Lottery idea brings 47 membership renewals
 Phil Ludovici enjoys the sound as Mary Petit tears up his dues renewal check at the Palmetto Bay Business Association holiday party. |
Mary Pettit had one last great idea as she concluded her two-year term as president of the Palmetto Bay Business Association:
Every member was encouraged to bring their 2007 dues renewal check to the holiday party last week. The checks went into a box, and at 8 p.m. one would be drawn and torn up. That lucky member would receive free membership for the year, and free lunches, as well, at the monthly meetings for the year. Value: $220.
As every organization board knows, getting members to renew is an annual chore. How long do you carry someone on the books as a member before you start charging non-member prices for functions? January? February? March?
But with this one idea, Mary turned dues renewal into something fun. At the party, 47 of the 148 members turned in their $100 checks, meaning that a third of the members already have renewed, and the year isn’t even over yet.
The lucky winner was attorney Phil Ludovici, who is, indeed, lucky. Twice last year his business card was drawn for a free lunch, and now this big win. Well, at least he won’t be competing for the free lunch drawings next year.
This idea is so simple, how come you didn’t think of it first? You know that by next year, many organizations will be copying it.
Mary ends a great two years as the second president of the young Palmetto Bay Business Association. During her term, membership tripled from 50 to 148. Of course, some of that undoubtedly is associated with the organization’s move to Fleming for its monthly meetings, where owner Andy Hall provides a great lunch for only $12. But much of the growth also comes from the way Mary runs the monthly meetings.
The organization is known for promptness. People can count on being out the door by 1 p.m., and can schedule appointments based on that.
The group gathers for networking at 11:30 and sits down for lunch at noon. A great deal then happens: there are self-introductions, a “spotlight” where a member gets to speak for a couple of minutes about his or her business, a report from the village government, where Palmetto Bay Mayor Gene Flinn usually gives a report, and then the featured speaker makes a presentation and takes questions.
When it’s all over, you look at your watch and it’s hard to believe that it’s only 1 p.m., or sometimes 12:50, and the whole meeting took less than an hour. Some rush off to appointments, but many hang around, drinking coffee and networking until 1:30 or so. No wonder 80 or 90 come for lunch each month.
I was on the nominating committee that chose Mary Pettit to be the president. Actually, so was she. Ed Ludovici (Phil’s son) was the third member. We sat down in the conference room at the Ludovici law office and Ed and I said to Mary: “The purpose of this meeting is to convince you to be the next president, and nobody leaves until you say yes.” She was very reluctant to take the job, but she was the right choice, and she has done a great job.
Eleanor Winhold of Winhold Montessori School replaces Mary in January. Tough act to follow, but Eleanor is an experienced leader with a good board, and the organization will continue to thrive.
The holiday party, as usual, was a great event, drawing about 250 to the Palmetto Bay Village Center. The event is free for members and guests and featured food, drink, live music and great networking. The association does a party like this every July and December.
If you are interested in exploring membership, the next meeting is January 4. Check out the details on the Events Page.
