Growing AML

One of the members on M-Pol posed the following questions: How do you propose growing the organization? Mensa has about 50,000 members out of a potential pool of 7,000,000 - my numbers may be off, but as an order of magnitude there aren't many dues-paying members. Why do you think the numbers are so low, and what do you propose do do about it?

Here's how I answered:

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As a likely member of the slate [as candidate for AMC Secretary], I'll take a stab at this one. The best thing that we can do towards increasing our membership numbers is increase the pride that people feel for being members of Mensa. So much logically follows from such a simple premise:

--Increased positive word-of-mouth about the organization. If friends, family, and co-workers see just how much enjoyment one gets from Mensa, they are likelier to test/submit prior evidence and join themselves.

--Increased volunteerism. When people feel good about an organization and like what it is doing and what it is about, they are more likely to participate in ways that are beneficial. Not only will we get more hosts of local activities, but we will get more people willing to lend a hand for the officially sponsored activities, and even run for local group boards as well as AMC. We will also be able to recruit more proctors to hold more tests more frequently, increasing opportunities for candidates to test and join.

--Increased community awareness. There will be more people who are inspired to do their community-oriented volunteerism in the name of Mensa, such as those of us who judge for Odyssey of the Mind, local science fairs, Mathletes, school trivia bowls, or whatever.

--Increased donations to MERF and/or local scholarship funds. This feeds back in increased community awareness and positive word-of-mouth.

So, how do we go about fostering that increased sense of pride in Mensa?

--Increase transparency among the AMC, National Office, and the membership writ large.

--Increase regular, meaningful communication between the AMC and the local groups.

--Assist local groups develop additional leaders, enabling local groups to have a “deep bench” so as to avoid the burnout that so many suffer from.

--Share lessons learned among the local groups.

--Solicit ideas and volunteers from the membership before engaging an outside firm whenever possible.

--Modernize our communications efforts so that we can reach the members in the ways they want to be reached.

--Do a better job of recognizing achievement on a more regular basis.

--Correct problems and/or inequities within our bylaws and make sure that we, as an organization, live up to our bylaws.

--Make sure to have fun at AMC meetings and have attending members also enjoy themselves, making it obvious that it is possible to be light-hearted while doing serious work for the benefit of AML; this can then be translated to the local group level.

Numbers are low at least in part because of ineffective marketing efforts and our having more of a social stigma placed upon our name than a sense of pride. Adjusting our marketing will need to be something that the AMC takes an active role in guiding, having it be the new AMC's vision being the driving force and the marketing staff's experience in the business to implement that vision effectively. Shifting the social stigma will be a much more difficult hurdle, as we suffer from the confluence of a general anti-intellectualism in the country and a disregard for many groups that are branded as “elite.” These are long-held, ingrained social mores that take many years to break down, and likely would require more than just the resources that Mensa can bring to bear.

But with the results of the increased pride in AML, we will get more people willing to become proctors and hold test sessions. The more frequently we can test, the faster we can capitalize on the curiosity of inquiring test candidates. The more those proctors are involved and can talk up the local group in a fun way, the more likely the test candidates who pass will join and come out to their first event relatively quickly.

Granted, this is all a very tall order. And anyone who promises to actually get all of it done within the span of a single term is kidding you. However, what we can promise to do is to start adjusting the stilted culture by our very presence, words, and deeds in such a way as to make much of the above more readily accomplished in the medium-term.