The Junior League of San Angelo announced that on June 6 it was recognized for its Membership Recruitment and Engagement program at the 94th Annual Conference of The Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI) held in Atlanta from May 12-14.
Twelve individual Leagues were acknowledged for innovation at the conference, which brought together women from 291 Junior Leagues in four countries. The commended Junior Leagues received awards in areas ranging from fundraising to membership development to achieving community impact.
Four years ago in the Junior League of San Angelo, membership stagnation resulted in a membership class in the low 20s with a drop in retention to 67 percent. In its 2015-2016 league year, in contrast, JLSA recruited 47 provisionals (new members), which was the largest class ever. It currently has 110 women on the recruitment list for the 2016-2017 class, and most recently accepted 46 provisionals for the 2016-2017 league year.
What changed? JLSA did, said the press release. JLSA reformed membership requirements allowing members to tailor their JLSA experience to match their own lifestyle and interests. Then, it fully immersed provisionals in league life through a new curriculum. That was the flexible part of the strategy. The other part came through a vicious social media campaign to raise awareness and to showcase JLSA’s projects bringing our mission to a much larger audience of potential members. A great side benefit was community visibility shot up too.
“Our annual awards program celebrates the outstanding accomplishments and significant contributions that Junior Leagues make in their communities day in and day out,” said AJLI President Ellen Rose, a member of the Junior League of the City of New York. “But this is more than just an awards program for our Leagues; it also celebrates the commitment of the women who design and implement these initiatives and exemplify the spirit of volunteer leadership that has been a feature of The Junior League for 115 years.”
“I am so proud of what our league has been able to accomplish. Winning an award of this caliber shows how much work and dedication our league has put in--not only in growing our own membership, but in training women to be leaders in our community,” said JLSA President Lindsey Elliott.
Founded in 1946, later joining The Association of Junior Leagues International in 1957, The Junior League of San Angelo is a charitable, not-for-profit organization of women who make sustainable improvements in their community as a result of the civic leadership training and expertise they obtain through their experience in the League. Members of The Junior League acquire mentors who help them reach their potential as leaders, form strong ties with their communities as a result of the impact they make, and develop friendships that last a lifetime. Members of The Junior League obtain valuable skills and experiences that enable them to reach their potential as leaders in their communities.
Today, The Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI) is comprised of more than 150,000 women in 291 Junior Leagues throughout Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the United States. Together, they constitute one of the largest, most effective volunteer organizations in the world.
Subscribe to the LIVE! Daily
Required
Post a comment to this article here: