.

Janice Stuter

In the past, we have relied on in-person sign-ups at monthly, public branch meetings, extending invitations to acquaintances we might meet in other organization meetings, making presentations to different groups of people who might be interested in joining once they hear about our goals and local activities, email requests for information on joining, referrals from existing members, and personal friends and relatives. Unfortunately, because of current public health concerns, our potential recruitment circle has been severely impaired.

At our January board meeting, we were charged with establishing an ad hoc committee to explore methods to increase membership focusing on two particular areas:

1) Monthly branch program presenters (i.e., possible one-year honorariums?),

2) Individuals whom board and general members meet who have the potential to become active members of our branch but do not have adequate finances to join.

Our immediate goals would be to determine:
a) What qualifications are necessary to identify potential new members in those two categories?
b) What methods of financing are possible for our branch to offer an initial membership year (e.g., a designated new member Starter Fund)?
c) How to evaluate the success of the program.

We would also appreciate help in designing and implementing other methods for increasing our membership. We are planning to hold several Zoom meetings in the near future to brainstorm an overall plan. I am hoping to recruit a five- to seven-person committee.

We need your help! Please volunteer to be on our committee and/or suggest new member recruitment techniques for pandemic times, funding ideas and evaluation methods. We’re easy to contact. Please check the branch directory for our email addresses and telephone numbers. And a special thank you for taking the time to think about how to expand our membership in these trying times!

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING
We have just celebrated the inauguration of Kamala Harris as the first female, first Black and first Asian-American Vice President of the United States. An exciting achievement! Did you know that before VP Harris, there was another Black woman who was nominated for that position? Her name was Charlotta Amanda Spears Bass. Charlotta was born on Feb. 14, 1874. She was an American educator, newspaper publisher-editor and a civil rights activist. She attended Brown University and the University of California at Los Angeles. She ran on the Progressive Party ticket in 1952. While she was not elected (Eisenhower/Nixon won on the Republican ticket), Charlotta gave much of her time to the causes of housing rights, police brutality and harassment, voting rights and labor rights — causes AAUW still works to advance today. Charlotta was buried in Los Angeles in 1969 at the age of 95.

WELCOME BACK
We are very happy to welcome Anne Rhodes back to AAUW Sacramento after an absence of nearly 2 years. Anne received her BA in English from CSU, Fresno and an MA in education, with a reading emphasis, from the University of Guam. She is retired from a teaching career and continues her education involvement with a special interest in our Speech Trek and Tech Trek programs. She also is planning to enjoy Art & Architecture activities, Cultural History discussions and Scrabble. Anne will celebrate her 87th birthday on April 1.