Wilma Expo

AAUW Wilmington contracted to be a vendor at the Wilma Expo on December 3, 2011. The $175 registration fee for the table was funded by a mini -grant from AAUW North Carolina. Another $150 for supplies and drawing gifts was provided by donations and branch funds. This was our first experience of this kind and was a very positive one. It is difficult to estimate the numbers of people who passed by the table and looked, those who passed by with whom we spoke, and those who stopped by and were interested in learning about AAUW. Certainly there were a couple hundred people or more.

Of those with whom we talked, there were 7 solid leads for potential members including two women who have moved to Wilmington in the past year and know about AAUW and two women who said, “My mother belonged to AAUW all her life, I should too”. One woman came by and said she worked for a volunteer organization and said she should belong to AAUW too. One of the potential members will be attending our December luncheon and meeting.

For the drawing, we offered an AAUW Mug, AAUW Water Bottle and 1/Free Membership. Winners from the drawing included Jane Kirk- free membership, Marianna Boyd-mug, and Beatrice Nesbitt-water bottle.

We gave out Join AAUW brochures, Public Policy Program and Fellowships and Grants brochures. We also handed out our local program brochure, many business cards with our new website and 3 dozen postcards announcing our fund raiser for a UNCW student to attend NCCWSL. We plan to follow-up all contacts by email in a timely manner and before our programs and fund raising events.

We expected to reach a much wider audience than usual and we did. This kind of event proved to be the best way to reach out to the community and reach a diverse group of people including young women and women of color.

Another very valuable aspect of this experience was the attention of other vendors who felt they had services they could offer us or, at least, partner with us in our endeavors. Our Vision Screening program received attention and we did sign up volunteers from the community to help us. I had a call yesterday from a vendor who wanted to help us with our fund raising activities. Another vendor is someone who seeks out volunteers and felt she could be a help to us. The table next to ours focused on Clean Water. The two young women who were there were from Boone. They were asking people to write to Congressmen McIntyre. I told them about AAUW’s Two Minute Activist tool and also about the Tar Heel Branch.

I want especially to thank AAUW North Carolina for our mini-grant, AAUW, Angela Cooper, for sending brochures and arranging a special on-site membership price for us for the day, Nancy Shoemaker who shared information from previous AAUW workshops, website resources, and templates for business cards, guest entry registration, etc. These resources were invaluable. Lill Van Order shared her resources and research books including the newest, Crossing the Line. Membership Vice President, Phyllis Leimer, provided membership brochures. I especially want to thank Rita Karr and Sandra McLaurin for providing help and assistance with our table.

 

Jean D’Addario

AAUW Wilmington, President December 7, 2011