Membership Growth Takes a Personal Touch

April 2016

Alexis Limberakis, Ambler, PA

Philoptochos is Philanthropy-Fellowship-Faith in Action!

Membership growth and retention is a key component to the success of any organization and Philoptochos is no exception.

Although the annual Membership Drive begins in January, membership growth should be on the agenda of every Philoptochos chapter all year. As members ourselves, we should always realize that this entails the responsibility to let all women in our parish know about the extraordinary work that each Philoptochos chapter does.

Members are the face of Philoptochos and its best recruiting tool! In my experience I have learned that the best way to reach women is the “one on one” approach. I have surprisingly learned that many women had not joined because no one had ever asked them to do so!

I have also been surprised to learn that many women do not know the purpose  of Philoptochos.  This revelation has led me to realize that many of us automatically assume that everyone knows about our philanthropic mission. Or maybe chapters are waiting to  be approached by potential members. Either one of these scenarios will not help increase the membership level of any chapter!

What simple issues to resolve! There are many opportunities to introduce others to our dynamic organization. So often there are new members in a parish or long time parishioners who have never joined. Take a few moments to explain and enlighten these individuals about the scope of our philanthropy!  A friendly smile and an invitation to come to a Philoptochos meeting can go a long way!

Sometimes we are faced with the challenge of changing certain perceptions about Philoptochos. Perceptions that we are simply “the ladies that bake”. While baking is still part of most chapters, it truly is a small part. As members, we need to present the bigger picture of Philoptochos philanthropy, which is certainly not funded only by bake sales.

In the February/March 2016 issue of the Orthodox Observer, it was reported that National Philoptochos disbursed $1.74 million for philanthropy. This impressive figure does not include what the different Metropolis boards disburse nor does it include what the more than 400 local chapters disburse. What a stellar example of philanthropy we have in our parishes! Use this information as a way to educate others on the ability of Philoptochos to help those in need.

I believe that many people, including  younger women and millennials, want to do hands-on outreach and just need an outlet to do so. Philoptochos  offers that avenue. It cannot be overemphasized that the more members we have, the greater effect we will have in changing lives for the better.

It is my hope that all members make that extra effort to bring all Greek Orthodox women into our Sisterhood. Use the personal approach and also be approachable! Women do join because someone reached out to acknowledge and welcome them to experience philanthropy, faith and fellowship in action!

Life Lessons Learned in Philoptochos

December 2015

Thea Martin, Pittsburgh, PA

In Philoptochos, as in life, it is important to cultivate and teach the young. We continually work to come up with ways to engage our young Orthodox women because it is important to keep our organization alive.

When I joined Philoptochos over ten years ago, I was among the youngest members. I was new to my church, newly married, and looking for a way to create a foundation for my future life. Why not Philoptochos?  I was told that Philoptochos was an organization for yiayias who cooked and I probably wouldn’t like it. Perhaps, but my yiayias were no longer on this earth. I had never learned to cook, so at the very least, why not give it a shot?

It was actually very cool. Long standing members would call me after each meeting to gage my thoughts and ask my opinion, but mainly they called to make sure that I would be attending the next monthly meeting. To be honest, the extra attention was what kept me coming back. After all, the snacks were good and I enjoyed the interaction between the women.​ I especially loved the raised voices speaking Greek. I didn’t always understand, but somehow I knew what they were saying. 

We ended each meeting with a prayer and kissed each other good night. Ah…this was a family. My parents divorced when I was very young and my mother was not Greek. I was never part of GOYA, and I never experienced fun, loud, family holidays. But now, sitting around a table with fifteen or so women who openly expressed their thoughts and showed agape to all, it all felt natural to me. I wasn’t quite sure why, but I knew that Philoptochos was going to be a game changer in my life.

It is said that a wise person learns from their mistakes. A wiser person learns from the mistakes of others. But the wisest person learns from the success of others. I am always learning from the successes of more experienced leaders. I have experienced my share of mistakes, but I know that I have learned from them.

First lesson learned:

​It was probably not wise to send an invitation for a Philoptochos event that stated, “Yiayias stay home…you can babysit”. After being elected chapter president, my vice p​resident and secretary (who were also close to my age) ​thought it was time to shake things up a little.  We decided to hold a membership social that would take place in the evening and we put much effort into the planning. 

