Need advice on motivating people...

[realtonygoodwin]

Back in February, our Meetup group had about 5 people. When I joined in May, I was number 15 or 16 I think. Now we are up to nearly 100 members of our group. Great, right?

Well, the problem is, we only have 3-8 people seeming to do most of the work of the group. We have regular strategy meetings, sign painting days, sign wave days, and door to door knocking days. We do these every week. Also, once a month or so, we do some canvassing downtown to a large amount of people. We also do occasional rallies and training sessions as they come up. But it seems like it is always the same handful of super-dedicated folks that are showing up.

What can we do to motivate more members to start regularly coming to meetings? If we could get just 15-20 people working hard, it would make a huge difference in the movement.

[gerryb]

Motivation is hard.

A personal request for a specific task or action works best. Call them up and ask them if they are able to do a certain task(don't rely on email). "We had four folks come out and canvass, if we had a fifth, we could have completed the neighborhood. Can you come out and help us this week?"

Lots of folks won't canvass. Find out what they are willing or interested in doing. Will they table? Will they make phone calls? Will they drop literature? Will they write an OpEd on whatever their #1 topic is, or a press release on the groups activities? Will they photograph the groups activities? Will they hold a book review? Will they start a twitter account?

Develop an organizational structure. Give out titles.

[InTradePro]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp0HIF3SfI4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp0HIF3SfI4

Watch the above video.

Get to the why, feel it.
From the why you can work out how to do things and then what to do. Both on a personal and group level.

[specsaregood]

Do you have their phone numbers?

[wgadget]

Simple: Ask them to do something. While/after they're doing it, praise them. Make them feel necessary. Everyone wants to be loved. :p

[Matthew5]

Look at how the Boy Scouts run their operation. I'm a district commissioner for our local council and we've ran into this problem many times. Everyone wants to show up to the events, but none of the behind the scenes. Burn out rates can be through the roof when this happens.

They key is to break up tasks by committee and assign people small roles. But don't just do this at random, get to know the people, their schedules, where they work, and their people skills. Get people working in the financial sectors on your finance committee...people who work in retail can be on recruiting or public relations. The key is to get people to take ownership and to put their talents to use.

Just some ideas! Gerryb had some great ones! +rep

[realtonygoodwin]

Do you have their phone numbers?

Not most of them.

[specsaregood]

Not most of them.
Start collecting em whenever you see a new face. You gotta have a good way of asking them what kinds of things they want to do.

[realtonygoodwin]

The thing is, 80 of them have never showed their faces...

[specsaregood]

The thing is, 80 of them have never showed their faces...
Ok, have you tried messaging them directly?

Something simple,
Tell them you are trying to get people involved andasking them what days/times are best for them for events. As well as if they have any ideas on what they would want to do?

[belian78]

I have the same problem, people can't even be bothered to repost the group's FB info on their pages, much less come to a meeting.

The key is to just keep marketing your group, slowly but surely you will gain more people that are willing to be active. I'm planning a bowling night, a holdem poker night, and a bonfire at my house just to get people out in public and to raise money for supplies.

Keep trucking, like pebbles on a mountain side.

[dusman]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp0HIF3SfI4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp0HIF3SfI4

Watch the above video.

Get to the why, feel it.
From the why you can work out how to do things and then what to do. Both on a personal and group level.

Thank you for posting this video. What a great insight.

[realtonygoodwin]

Thanks for all the advice.

[Chainspell]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp0HIF3SfI4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp0HIF3SfI4

Watch the above video.

Get to the why, feel it.
From the why you can work out how to do things and then what to do. Both on a personal and group level.

Wow thanks for this.. It applies to ron paul very well. That's why he's so inspiring. He doesn't have a 12 point job plan but he really believes he can fix the problem.