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* Edwards, "Engagement Surveys" – To help us serve our members
better, to gain additional volunteers, and to find out if our members were
classified correctly- two different engagement surveys were mailed. The
M members received an engagament survey with their annual policy
survey. To get a better response, members were given an incentive of
money off their dues for returning the survey. 88 were returned. The A
members received their survey alone, and were given the incentive of
being entered into a drawing for having their dues paid for the upcoming
year. 175 were returned. These surveys also served as a way to update
the demographic information of our members. Through these surveys we
have gained an additional group of volunteers for action requests and
AITC programs. We also were able to reclassifiy 13 members to voting
members. Several new program ideas were surfaced, as well as, ideas
for businesses to ask to become involved in the local discount program.
Calhoun, "M Member Thank You Packets" – When we sign a new
member, we send a thank you letter and within the letter we mention what
programs we worked on locally, state and nationally. We give them the
date of our next county annual meeting and encourage them to attend. In
the packet we place a Farm Week for farming along with a Partners
Magazine so our farmers can see what is going out to our non-farm
members. We include a copy of our FB publication and the brochure,
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“Putting it All Together”. We feel this is a very important piece of
information that explains the history of Farm Bureau and our affiliates. For
our non-farming members, we include the book, “Code of Country Living”.
We feel this important to help them to understand rural life and how they
will need to make adjustments from their urban living. We also send them
the “Value Card” along with their membership cards. We also invite the
farming members to drop in a pick up their free hat. This gives us an
opportunity to meet them at the office and familiarize themselves with the
office personnel and manager. Our 5 committee members were very
instrumental with input in what they would like to see in the packet.
Brown, "Customer Appreciation Day" – Second year we held a
Customer Appreciation Day in conjunction with our Country® Financial
agents. We held our Customer Appreciation Day on August 10th at the
American Legion Hall. The American Legion Hall had just finished
remodeling their hall across the street from our Farm Bureau Office and
we were the first to be able to use the hall. We publicized our Customer
Appreciation Day in our countywide newspaper covering 7,000
households, FarmWeek Ad in From The Counties column going to our 478
voting members. Also, we put up flyers around in our community along
with slips handed out to our customers that stopped by our office prior to
our Customer Appreciation Day. We started our Customer Appreciation
Day serving lunch from 11:00 until 2:00. Everyone attending was able to
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stop and visit with our Member Relations Chairman at our two tables of
Farm Bureau displays for Associate members and Voting members. We
had typed up information on blue paper to pass out on Illinois Farm
Families Offer “Free Groceries for a Year!” That went over very well. We
also had at our display Power Up information slips for our members to
learn more on Illinois Farm Bureau Top Successes for both Associate
members and Voting members along with benefits available to our
members. A couple of our Board of Directors passed out information on
FB Act and how they could sign up to receive text alerts, receive
automated phone call at home or mobile phone or recorded phone
messages for IFB action requests. Country® Agents had a display table
just inside door to greet and visit with clients. Also, we had a table with
door prizes for everyone attending to register to win. A very rewarding
Customer Appreciation Day greeting our members along with working with
Country® Financial Agents. The Young Leaders, Farm Bureau Board of
Directors and Women’s Committee served meal for around three hundred
attending.
Gallatin, "November 23, 2010 we held our County Farm Bureau
Annual Meeting featuring our Adopted Legislator" – The planning for
the program took over 3 months of logistics. Securing a plane ticket,
additional transportation, as well as county tours were all part of the
planning. Our manager & administrative assistant reserved the location &
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catering service. We had 3 volunteers take our adopted legislator on tours
of the county. Over 98 people had the opportunity to hear our adopted
legislator speak. Also in attendance were representatives for a
congressmen, 1 rep. for a U.S. Senator as well as our IL Representative &
IL Senator. We held a 50/50 raffle for our AITC program. A county
member hosted the adopted legislator & his assistant. Those who were in
attendance said this was one of the best annual meetings we have ever
held.
Hamilton, "Assistant's Contest" – Many times we overlook the
assistants who work for the affiliated company staff. The assistants are in
contact with the members sometimes more frequent than the agents. Our
membership committee (5) wanted to show the assistants our appreciation
for all their efforts. A contest was developed for the last four months (May,
June, July, August) of our membership year for the assistants in
particular. The contest rules were as follows: For each new member and
reinstatement collected the assistant would get to draw for prizes from a
hat. New or reinstated associate members they could draw once, for new
or reinstated farmer members they could draw twice. Three luncheons
were sponsored during those four months of the year to give updates to
the assistants and to allow those eligible to draw for prizes. Prizes ranged
from $1 instant lotto tickets to $50 gift certificates. The assistants loved
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the program and they appreciated being thought of. The contest creates
great rapport with the assistant and his or her agent.
