[Ponte Alto] Recruitment

[Nicole Spaun]

>assimilating and retaining them.  Indeed, the statistical information I 
>deal
>with on the Kingdom level indicates that we could increase our numbers by 
>as
>much as 30% just by improving our retention efforts, even without making 
>any
>significant new recruiting efforts.
>

Here here.  I live here in Ponte Alto and would love to be able to play with 
my local group.  HOWever, I recently wrote to two different Ponte Alto 
Officers asking for assistance in hopes of being able to participate more in 
the group... and 2 weeks later I have received no response to either.  One 
of those inquiries was about how to become a Marshal so I could help with 
the Barony's armored combat, the hot-topic being discussed on the Ponte Alto 
email list at the time!!!  And still, no response.  I sent the same marshal 
inquiry to Sir Guy, who responded promptly and with great information (thank 
you!).  Why couldn't the Officer have done so when I wrote them the week 
before?  Perhaps the email links aren't working correctly but it's still 
disheartening.  As for the possible argument of 'maybe the Officers in 
question are busy', I would disagree because I've been an Officer before 
(and am an Officer now for Stierbach) and know that it's easy to ask others 
to assist when I don't have time to help myself.

Suffice to say, I think the Barony is getting the message out to newcomers 
BUT the retention efforts, well, need significant improvement!  This isn't 
the first time I've tried reaching out to Ponte Alto either and both times, 
several years apart, I ended up being left with the impression that no one 
had time to help me.  I've been in the SCA for 15 years, I've been the 
Exchequer and then President of a Borough (Boston's way of dealing with so 
many local colleges is make them Borough's instead of official Colleges), 
I've lived in 4 kingdoms now, and have ALWAYS assisted in getting newcomers 
assimilated into the SCA.  Therefore... if I am getting silence when I ask 
for assistance, I can only imagine it's worse for complete newcomers who 
don't even know who to ask or where to turn!!!

Please don't take this as a flame, it's not intended that way.  The 
intention is to point out that retention is MORE important than advertising, 
MORE important than hanging out with the people you already know in the 
group, MORE important than anything else when it comes to the life of the 
SCA.  One should always have time for new people.  Period.  Otherwise, why 
try and get new people involved anyway?  If the new people who get involved 
get silence as a request for help, that's the sad end of any recruitment 
effort right there.

(except for me, who is stubborn and has been around the block so I know 
you're all great people and do such great things that I'm going to keep 
trying to play with my local group even when I meet the wall of silence 
repeatedly.  I've just NEVER encountered this in a group before).

Just my $0.02 about recruitment,
Lady Bianca di Bari

former member of the Barony of Carolingia, EK; College of the Grey 
Gargoyles, MK; Barony of the Bridge, EK; Shire of Crosston, WK; and now fair 
Atlantia