Increase in Membership, Member Participation within LWV Greater Chippewa Valley

LWV Greater Chippewa Valley has experienced a significant increase in membership and participation among its members, which they attribute to representation of League leaders on various committees, trust and good communication. Members of their membership team, for example, actively serve on other committees, keeping them fully aware of all aspects of their League’s programming and allowing them to synchronize recruitment efforts and messaging with scheduled events and activities. The League's broad-based and overlapping leadership approach has enabled it to take on new projects like ClubExpress and extend the distribution of student and teacher voter service materials to 12 new schools. the League has also requested a boundary change from LWVUS to expand their jurisdiction to include Buffalo County.

“We all have developed a trust level too, which enables honesty and open discussion," said Marilyn Hagen, membership co-chair for LWV of the Greater Chippewa Valley. "For example, the Voter Service and Voter Registration Committee includes great team players, and when they know of something related to membership, they let us know and we, likewise, do the same.”

Hagen understands that building teams of leadership takes time, patience, trust and commitment. She credits having read the book, Small Town in Mass Society: Class, Power and Religion in a Rural Community, for learning how a wider range of community activities can be coordinated simply by encouraging a small number of individuals to engage in a wider range of leadership positions. This may be a valuable approach for broadening the impact of all Wisconsin Leagues, especially those serving primarily rural communities.