Well said Christian.  I, like yourself, would put myself in that same category of having a social personality, but even extroverted persons can feel intimidated in a room of 200 people.

The goal would be to roll out a simple pragmatic plan.  What I am proposing would involve a seating plan where new members can meet each other, and where a member of the executive (or volunteer) can bridge the gap with the new members with a 15 minute "meet & greet".

The idea should be simple and with a relatively low level of effort from the executive, but I believe the member retention will improve significantly with that heightened sense of community.

Hey OREIO!

Today I’d like to talk about the value of new members and how it benefits seasoned members.  If you remember my presentation Wednesday, I proposed that, if elected, I would present a system that would help welcome new members, both to improve new member experience but also to enhance networking for established members.

First things first, who are the new members?  In my opinion, new members are those who have been registered with OREIO for 2 years or less.

Why 2 years? Some advice I received from a high performing sales rep: on average, it takes about 2 years to build a relationship.

New members does not necessarily mean inexperienced.  OREIO is great because of its experience diversity! Not just in investing, but our members come from all walks of life such as engineering, hospitality, service, trades, business, so on and so forth.

Members register because of OREIO’s two key fundamental values: networking and education.

Problem is, networking can be intimidating, regardless of your investing experience.  Not everyone is smooth with words and can work a room.  “Breaking the ice” can make or break member retention.

“We get it Jacob, but I’ve been a member for over 2 years.  Why should I care about new member retention?”

Simply put, to improve our networking experience year over year, we need to retain new members who bring a fresh and unique perspective to the organization.

Retention of new members impacts advocacy and the growth of OREIO.  A great welcoming experience leads to a positive review.  A positive review leads to free advocacy.  Free advocacy leads to more members.  And more members leads to greater networking opportunities!

And do I need to explain the power of “networking opportunities”?  Well, the possibilities are endless… but examples include meeting potential money partners, business partners, joint venture partners, industry experts, contractors, mentors… you get the point.

And how do we improve member retention?  We make them feel welcome.  (It’s a lot harder to leave the “party” early when the hosts make you feel like one of their own.)

If elected, I will propose a pragmatic approach to welcoming new members to our community.  Newly registered members, between 0 and 6 months, will be presented with the option to connect with other new members at the start of our monthly meetings.  Furthermore, I will propose a brief “meet and greet” with a member of the executive and/or volunteer to bridge the gap between strangers and OREIO.

My name is Jacob Holmer and I am running for Secretary.  It is not the responsibility of the Secretary to guide the organization, but simple and effective ideas like these are what I am passionate about and what motivate me to give my all for OREIO.

Thank you for your support!