We designed a postcard that was mailed to over five hundred parish families.

We were excited to let everyone know they would enjoy an evening of creative hors d’oeuvres as well as Philopo-tini’s- our version of a cosmopolitan martini. While focusing on trying to attract young new members, we excitedly expressed an idea to them: “Yiayias stay home….you can babysit”.

Oops. What we thought was lighthearted and funny, ended up upsetting quite a few people. There were many phone calls that week. But in the end, we apologized to those we upset and when the dust settled, we had seventeen new members!

Second lesson learned:

My chapter’s largest fundraiser each year was our Mini Food Fair, a popular community event that raised money for our philanthropy. We younger members had learned a lot from watching our “seasoned” members negotiate with vendors, choose the best products, organize, and plan this huge endeavor. And we learned how to show respect to all.

Sometimes change is difficult, especially if things are working well. Over the years my vice president and I had many ideas that we thought would help our food fair achieve even greater success.

“What if we sold beer and wine at our food fair?” we asked during a meeting. We put numbers together to show the additional amount of money that we could raise. We were pleasantly surprised when there was little objection. We thought was official. That year our food fair would include beer and wine. Then the phone calls began. Some members did not believe that alcohol belonged at a Philoptochos event. Some said they would boycott. Oops again.

We didn’t know what to expect. This was our first attempt at change as leaders of Philoptochos. Here we were again, causing turmoil. My executive board met one evening to talk about leadership and what we hoped to achieve. That was a very special night.  We decided that our term was going to be all or nothing, beginning with the food fair.  With the fair just a few weeks away, any changes that we made needed happen quickly.

After the meeting, we headed to lock the community center doors. We heard chanting upstairs. We headed upstairs to inform whoever was there to lock the doors when they left. In addition, we went outside to see if we knew any cars in the parking lot. We realized that there was no one upstairs and no recognizable cars.

We all looked at each other and left.

That year, the revenue and profit of our fair doubled. The church bulletin’s headline read, “Mini Food Fair, Not So Mini Anymore”.

Looking back, we know the chanting we heard that night was a sign. Everything was going to be okay. And it has been. This year, our renamed Autumn Food Fair made over $60,000. As always, the money raised will go to our Holy Cross Philoptochos mission.

While we honor the traditions and customs we have been handed down, it is important to remember that young members can lend new ideas to our organization. Encouraging them and giving them an opportunity to have a voice helps them feel engaged. We can also learn new lessons from them. Working together, we can make Philoptochos a stronger organization and shepherd it into a bright future.

 

“How did you get involved with Philoptochos?”

November 2015

Diana Jianas, Newport Beach, CA

Many members grew up in the church, with membership a natural progression, “like your mother”.  For others, we became members for one reason only; someone approached us and personally asked us to join.

I am a convert and Greek on my mother’s side. Growing up, with no Greek church close by we attended our local Episcopal church.  When I started to date my future Greek husband Alex, I decided to join the Greek Church.  I was not approached to join Philoptochos so I was content to stay away.  The church we were attending began to experience some difficult challenges and we were moving out of the area so the timing was right for us to start going to a new church, which was not Greek Orthodox.  We attended the church for a couple years but I always felt something was missing.  During this break from Orthodoxy, I did have the extraordinary opportunity to go to the Patriarchate and meet His All-Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew.  After that meeting, I knew I had to make my way back to the Greek Church.

We began attending St. Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church in Irvine, California.  It is a beautiful church of a modern design and mosaic Byzantine-style iconography, which was quite a change from the traditional Greek Church we had been attending.  Not only did the church look different, the services were conducted in English and the congregation was much younger and very friendly.  I immediately felt like we had found a home.

One Sunday at coffee hour, National Board member Kathy Gabriel personally asked me to join Philoptochos. Her motto, as National Membership chairman, was INVITE, EMBRACE, INVOLVE.  Her invitation has had a lasting impact on my life and I can never thank her enough.

My cousin, Celeste Moschos, who is also on our National Board, told me while on that trip to the Patriarchate, that some of her dearest, closest friendships were a result of her involvement in Philoptochos.  I now know what she meant as I cherish my friendships with fellow Chapter, Metropolis and National Philoptochos sisters.