* Edgar, "Past, Present, Future – Where Do We Go From Here?" – This
year our Farm Bureau decided to put together focus groups to learn what
our organization could improve. There were six groups of 15-20 people
invited to talk about Farm Bureau, our programs, benefits, strengths and
weaknesses as an organization. There were two farmer groups, past
presidents of the organization, agribusiness leaders, lady land
owners/women of Farm Bureau, and young farmers. The discussion was
lead by outside moderators who weren’t afraid to ask the tough questions.
The results of the focus groups were then given to the board of directors
for review, and the board then formulated a plan of action. Through this
process, we have learned we do some things well, and we need to
improve on answering the question for the community, "What is Farm
Bureau?" We have put the plan into action and have developed new
programs, advertising methods, and tried to improve upon what the
membership indicated in the focus groups. This was a highly successful
program from which the entire membership of our county is benefitting
from. There were 58 volunteers, 2 Illinois Farm Bureau staff, and 1 staff
person from this county who implemented this program.
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White, "Young Leader Pistol Shoot" – In past years, our Young Leader
Committee has sponsored an annual Clay Shoot as a fundraiser for YL
programming. However, our local trap range was sold by the city this
year. To replace that event, our committee developed a Pistol Shoot
event. We worked with the local Rifle Club to develop plans for the steel
target shoot. We designed a dedicated web page for the event, and set it
up to accept online registrations. Our Young Leader Committee members
sought sponsors of the event, securing 19 sponsors at $100 each. For
their sponsorship they received a sign at the event, recognition at the
event, their name on our website, and recognition in our county
publication. We also produced flyers to put up around the county, and
produced a Facebook ad which produced 238,602 impressions and 37
click-throughs to our website. We worked with a local gun dealer to
provide a Browning MS Camper .22 target pistol as the first place prize
($350 value). We had 3 different shooting stations. Each shooter shot 5
targets, 5 different times at each station; for a total of 75 shots. Each
round was timed. The person with the lowest time won the event. We
had 13 shooters participate. We served lunch and invited Valinda Rowe,
spokesperson for Illinois Carry to talk to the group during lunch. She gave
an update on various gun rights legislation and lawsuits. After lunch,
several shooters stayed for some fun shooting. The committee raised
$686 the first year. We submitted the results of the shoot to local media
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and posted it on our website. 10 volunteers from the YL Committee & the
Rifle Club helped.
McDonough, "Governance Minute" – Leadership development of our
board of directors is a priority in our county. To help facilitate leadership
growth, at each board meeting we have a “governance minute.” Over the
past year we have been going through a governance book published by
www.boardsource.org that has one or two page issues for nonprofit
boards to consider. Topics range from responsibilities of boards to
different policies to consider implementing. The board has enjoyed this
and feels it adds value to their service.
Mason, "Harvesting crops for a sick farmer" – When a Farm Bureau
member became critically ill at the beginning of harvest, it made sense for
the Farm Bureau to volunteer for organizing the harvesting of his corn
crop. Many farmers had called the family offering to help, but the family
needed to focus their time on their loved one. We met with the family to
learn about the fields that needed to be harvested, who had volunteered
and to brainstorm about others who would probably help if asked. From
this time forward, the family told anyone who wanted to help, to contact
the office. A church women’s group volunteered to prepare a meal, so
anyone who called wanting to donate food was referred to that group.
Volunteers were lined up for each field for combines, grain carts and
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trucks. Also, a field coordinator was lined up for each field, to track loads
and to be a point person if there were any problems. A volunteer was also
lined up be at the elevator to track loads for each field, as each field had
different landlords and grain splits. On September 30, over 75 volunteer
farmers went to their respective fields, then were transported to a central
location for coffee, doughnuts and a prayer. After the kickoff, everyone
got to work. Within approximately four hours, over 600 acres of corn were
harvested. We had tremendous media coverage, with at least 3 television
stations and 3 newspapers covering this volunteer event. In the end, we
had a waiting list of volunteers wanting to help. This was truly one of the
most amazing things we have done.
Lee, "Member Appreciation Dinner" – February 8, 2011. 100%
Membership Committee. Membership appreciation and retention is a high
priority for the CFB Membership Committee. In an effort to show their
appreciation for our members, the 5-person committee hosted a
Membership Appreciation Dinner. All voting members were invited. In
total, approximately 80 members attended on the bitterly cold evening
and enjoyed a complimentary meal, a member benefits presentation by
Melissa Rhode and as well as a market outlook presentation. Door prizes
were also awarded. Great feedback was received from all in attendance
and the committee plans to continue the program in the future.
