Weekly Tips for Growing Your Community: Where Are Those Boosters Hiding?

So, you get the concept of boosterism.  It makes sense that we all want community members who are passionate about our organization’s mission, will take action and encourage others to take action and have an overall, positive, exponential impact on our cause.  The tricky (but creative!) part comes in identifying the avenues and strategies that we will lay out for these individuals, and even prior to that, asking the question...who are our boosters?

This week,  I encourage you to think about that question at your own community.  Start basic.  Off the top of your head list the handful of supporters who are particularly active at your organization--those who are pretty visible (or audible) and with whom you are most likely in contact with regularly.  Maybe they’re frequently leaving comments, posts and links on your blogs, tweeting about upcoming events or asking about organizing a fundraiser at their school.

But what if they aren’t obvious?  Some organizations have griped that they don’t have a traditional supporter base of “Saturday morning” volunteers and aren’t sure where to uncover their boosters.  Well, you may have to look in unlikely places for those boosters--once in a while they can hide.  Depending on how your organization is set up, they could be in a variety of places.  So next think about the groups, organizations or businesses that you work with and the people in those networks.  Are there employees at your corporate partnerships who have organized a run for your cause or perhaps parents of the students involved in your youth programs who are constantly asking questions on your Facebook wall and providing other parents with answers and resources?  Think creatively about where these supporters are--and just keep expanding from there!