Why We Do
The Basics: Remember that we as Membership Vice Presidents are an often imitated but never duplicated commodity, you are all extremely talented, but if you are questioning the point of membership need you only look to you handy list (shown below) of the top ten reasons why MVP’s are bomb.
- The more the merrier…
- The larger your TYG’s active membership is, the more outrageous and elaborate your TYG events can be. (Bigger trips and more inter-TYG events)
- Events just aren’t as fun if you’re the only one there.
- The more members you have, the more people who want to help, the more people you can delegate to, and the easier your job becomes.
- A obvious but overlooked one: the bigger your TYG is, the more support you get from your congregation.
- You can have more events with more people.
- Events are less expensive: many venues will give you cheaper rates for larger groups.
- Events are more successful, people are happier, you look better. Not to say that’s the reason you’re doing this, but it’s a perk, no?
- NFTY-CWR gets bigger. (All the above reasons apply to the region too.)
- You won’t have a TYG without members!
What We Do
That was magical. We should do it again sometime. Ok, now that we’ve covered “Why you do,” a little “What you do” couldn’t hurt. So here are the duties of an MVP. These are things you should keep in mind all year, because is it never too late to do your job.
Members: Our job is to “increase and maintain membership through various acts of membership outreach.” This is our MVP golden rule. You speak for members in meetings, you are their representation, don’t let others forget about the importance of each and every one of your TYG constituents.
Mixers: Let me remind you that MVP doesn’t stand for Mixers VP, so this isn’t your only job, but this is definitely a very important part of being an MVP. Mixers are icebreakers/ get-to-know-you activities that help both new and old members become more friendly and comfortable with one another. Be sure to “mix” old members with new members so that you can break the tension or social barriers in as little time as possible. Remember that mixers are new members’ first impressions of an event, so you want to help them meet as many people as possible (to maintain your membership). Mixers can be approached different ways (non-competitive sports, risqué games, group-building activities, etc), but don’t forget that learning names is an essential. Places to get mixers: other MVPs, friends, books, online, or you (any idea or game can be turned into a mixer, be creative and original).
Dues: Before you get too excited about the legions of members you have successfully recruited, remember that your TYG cannot have elaborate events if you have no money to do so. So be sure your members pay their dues. The same holds true for the region, so pay your NFTY dues…or else! (there’s no really bad consequences, not need to run and hide, nevertheless they are very important)
Advertising: Yes, this is more of a duty for the CVP, but this is also a job for MVPs, so make sure you advertise your TYG and events well. You will never get any new members if people never know about your youth group.
JYG: This is the Junior Youth Group or middle school youth group of your synagogue. Different synagogues work different ways so this might not actually be your job, but it’s extremely important to make sure that you have active middle schoolers, because people won’t join their TYG if they haven’t been to their synagogue in years. If you don’t have a JYG and want to create one, talk to your board, talk to your synagogue, or feel free to talk to the NFTY board too (we’re here to help).
More generally, remember to be enthusiastic and have a good time. If you make your face a face that everyone remembers and you don’t enjoy yourself, people aren’t going to want to come back. So like I promised, we’ve covered the what and the why, so it’s time for the how. Remember everything listed is just an idea, but I believe they are all ideas worth considering, so be open-minded.
