Member Activity in the Northeast
by Kip Webster, Senior Field Coordinator
The John Birch Society’s chapter members in North Jersey, New York State, and Connecticut have been extremely active in 2022. So far this year, they are on pace to nearly equal the record 314 JBS activities they accomplished in 2021.
This year our local chapters are focusing on four major activities — which are effective at informing others and growing our numbers:
- Videos and Action & Information meetings: These events are designed to create awareness among prospects and new members and serve as refresher courses for veteran members. The 13 chapters that are hosting monthly video presentations are all growing at a steady pace. Members bringing friends to these meetings is the key to our success, and the prospects who attend are being well prepared for membership and what it entails. These events are mostly hosted in private rooms in restaurants and diners, but occasionally in hotel conference rooms. Most of our new members join through these meetings.
- Zoom meetings and webinars: Zoom meetings and webinars are an excellent way to introduce prospects to the JBS while also keeping Home Chapter members in the loop. Webinars also give them a way to stay informed on critical issues. We have gained several new members by playing the Constitution Is the Solution series and other key JBS videos.
- JBS information tables: Although mostly held at outdoor street fairs from the spring to late October, we have also set up information tables at indoor “flea markets” during the winter. All of our active chapters host at least one information table a year, and many do three or four. County fairs lasting three to five days also provide opportunities for outreach and growth. We are on pace to host 40 information tables this year.
- Speaker events by invitation: While these events occur only a few times per year, they do give me and qualified chapter leaders the opportunity to explain the JBS to other groups and even show a video on a hot-button topic. We usually gain a few prospects who later become members.