​May 28, 2024

By Buffy Beaudoin-Schwartz and Ann Marie McGee, Philanos Communications Committee Co-Chairs

We had a terrific Philanos Comms Club Affinity Group meeting today, where we discussed fun and meaningful opportunities to engage circle members throughout the summer.

Participants connected, learned, and shared ideas and efforts today, and together, we were able to identify 25 Summer Member Engagement Ideas.

Take a look - what are YOU hoping to do this summer to engage members? Let us know and we'll compile and share the enhanced list!

25 Summer Member Engagement Ideas

1. Summer Reading List Question - "What is Your Philanthropic Beach Read This Summer?"
2. Summer Book Club - Ongoing List of “Must Reads" Based on Answers
3. Summer Social Events - Non-Business Meet Up at Local Concerts, Museums, Restaurants
4. Summer Athletic Activities - Group Hike, Pickleball Team, Walk
5. Summer Group Volunteer Activity - General in the Community with Members
6. Summer Group Project - Group Project for a Grantee Partner
7. Summer Tours - Ongoing Tours to Grantee Partners 
8. Summer Family Project - Effort Geared for Families to Engage Children
9. Summer Wish List Project - Highlight and Fulfill Grantee Partner Wish Lists
10. Summer Coffees - Hosted by Circle Leadership to Engage/Educate Current Members
11. Summer Happy Hours - Hosted by Circle Leadership to Engage/Educate Current and New Members
12. Summer Group Fundraisers - Group Fundraiser for a Specific Circle Project
13. Summer Product Drive - Circle Effort to Collect Can Goods, Books, Feminine Hygiene Products
14. Summer Individual Fundraisers - Individual Facebook Fundraiser on Behalf of Birthday, Special Milestone, etc. 
15. Summer History Series - "Did You Know" Series of Posts/Weekly Social Graphic to Provide Circle History and Stats
16. Summer Grantee Partner Series - Weekly Social Graphic Update on Latest Grantee Partners
17. Summer Education Series - Virtual or In-Person Speakers on Issues the Circle is Funding
18. Summer Leadership Series - Weekly Social Graphic/Video Clip Highlighting Circle Leaders
19. Summer Calendar Series - Ongoing Calendar Updates for Summer and Fall Events
20. Summer Film Series - Regular Postings of the Past Year's Webinars/Virtual Events
21. Summer Guest Blogs - Series of Guest Blog Posts by Circle Members
22. Summer New Member Spotlight - Weekly Circle Member Spotlight
23. Summer End of Year Round Up - Publish End of Year Summary and Highlight Sections Weekly on Social Media
24. Summer Raffle - eNewsletter Sign Up to Win Raffle Item
25. Summer Photo Contest - Summer Trip Photo w/Circle Shirt, Logo, etc.

Everyone noted that all member engagement ideas have a communications component and opportunity, and that many of the ideas below aren't just for Summer! We also discussed using the downtime this summer to better organize social media pages, community outreach marketing items, and experiment with posting and other forms of communication.

Enjoy your summer and your fun and meaningful communication and engagement efforts to your members - we'll look forward to hearing how your efforts are doing. 

The next Philanos Comms Club will meet on July 23, 2024 at 12 pm ET - see you then!