by Lunell Haught, LWVWA President

Inviting people to join the League or attend a forum is a bit like inviting someone into your home. What will they think of your house? What will they think of your family? Will your family be welcoming?

As part of our Double Up/Double Down campaign, members have been asked to send an email/note to two friends this month, so we expect to have some new people joining us. We want to welcome them, and if League is right for them, we want to retain them. Retention has to do with finding meaning and friendship in the group. Retention has to do with being able to disagree while appreciating other people's viewpoints and their positive qualities. And retention is also about feeling welcome. When I ask people how they feel welcome here are some responses:

• "I was greeted by name and asked to do a small job."
• "When I did the small job no one told me I'd done it wrong or I should have done it a particular way, they let me do it. I was thanked."
• "If something had to happen a particular way I was told before, not after I did it."
• "Someone asked me what I was interested in and introduced me to another person who shared that interest or background."
• "I was not introduced as 'one of our younger guests.'"
• "I was not smothered with attention or ignored, it was just right."
• "I was not asked to join right away—I could attend without joining."

These are just some examples of how people have found a welcoming environment within the League. Another way to welcome people is to invite them into leadership—with support, of course. This is truly doubling up, as individuals get an opportunity to connect more deeply to work they care about and we make sure that the League has leaders to continue our mission. There are a number of ways to help build up League leaders:

• Create or identify opportunities;
• Create clarity around the leadership role and who is following through a RACI matrix;
• Engage the collective wisdom of the team by crowdsourcing with colleagues and members;
• Provide clarity around what needs to be executed and the timeline;
• Offer coaching and mentorship along the way;
• Provide feedback along the way;
• Celebrate success.

As mentioned, RACI is an excellent tool for bringing clarity to everyone's roles and responsibilities—as leaders and followers. The R is for responsible; A is for accountable.  C is for consulted and I for Informed.

Many people are afraid of responsibility and accountability, not because they don't want to commit to the work, but because it can feel like they're put on a high wire with a spotlight and no net, and told to go for it. This should not be the case. Responsibility and accountability are opportunities to shine. There should be a team around the person to support them, as defined by RACI, so they shouldn't feel like they are on their own.

As we double up and double down, and bring in new members and new leaders, I hope that you double up on welcoming them to League.