Growing Your TroubleNation Group
As you establish your group and start planning activities, you’ll want to grow your group. Recruiting new members brings new ideas and fresh perspectives as well as new talent and expertise that can help take your group to the next level.
One of the benefits of joining TroubleNation is gaining access to Red Wine & Blue’s powerful network of over 700,000 women and their allies. We can help you connect with RWB members who live right in your own community.
Here’s how it works: After you create an event on your TroubleNation webpage, you can request that we send an email invitation to RWB supporters in your area. Anyone who RSVPs will automatically become a member of your group. Just like that — new connections, new friends!
Note: This is a special benefit just for TroubleNation groups, so we’re not sharing the link here. But once you join, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know!
So what kinds of events work best to grow your group? That’s where you get to be creative. Think about what makes sense in your local community — or what you can do online to reach even more people.
Here are a few ideas that have worked well for other TroubleNation groups:
PRO TIP: The TroubleNation platform has event hosting built in, making it easy for you to organize and communicate your events. We’ve had groups plan meetups at legislators’ offices and mobilize big turnouts in less than 24 hours using our platform. Take advantage of this feature to not only build event attendance but also to attract new group members by seeing your event signups.
- ACTION: Organize “Bring-a-friend” nights.
Designate some of your group meetings or activities to be “bring-a-friend” events where existing group members can invite a friend (or two) to bring with them. Then invite these guests to join the group.
- ACTION: Participate in community service.
Serving others not only helps us feel better, but it’s also a great way to “show up” in your community and provide support for anything under-resourced.
- Identify or seek out needs and organize group members to provide volunteer service.
- Organize community cleanup events followed by a picnic lunch. Not sure how? Earthday.org not only has a step-by-step guide but also a page to register your cleanup event and connect with more community members.
- Contact your local schools about unfinished projects that your group can help get over the finish line.
- ACTION: Host a game night.
These are easy, low-pressure events that give people something to do while meeting new people and getting to know each other. Public libraries and local community centers are great locations for events like this, but a coffee shop or bar is also a good possibility, provided you coordinate with the establishment first. Be sure to incorporate time to give a quick overview of your group and encourage them to join.
- ACTION: Host a bracelet-making party.
Gather up fun beads, alphabet beads, and elastic thread and bring your group together to make democracy-affirming or community-support bracelets. Encourage group members to carry a “stash” of bracelets with them and give them to people who share their values that they meet in the carpool line, at a grocery store or anywhere they go. This is a great way to build relationships and find new group members!
- ACTION: Staff a table at community events.
Having a presence at community-wide events is a great way to make the community aware of your group and interact with the community directly.
- Listen and learn as you interact with community members.
- Build relationships (and potential coalition partners) with other participants.
- Share what your group is doing and welcome others to join you.
California TroubleNation group, East Bay – Fierce, Loving, Organized Women
- ACTION: Participate in community meetings.
Many groups hold public meetings where you and your group can learn what issues they are dealing with and better understand how you can help.
- Show up without an agenda — listen and learn.
- Organizations that often have public meetings include PTAs, library committees, conferences of ministers, or nonprofits.
Get Creative with Promotion!
You don’t have to be a graphic designer to have fun, visual ways to reach your communities on and offline. Sometimes, your group will want to create flyers or social media graphics to go along with your actions. You may also need to make QR codes to make it easier to sign up for your events or join your group. Here are some basic ways of getting started recommended by TroubleNation group leaders:
- Set up a Canva account for easy-to-learn, free website for graphics, videos, presentations, and more (you can watch this short training video to get up to speed).
- Use QR Code Monkey, a free tool, for quickly making and downloading QR codes.