Reach out to someone who might just be waiting for that invitation. Perhaps you will find that they just wanted to feel included. As Philoptochos members we need to reach members through personal contact and by extending that invitation, it could change their life too.

 

The Joy of Cooking

October 2015

Valine Georgeson, Atlanta, Georgia

We have all heard comments from time to time from individuals who express a desire that Philoptochos eliminate all forms of cooking from its activities. In their mind, cooking is not an activity that will attract new members or keep current members interested. The idea of pastry baking is sometimes equated with the end of the world!

Well, I am here to talk about the pleasure and value of cooking together as Philoptochos women! As someone who has done a great deal of cooking and baking for Philoptochos fundraising and hospitality, I have come to realize that when our members are cooking together, there is so much more happening in the kitchen than food preparation.

What do I mean by this?

The kitchen is a great place to teach and to be taught. Of course, you can learn recipes or cooking techniques, but often the lessons taught or the dialogue exchanged has nothing to do with food.

Cooking inspires memory and when hands are busy, our chefs will share stories from their lives, loving, painful or humorous, with words that they might not share in another setting.

And laughter! We laugh a great deal when we cook and what better way to bond and enjoy volunteer work than in a lighthearted atmosphere? One friend always says that our cooking projects are the best therapy in the world.

I love, that even in 2015, we continue certain cooking traditions and that the recipes we use were handed down from members who are no longer with us. Hand-crafted food items are such a huge focus in the food world. I like to think that Philoptochos has been way ahead of that trend for a very long time!

And here is another great thing about cooking together. In my large parish in Atlanta, there are many individuals who are newcomers or who are recent converts to Orthodoxy. It is not always easy to meet parishioners when coming to a new church. So many times women have learned about a Philoptochos cooking project. They walk in the door knowing no one, and leave with a different sense of community. Working together with others means that you learn names, or as is often the case, the newcomer finds that she shares many acquaintances with those already there. Once a new convert thanked us for welcoming her and noted that she now felt “part of the team”.

Our members are talented and gifted in so many areas. They are constantly creating new ways and projects to address fundraising and membership. We need these ideas to grow and serve those whom we are charged with helping. Let’s always continue to encourage this kind of creativity and thinking outside the box.

But let’s not lock those kitchen doors!

Cooking with and for Philoptochos is a good thing.

Guidelines for Submitting a Blog Entry

Welcome to the blogsite of the National Philoptochos Society!

Through blog entries, we want to bring together the voices of Philoptochos women from around the country. By sharing  personal observations and small stories, these entries can serve as food for thought and inspiration.

Blog entry guidelines are easy and your cooperation in following them is most appreciated! Thank you for your interest and we look forward to hearing from you!

·      Word limit of 350-400

·      There must be a Philoptochos connection to your entry

·      Please remember that paragraphs are your friend! One long paragraph is not a good format

·      The blog should be your observation and thoughts on the topic or story that you choose

·      Topics may be, but certainly not limited to, acts of kindness, personal observations on something that your chapter has done, a memorable Philoptochos moment, be it poignant or humorous, a Philoptochos woman who inspired you along the way, the excitement and challenges of philanthropy, fundraising and reaching a goal. There are so many possibilities out there!

·      Please include your name, city and parish name with your entry
 

Entries should be submitted to:  communications@philoptochos.org

A Call to Service

September 2015
By Helen Ballerano, Boca Raton, Florida

Happy New Year!  September 1^st begins a new ecclesiastical year and affords us the perfect opportunity to begin anew in our commitment of stewardship to our faith and our church.

As the philanthropic arm of the church, Philoptochos is the true embodiment of Christian stewardship and an ideal way for us, as Orthodox women, to contribute our time and talent.  All Orthodox women are invited and welcomed to participate in the Philoptochos mission,  to offer compassionate charity and benevolence, to preserve and perpetuate our Orthodox Christian values and family, and to promote our Greek Orthodox faith and traditions.

