Blog
June 02, 2016
Let’s Build Texas Membership
On June 2, Patricia Budak called our first-ever Membership Meeting together. The telephone conference included activists from Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Ft Worth, and Houston. All of us had good ideas to share.
Budak has been soliciting and trying new ideas in her home chapter for several months. As a result, Austin has been particularly innovative in finding ways to strengthen our movement.
HOW DOES ONE JOIN THE TEXAS ALLIANCE?
Budak had the committee go over the ins and outs of membership in the Texas Alliance for Retired Americans. A lot of Texans think that they are members of the state alliance automatically because they are members of the national alliance. It isn’t true. The only way an individual can be a full-fledged member of the Texas Alliance is to pay $10 directly to the Texas Alliance. They can use our “donate” button on the web site, which leads to our Paypal account, or by getting the $10 to our Treasurer, Lewis Fulbright, at PO Box 763291, Dallas TX 75376.
A number of enthusiastic Texas activists are using the Paypal option to make regular monthly contributions over and above their $10/year. Fund raising aside, the entire committee agreed that we should be working to get $10/year from every supporter.
WE’RE ALL RECRUITERS!
Patricia Budak believes that every activist should consider themselves an important recruiter for the Texas Alliance. There are many things they can do;
- Tell people at church, school, work, political events, social events, on the street, at the mall, etc.
- Find community bulletin boards to place TARA EF meeting announcements in libraries, grocery stores, apartments, etc
- Use Social Networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and Nextdoor to “friend” one another and spread important information
- Use the telephone. It is vital for communications
- Take advantage of opportunities to get into news articles
- Use signs, banners, flyers, brochures, business cards, etc.
- Write Letters to the Editor
- Wear T-Shirts and badges showing TARA EF
- Accept appointments to commissions and boards
- Join coalitions with other senior/civic groups in your city/county
- Have an informational table at meetings and conventions
- Canvas door-to-door
THE SAN ANTONIO MEETING IS CRITICAL
Texas activists are scheduled to meet at 12:30PM on June 17th in the Alamodome, Club Level 4, Room 209. Budak suggested that we each bring posters or placards with our city or chapter name so that Texans from all over the state can join with the closest existing chapter. It’s a grand opportunity to build our movement!
TECHNOLOGY HELPS
Patricia Budak and state organizer Judy Bryant led a discussion on the use of the newest technology. Budak said that chapters might need a projector that can be used with a laptop computer to make our meetings more effective. The group agreed that money spent on new technology is seldom wasted and that they can probably get the money from the state organization.
In the final round of discussion, all agreed that they had participated in a very effective meeting that will have a big payoff for Texas retirees!
––Gene Lantz, President
Texas Alliance for Retired Americans
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