William Penn Life, 2008 (43. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2008-11-01 / 11. szám
2008 SCHOLARSHIP ESSAY AWARDS What Can the William Penn Association Do to Attract More Young Members? Students applying for grants through the William Penn Fraternal Association Scholarship Foundation were asked to submit, among their application materials, an essay discussing the topic: “What Can the William Penn Association Do to Attract More Young Members?” All essays were read and judged by members of the Foundation’s Executive Committee, and the best essays were selected for special recognition. Many fine essays were submitted, reflecting the outstanding fraternal spirit of our young member-scholars. Prizes in the form of additional cash grants were awarded to the top three essays among both new and renewal applicants. We proudly publish those six winning essays here. FIRST PRIZE - New Students - $500 Lisa K. Semetko, Branch 18 Lincoln Park, Ml It is my belief that fraternal organizations such as the William Penn Association can attract young members by doing the following things: Appeal to the adults: • Make the insurance purchase a great gift idea for young people. • Make it affordable. • Make it practical. • Easy to do--on-line applications, hotlines. • Broaden the cultural connection. Establish a relationship with young persons: • Begin as soon as they are a member. • Adapt the connection for age appropriateness. • Advertise: you already have the magazine; add a section for children, tweens, teens and even college students. • Make it a cultural exchange:- Use the magazine to discuss the Hungarian culture.- With the onset of the computer revolution, pen pals from Hungary are not so farfetched. The computer can do the translation.- What about an exchange program? Many programs do a two-week exchange— an American student and family host a Hungarian student and vice versa. • The scholarship grant is a wonderful program. Seek out the success stories of persons who have benefited from the grants. By building a meaningful relationship with younger persons, you will establish long term relationships. Point in case, my grandparents insured their children through the William Penn Association. By the time I arrived, my parents knew exactly where to place their trust. I grew up knowing who the William Penn Association is and why I am a member. By appealing from "the womb to the tomb," you will establish those long term interest, trust and cultural pride! fyypT] FIRST PRIZE - Renewal Students - $500 Andrew J. Horvath, Branch 14 Cleveland, OH I am part of a generation that wants everything in an instant, but belonging to this association is a lifelong benefit. This notion is a difficult concept to reconcile with those my age. I suggest that the WPA market "instantaneously" to young people while educating this audience to the virtues of saving money and protecting their future. A slogan on a free t-shirt seems to get my peers to do anything. You may consider putting "I'm packing it in at the WPA" on the front and sending it free to those who may be eligible. Combining this with an age appropriate explanation of the benefits and an offer for an inexpensive "starter insurance package" can help move this younger potential audience. WPA may want to include some type of "discount card" for new members, like the AAA. This makes membership "here and now" for those my age that are very "short sighted." |wpl| 14 William Penn Life, November 2008
