The new model for networking...

Over the last few months, as the development team has been diligently working on building CSINext, I’ve spent a large amount of time looking at how other member based organizations are handling the shift from traditional, face to face networking to a newer, more virtual communication process. What I’m finding is both encouraging and discouraging.

Pure networking groups, like Rotary, Lions Club and Kiwanis International have been around for a very long time and they’ve done some amazing work on behalf of our society as a whole. Because of their efforts, remarkable inroads have been made towards elimination polio, blindness and in the advancement of children’s issues. These three in particular have some amazing similarities to CSI.

First, they have been around a long time, all being founded within the first few years of the 1900s. All three saw their membership peak in the early 1990s and they’ve all declined roughly 30% in membership since that time. As a comparison, the Institute’s membership peaked in 1991 and is down slightly more than a third over that span...though the decline seems to be accelerating.

All three of these groups have come to realize that today’s younger professional, while still wanting the traditional face to face contact, may not have time in a hectic schedule to squeeze in a “regular” meeting. Lions, for example, has already achieved over 5000 followers on Twitter...and I must admit, I simply can’t ever remember meeting an Lion’s Club member that didn’t distinctly resemble Colonel Sanders. How can a group with such an aging membership get such a fast start in the social media world?

Simple...they get it. They fully understand that today’s world is far different than the world that they grew up in and if they don’t change with the times, then the ideals and missions that they hold dear are simply going to die with them if they don’t involve a younger generation. The very fact that these “older” groups are embracing these new tools and methods is very encouraging to me. If you would like to read an excellent article about how these groups are using social media, it can be found here.

On the other hand, I’m also very discouraged to see that our Institute is trailing this shift in vision in a major way. Within the industry CSI has been viewed as the innovator, the early adopter of new technologies, the communicator...yet we’re far behind in using the most popular tools available to help us reach a broader market. As I’ve traveled about and tried to encourage growth in these areas, I’ve been truly surprised at the amount of resistance and, in some cases, outright hostility over the thought of doing “CSI differently”.

This website was conceived as simply a start...a tool...nothing more. As the site develops, we’re hoping that the community grows with it. I’m hoping that we will become a resource that helps our “brick and mortar” chapters grow.

I’ll close this commentary with this story from my day yesterday. My company is currently shopping for a new business banker so I met with a very nice, mid-30s commercial banking specialist yesterday afternoon. As we discussed my needs I managed to get my typical comment in about how much CSI has meant to me and my business (You DO mention CSI to everyone you talk to, don’t you?) He, in turn, told me of his involvement in Rotary. Knowing about the Rotary’s virtual chapter, I decided to keep quiet and see how long it took him to say anything. He briefly described what Rotary was about, how much fun it was, how beneficial it was to him in his business dealings...and then closed by writing down the web address for the virtual chapter.

He stated “everything you’ll ever need to know about the Rotary is right there on that website. I’d love to have you in my local chapter, but I realize your busy schedule may not allow that kind of commitment. I hope you can take a few minutes to check it out.”

I was totally blown away. He truly “gets it”. He’s interested in the greater good...the advancement of Rotary...not just the advancement of the “West Knoxville Rotary”. He also realizes that I’ll almost certainly join the local chapter if I get interested through the virtual chapter. Why can he safely make this assumption? Because he knows that Rotary is about people and that those people WANT to connect with one another on a face to face basis.

Just like CSI.