Community and Outreach

Passport to ASU is an orientation activity that offers student organizations the opportunity to drum up new members from incoming freshmen. Groups get a six by three foot table and most, apparently, bring brightly colored posters and tchotchkes to distract or attract passerbys. Many organizations bring two or three recruiters, others had small armies.

I, for my part, had a notebook to sign up interested members, a six by four inch sign printed by Passport, two stacks of pamphlets, and an example of the purple backpacks we take on outreach.

I was also all by my lonesome.

I will admit I felt a bit silly "setting up," which consisted of neatly stacking my brochures. The organization across from me had at least six advocates, clearly good friends and the product of a strong community. They also had an ongoing slideshow, official sign up forms, and of course, a brightly colored three panel poster - complete with pictures of events and neatly hand printed titles and tag lines.

But as I stood at my meager display as the last minute before the event started passed, I decided I was going to be awesome. I had an important message to share. And the homeless needed these people.

So when the first students began to pass, I started hooking them in. Not standing behind the table, but in front, angled so they would all but face me as they passed. I had the desire to cross my arms, but forced myself to put my hands on each of my hips (making me more open, and harder to miss).

"Hi." I'd smile.

"Interested in joining a new student organization?" I'd smile.

"Ever heard of Stand Up For Kids?" I'd smile.

And so it began. If I got a slight response to my causal social exchanges, I'd push to the next question. Once they were listening, usually they were interested. If you know me, you can imagine. If you don't, suffice it to say that I'm overly energetic and ardently passionate. Person after person, pitch after pitch. Some I have to sell. Others are interested from the outset. By the end of the night I've given out about 200 pamphlets to somewhat interested parties, gotten contact info for 57 very interested parties, and given out wish lists to about 75 members of other organizations who may partner with us.

Not bad, considering I was all alone, right? Sort of. Truth be told, I believe that being alone had huge advantages.

My lovely, well prepared neighbors? They talked to each other all night. Their community, in this case, limited their outreach. In a way, they already had everything they needed. A well developed program, loyal and dedicated staff... perhaps they only needed a few more to continue with the status quo.

Me on the other hand, I was there desperately seeking help so that this idea that existed in about three people's head wouldn't get snuffed out. And I had no fellows to chat with. No buddies to break the awkwardness of strangers oogaling the booth. If I wanted to talk, I had to start a conversation with the strangers and make them friends.

This of course has immediate practical implications. Be wary of simply stuffing the roster of people participating in these events. More promoters doesn't always mean better. There was one organization that outsold me, a group of five who did not distract each other, but rather all were outwardly focused. They could and did engage more people at any one time. Lesson here: choose people who won't cling to each other to promotion events.

But there is a second, still practical, though abstract lesson to be learned also. Community can contribute to inwardness. As a group of people comes to know, trust, and rely up on each other, the outward mission of the group will change. People's hearts can fill, and the need that once drove them to create a community will be satisfied. While we WANT our communities to bring us peace, that peace can cause the outreach of an organization to cool.

This isn't a terrible occurrence, but it can be to the detriment of an organization, particularly if an outward thrust is part of its mission. So keep this tension in mind: While the desire for community motivates outreach and successful outreach can develop meaningful community, "too much" community can stifle outreach, which may lead to the eventual dissolution of community.