The MU worldwide do a very good job raising money and support for communities such as the one photographed above. The question I am asking myself this morning is 'what is the branch that I belong to contributing to situations such as this?' I know that the various branches have to work together, but I can only talk about my experience with the branch I that belong to.
At the meeting last night, we had a guest speaker, a good Christian man that came to give us 'an uplifting talk'. I sat for 45 minutes while the speaker delved into his Sainsbury's carrier bag to show us his collection of teddy bear ties. Then we had to speak about our own collections, if any, and so it deteriorated into a reminiscence of how various collections started. It was hot in the hall and I tried to stifle a yawn - the man was not an orator - the leader of our group spotted me. How embarrassing was that? At the end of the talk I was singled out to sell coffee morning tickets at £1 a ticket, presumably to give me something to do to relieve my boredom, After practicing all my charm skills, I sold 6 out of a possible 32.
In the MU 'New and Views' magazine, the diocesan magazine for our area, it says that this diocese contributed £5,286.47 to the overseas fund and £4,262.50 to the emergency relief fund in 2008. This is wonderful news, but what did our group contribute to that- and if they did how did they do it? These are the things I want to know. I am always left with the feeling that if newcomers ask questions - and I have - the 'leading lights' feel challenged and you can quickly alienate yourself. That is not the way to raise money for Africa.
So what to do? I wish I knew. Raising £6 for a coffee morning that has the potential of raising well over £100 is not the answer. Maybe more people will come on the morning, but even so I doubt that we are going to raise more that £20. Coffee mornings are a good way to socially network, but they do not raise significant amounts of money for Charity or the Church itself.
To sum up. There needs to be some changes in the thinking of the 'long standing members'. A vibrant speaker perhaps to remind them why they are there, and that is not for a chat and session on reminiscing. Someone who will ask them to look at larger maps and not just focus on coffee morning 'get togethers'. If this does not happen, new people like me, the so perceived 'new blood' will loose interest. I am 61 years old, and I am considered a youngster, so that tells you a lot about the average age of the group. I am not being disparaging toward all the good women who have spent the last 35+ years, supporting the MU, but it is time for change. So, how do you speak to those who are not prepared to listen, without denigrating the past commitment?
Times have changed, sadly not always for the best, but this group needs to move forward if it is to continue with the good work it has achieved in the past, and retain the interest of new blood.
