[Organizers] encouraging regulars to come out more - thoughts on two approaches

[Emily Addison via Organizers]

Hi fellow organizers :)

Following up on the discussion about attendance being down for some dance
series, I wanted to get your thoughts on two appraoches.

For context, we already use many different approaches for engaging our
regular dancers here in Ottawa (e.g., membership for 'buy in' belonging;
volunteering the same way, fun dress up dances, special events like a
christmas mummers play.)

However, with our numbers significantly declining this fall and knowing the
best way to get new dancers is through 'word of mouth' (our regulars),
we're considering sending out a letter letting our dancers know about the
situation and asking for their help. I've included the letter below.

Any thoughts????

Also - our committee hasn't yet talked about regular financial transparency
but I have been enjoying the recent conversations (see Hollis Easter & Jeff
Kaufmann blog posts) as well as the Youth Dance Weekend's work in this
area.  (We do make our financial statements available at the time of our
AGM but that's not effective for informing the community.)

Does anyone regularly communicate with their dancers re the cost of running
the dances as a way to encourage buy in/engagement etc... ... if so, what
strategies do you use?

With thanks!
Emily Addison in Ottawa ON
-----------------------------------------

Dear fellow dancers,



Happy holidays from the Ottawa Contra outreach committee.



This is a special email where we're asking for *YOUR ENGAGEMENT/HELP*…
please read on!



We love contra dancing in Ottawa and hope you do too. We have such a great
community of dancers plus really strong and diverse music and calling.  We
know visiting talent love coming to Ottawa and visiting dancers tell us
we've got something really special.



*A brief financial update:*

As a non-profit, we want to break even over the years and we have been
successful at doing this. We do lose money on some Saturday night dances
but other more profitable nights balance things out. Membership money helps
cover more financially-risky programming like our afternoon dances.  We're
proud of running a successful series and being able to offer lots of
special initiatives that enhance the community and dancing.



This fall has been quite tough for some reason.  Our attendance has been
down about 20-25 people each dance – lowest in 8yrs.  While we are not at
financial risk right now, we can't afford for this to continue over a long
period of time, especially if we want to continue keeping entry  fees low
while having high quality talent.



Thus, we are asking YOU, our community, for help over the next number of
months and onward.

If you love contra dancing in Ottawa, please consider …



*ONE: Make contra more of a habit*

If you don't do so already, make contra dancing more of a habit and come
out more regularly. This would make a huge difference.  Saturday nights,
Saturday afternoons, and/or Tuesday evenings.



*TWO: Invite friends/family/colleagues*

It is a well-known fact that the best way to get new contra dancers is by
current dancers bringing people they know. (We do lots of other outreach
but the personal invite is the BEST way).

*A simple invite often doesn't get results.  *Instead, here are some tips
that can make a real difference in terms of getting friends, family,
colleagues, or other acquaintances out:

1.       Invite your friend for dinner/potluck before the dance (e.g.,
organize a dinner with friends and then bring them to the dance)

2.       Offer to travel with your friend to/from the dance the first few
times

3.       Participate in the beginner/intro lesson  with them.

4.       Help them find welcoming dancers who can be great dance partners.

5.       Introduce them to various regulars at the break and at the pub to
get them connected.

6.       Help them get connected with our email list, and facebook group.
etc.



 It's a bit of a hurdle to get started in contra dancing and it's great to
help folks get over that hump.  And all contra dance organizers know that
*WORD OF MOUTH* is by far the best way to get new dancers!

*THREE: Become a member*

Consider becoming a member. In January, you can get a membership for $20
which provides benefits to you (like $2 off each dance) while also
supporting the dance community.



*FOUR: Welcome new dancers*

Our community prides itself in being welcoming to new dancers.  Here are
some tips to increase our welcome:

1.       Be a dance friend. Come to the introductory lesson to help
beginner dancers.

2.       Ask newer dancers to dance.  Don’t forget the folks sitting on the
sidelines.

3.       At the end of a dance with a newer dancer, offer to find a them
another experienced dancer for the next dance.

4.       Take some time at the break to chat with someone you don’t already
know… even a brief hello  helps a newcomer feel
welcomed.




*FIVE: Give us feedback*

Tell us about anything that you feel we need to do to make the dances
better.  We've done two community surveys over the last six years and we're
constantly working on improving things.  And, we're open to ideas.  To help
us, please provide your suggestions using this VERY brief form (EM created
very brief form… we could do something like that in order to collect
people's ideas if they did want to share...this is just an initial go.)
*https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScYpGJlvg7w_3Tj3I_zEgfX4QOLP8ge4tjfRZyCGSL30m1MjQ/viewform?usp=send_form
<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScYpGJlvg7w_3Tj3I_zEgfX4QOLP8ge4tjfRZyCGSL30m1MjQ/viewform?usp=send_form>*



*FIVE: Share the joy*

Through your dancing and conversation, help to make the dances a welcoming
and positive experience for everyone!



It's up to our whole community to continue to make the Ottawa contra dances
one of the best places to dance in Canada AND the US North-east.



Thank you and we look forward to seeing you on the dance floor,

List only outreach names or the whole committee? Think better if whole
committee.
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