Philoptochos has a huge charge and with it the tremendous responsibility of fulfilling its mission, from the smallest parish chapter, up through Metropolis and National levels. With thousands of members, Philoptochos has the distinction of being one of the largest Christian women's faith based philanthropic organizations in the country. That's an accomplishment we should all be proud of!  And yet, in many ways, Philoptochos struggles with being recognized, or even known, sometimes even within the walls of our churches.  And many women, especially young women, are reluctant to join. But why?

It is probably fair to say that most women with school age children do not hesitate to join their child’s school PTA.  As parents, we never question supporting our child's education or their school. Joining the PTA is a given. It certainly was for me, as I'm confident it was for you. However, do we as Orthodox women have that same attitude and spirit about joining our parish Philoptochos? How awesome would it be, if 80 or 90, or even 100% of the women of our parishes joined Philoptochos? Our strength, reach and potential would be extraordinary!

My own personal sense is that when we truly understand and embrace the meaning of Christian stewardship in our life, then our commitment and support of our church and its ministries naturally grows.   Welcoming each day with a Christ-focused and church-centered life, is the embodiment and true essence of stewardship.

Every day, Philoptochos women offer their time, talent and treasure to meeting the needs of our church and local parish families and by serving the greater community.  There are teams of women who visit the sick and the elderly, who serve at soup kitchens, who organize events and fundraisers, and who volunteer in so many ways throughout their communities.  The Sunday coffee hours and numerous fundraisers benefit local and national causes that are worthy of our support. Philoptochos responds in times of crisis, as with the financial struggles in Greece, or when a natural disaster occurs in all parts of the world.

Embarking on this new ecclesiastical year, we should prayerfully reflect on the role of our faith and church in our own life. Let’s embrace this year by honoring our blessings through personal stewardship to Philoptochos and by inviting women of all ages to join us in this call to faithful service.

Manhattan Caravan Feeds the Hungry!

August 2015
By Georgia Vlitas, Staten Island, NY and Jennifer Constantin, Scarsdale, NY

Talk about flexibility!  When we got to 33rd Street and 7th Avenue last night, a street sign greeted us announcing the street was closed because a pedestrian plaza was under construction in “our” spot.  As we were trying to determine where to set up, one of our guests tapped on our car window to tell us to go around the block to 33rd Street between 8th and 9th Avenues and he would find our guests and let them know where we would be set up for the night!  Amazing! 
So off we went – a four car caravan - to a new location!  As we were arriving, some of our guests were waiting for us, and they actually helped us set up our tables and bins.  We were a little concerned, thinking that most of the guests would not be able to find us, but we knew that would be the best option since the circumstances were beyond our control.

It was a little disappointing at first because very few guests showed up, but as the evening progressed some of our guests found us and said, “We’ve been looking for you Greeks!” and “We are so happy to see you!”

Thank you to Lily Katos for purchasing the ingredients for the delicious beef stew and to Fr. Dionysios Anagnostopoulos from Holy Cross Church in Whitestone, New York for being our personal chef and preparing it!  Thank you to Nellie Logothetides, Evellyn Tsiadis, Annie Sullivan and Tina Marie Vlitas for your help and donations. Fr. Demetrios Kazakis from St. Nicholas in West Babylon, New York, was warmly greeting and engaging our guests during this trying time for his parish after the recent fire in their church. The photos of the damage to their church brought us all to tears.

Despite the “new location” and hot & humid evening, we were able to distribute our homemade beef stew, Metro Café sandwiches and wraps, koulourakia made by the residents of St. Michael’s home, granola bars, clementines, cold water and juice. We also distributed socks and toiletries. (The ladies especially loved the Clinique lipstick!) We may have left, hot and tired, but it was another rewarding experience in the life of Philoptochos outreach!

Due to our relocation, we still had stew, rolls, snacks, and fruit,  but God is always there watching over us and as Jennifer arrived at a men’s shelter to deliver the remaining food items, she saw men waiting outside the shelter in the heat.  Upon entering, she learned that they had run very low on food, so the men waiting outside had been turned away! She hadn’t even finished unpacking the car before one of the men told her how delicious the stew was.  He was already eating it!

What started out as an uncertain evening, ended up allowing these men to enter an air-conditioned shelter, and be fed a delicious meal instead of sleeping on the streets! When life gives you lemons….