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* Marion, "Volunteer M Member Drive" – The CFB Membership
Committee issued a challenge to the local board members to sign at least
1 voting member each. They said this would allow the FB to make voting
quota. The Committee first reviewed the FSA listing, FS Patron list and
township maps to develop a list of prospective M members. The
committee then invited Melissa Rhode to meet with the volunteers and
kick-off a week long membership drive. 12 board members and
volunteers attended the kick-off meeting. After one week, the volunteers
met again at the FB office to report their results. The volunteers signed 18
voting members and 3 associate members during this week. The
membership drive continued from mid February till the end of April. At the
conclusion of the drive, the volunteers signed 36 Voting members and 4
Associate Members. 11 of the the 16 board members signed at least 1
voting member per the challenge. The top membership recruiter signed
10 new voting members and the 2nd person signed 7 new Voting
Members. As a result of this outstanding membership drive, our county
farm bureau was able to achieve voting member quota and finished 2nd in
Voting Member gain in the state. Some of the tools utilized during the
drive included: each new member received a Farm Bureau Gate sign with
their name (value $8.00), a FB Cap (value $2.00), a County Plat Book
(value $10.00), and 2 tickets to our Market Outlook Meeting (value
$10.00). The committee felt it was worth the $30.00 per new membership
in incentives to sign a new member if we could sign them for several
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years. The board members had fun with the membership drive and they
were genuinely surprised at how easy it was to sign a new member. Many
of the prospects indicated that they had never been asked to join. The
Membership Committee is also discussing next year’s drive and they are
thinking of prospects to contact. We are very excited about the
enthusiasm on our board for membership.
Hancock, "Promoting the Value of FB Membership through Social
Media" – Do you want to increase expose to your CFB Members? Then,
social media is the place you need to be. Our CFB is currently using
Facebook and Twitter to effectively communicate with our members. At
least 1-5 times a day, we post information to our accounts. We promote
events, meetings, FB discounts, and general news items that we want to
get our members’ opinions about. We’ve posted videos, commercials,
and other items we feel our members would want to see. Social media
expansion is important because this provides foundations for broader /
faster mindshare. In fact, social media has become part of our daily
routine. By continuing to use social media to communicate with our
members, we feel that it has broadened our relationships with our
members. The impact of social media can have an affect of reaching
thousands, maybe millions of people? We feel like it is our responsibility
to make sure we’re telling the farmers side of the story. 2 Staff, 450
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friends. We are new to Twitter so we’re in the beginning stages of inviting
people to follow us. (Hey, you got to start somewhere).
Mercer, "Summertime Cookout" – In June, 52 Prime Timers enjoyed a
cook-out at the home of a former County Farm Bureau Manager. Those
attending brought potluck dishes and the former Manager cooked pork
chops. Following the meal, the attendees enjoyed a couple of games led
by the Coordinator and the Manager. Bingo, which is always a favorite of
the group, was one of the games played and prizes were awarded to the
winners. The other was a "gift grab" type of game where the Coordinator
and the Manager purchased around thirty $1 - $5 gifts, such as small
trinkets, tools, candy, food items, etc. and wrapped them in large boxes
with a variety of gift wraps, such as birthday, Christmas, all occasion. The
coordinator had made a list of 15 numbers between 1 and 30 and asked
each person to write down 5 numbers from 1 to 30. When the leader
called one of their numbers they picked one of the gifts. When the gifts
were all chosen, they started to "steal" gifts from someone else as their
numbers were called. A really good time was had by all in attendance.
Saline, "November 22, 2010 we held our County Farm Bureau Annual
Meeting featuring our Adopted Legislator" – The planning for the
program took over 3 months of logistics. Securing a plane ticket,
additional transportation, as well as county tours were all part of the
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planning. Our manager & administrative assistant reserved the location &
catering service. We had 6 volunteers take our adopted legislator on tours
of the county. Over 130 people had the opportunity to hear our adopted
legislator speak. Also in attendance were representatives for 2
congressmen, 1 rep. for a U.S. Senator as well as our IL Representative &
IL Senator. Volunteer of the year, agent of the year & agent assistant of
the year honors were all presented. We held a 50/50 raffle for our AITC
program. A neighboring county member hosted the adopted legislator &
his assistant. Those who were in attendance said this was one of the best
annual meetings we have ever held.
* Effingham, "USDOT and UCR Assistance" – Since many farmers who
haul their own commodities are now required to have a USDOT number
and a UCR, the CFB decided to offer members assistance in completing
these applications. An article inviting members to come to the FB office
and receive help in completing the online application was included in the
local newspaper and the FB paper. 26 members have used this benefit in
the last year. 5 farmers joined the organization to receive this service.
