President Chris Hamp's Internal Address to the delegates at National Convention was a stark wakeup call to reality and a roadmap to the future. We must face the fact that if we are to continue into the future, we must not only staunch the hemorrhaging of membership but grow the organization. Past State Grange President Cameron talked about this at length in his term from 2010-2014, and held many programs to aid Granges in reversing the trend. In spite of those efforts, it fell on deaf ears, and we are where we are today.

The Performance Improvement Plan (aka PIP) to be rolled out this month is part of the SMART goal paradigm to be instituted to strengthen our community Granges and build membership. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Bound. Part of the plan involves a Pilot Program adopted by six State Granges to be tested as a tool for opening new Granges. It is meant to be smaller, faster, and more flexible. The number of required officers is four instead of 16.  The program allows Granges to meet in places where people already gather: cafes, community centers, libraries, and online. One goal is for every State Grange to open a new Grange in 2026.

I think that the PIP will dovetail with our Connecticut State Grange Mentoring Program. Every Grange has a mentor from among the cadre of state officers to help guide you along, listen to your concerns, and make suggestions to help you along on your pathway to success. We will also have a Grange Growth Team consisting of members from Membership/Leadership Development, Communications and Outreach, Legislative Advocacy, Programming and Community Service, Youth and Junior Grange, one with experience in revitalization, and Connector(s) with strong statewide relationships. The Mentoring team is shared in this edition and the Grange Growth Team list will be shared soon.

I think we would all agree that by the positive feedback to our community programs, whatever they are for your Grange, there is a need for the Grange. For instance, the showing of the nature film Beaver Family Life of by Ray Asselin at Simsbury Grange last night, co-sponsored by other local groups, was well attended and of great interest to the audience. The need is present.

National Grange is also pursuing a rebranding initiative to reinvent the Grange for the first time in 60 years. We all have noticed how little known the Grange can seem to be in our communities and rebranding is aimed at addressing that issue. This is to be released next year at National Leaders Conference in May at Reno/Sparks, NV, with a full roll out in June.

The National Convention this year was a radical change from the past, and while some have noted glitches, I would say it was an outstanding success. By the lesson of Perseverance in the Fifth Degree of our Order, obstacles are challenges to be overcome and shouldn’t stop us from progress. We can and must change and move forward as there is simply no other possible choice.