Jackson, "All Committees Meeting" – Our County Farm Bureau Board
was looking for a new exciting way to accomplish program planning for all
of the committee. They decided to host an “All Committees Meeting.” All of
our 6 committees were invited to a local restaurant banquet room for a
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night of program planning. A meal was served to start the program. The
County Farm Bureau President then presented a short ‘Thank You’
presentation for all of the effort our volunteers provide. Each committee
then met in an area of the room to discuss program planning. We had IFB
staff present to meet with the committees and to facilitate discussion. After
a certain time, the committees came back together and the Chairmen
each reported on their committee’s plans for programs. A total of 38
volunteers (committee members), and 6 IFB staff participated in this
program.
Livingston, "Harvest Celebration Membership Dinner" – 6 new
members have joined FB and become involved in YL monthly meetings
and projects follwing a YL Membership acquisition dinner. YL Chair talked
about local programs the committee provides. The State YL Chair
explained the opportunities available through Illinois Farm Bureau Young
Leaders. 15 other YLs attended the dinner.
Bureau, "Board Reorganization" – As the M member population
decreases so does the volunteer base. Seeing that the trend is not
expected to slow the board wanted to be proactive about recruiting board
members with fewer and fewer M members to draw from. The board
began the discussion to downsize the current board structure. A decision
was made to divide the county into four quarters and allow some room for
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at large board members as well. The board then decided to decrease the
size of the board from 32 to 20, which would include 4 officers, 4 at large
members and 3 members from each district. The president then sent a
letter to all M members and placed articles in the Farm Buerau paper
asking for input. Finally, the board voted to change the bylaws to reflect
the decision of the board. This change in structure has been quite
successful although it is still quite a struggle to find members willing to
serve.
* Kane, "100x100 Membership Drive" – Kicked off voting membership
drive at volunteer outing with goal of signing 100 new voting members by
CFB 100th Anniversary.CFB Pres., VP and 4 staff wrote weekly letters to
196 prospective voting members to provide comprehensive view of CFB,
including history, public policy efforts, ag education, marketing, member
benefits, & overall mission, 7 weekly letters were part of campaign inluding
FarmWeek, CFB monthly newsletter, FB brochures, & FB application.
Increased voting members by 32 over a four month period and reinforced
the value of FB membership.
Champaign, "The Leadership Academy" – To promote the development
of leadership skills, 6 members assisted with the planning, teaching, and
implementation of this opportunity. Eight participants of the 2011 class
were also members of YAL. The 5-session seminar was packed with 28
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speakers, media training, public speaking opportunities on a host of agrelated topics, and an etiquette lunch. One YAL graduate from 2010
taught an opening ice-breaker where participants developed a personality
shield to help introduce themselves at a public event. Local, state and
national issues were discussed at length by elected officials.
Parliamentary procedure was presented by a local attorney. A session on
Farm Bureau history, FS and COUNTRY affiliates, and an industry outlook
for a major equipment manufacturer were all part of the mix. Illinois Farm
Bureau personnel were enlisted to help share views and information on
state, national and international agriculture, topped off by a foreign
resident who helped expand participant knowledge of life in another
country. A past president’s panel looked at former Farm Bureau
challenges and how they were successfully resolved. In a final statement
to the class, graduates shared leadership goals within FB that they plan to
pursue after this experience.
DuPage, "World Series of Poker Membership Contest" – 3 volunteers,
64 representatives, 2 staff. A head-to-head membership acquisition
tournament was conducted from March to August. COUNTRY
representatives were assigned to play-off elimination brackets to compete
against each during the contest. Competitors were eliminated in each of
the monthly rounds which were termed "The Deal," "The Flop," "The
Turn." "The River," "The All In," and "The Final Table." The winner and
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the last seven competitors were hosted to a luncheon at the FB Office.
Cards were dealt from a 54-card deck with jokers wild. The number of
cards received by each player was based upon their final placing in the
contest, ranging from ten to five. No gambling was involved, and eight
prizes were awarded for the best five-card poker hand in descending
order, ranging from $200 for the best hand to $25 for the lowest hand.
702 new members were signed by participants during the contest period.
Judges Pick
Calhoun, "Mother/Daughter Luncheon" – The purpose of this luncheon
was to honor our WC and AITC volunteers and to encourage others to join
our committee. We treated them to lunch at a nice tea room, everyone left
with a gift and a report was given on the activities we held for the year.
We had 17 in attendance this year. Photos are taken of the committee
members with their daughters and mothers and framed and given to them
at Christmas. This year, we also had a drawing for a hanging floral basket
we purchased from our FFA group. One of our committee members won
the basket. Photos were placed in our newsletter. 6 out of the 7
committee members were present.
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