Michelle & Jessica - Meetup Organizers of the Week - 5.26.08

We're out in sunny Tucson Arizona to check in with the dynamic organizing duo of The Meetup Moms Group of Tucson - Michelle and Jessica, our Meetup Organizers of the Week!

Michelle and Jessica took over this group in August 2007 and the result is amazing. What struck a chord with me were these lines from their About Page:

"We are Tucsonans, neighbors, coworkers. We belong to families and gyms, carpools and co-ops. Yet studies show we feel more disconnected and isolated than ever. Meetup Moms is going to strive even harder to reverse that trend."

This sentiment is at the very core of Meetup.com - using the internet to get people off the internet. These fine women epitomize the Organizer's spirit of Meetup with their events every day!

Also, check out the group's impressive list of sponsors and their fool-proof recipe in obtaining the nod from them.

I can't say enough about these two, hats off to Michelle and Jessica!

How did you originally find out about Meetup.com?

Michelle was told about Meetup.com by Gail Pubols, the group's founder, and became a member in March 2006. Jessica learned about meetup.com when she googled "Moms groups in Tucson" and found our group in February of 2007. We both became co-organizers in August 2007.

On your About Page (which is wonderful!) you mentioned a trend of our society becoming more disconnected and isolated and your desire to reverse this trend. How do you feel your community accomplishes this goal?

One of our main goals is to make sure that there is a "niche" for everyone. We have an active message board where members can offer support or ask any questions and receive non judgmental, supportive, and intelligent responses. We have several meetups each day, which allow members to meet with each other, talk and plant seeds of friendship. We also have interest-based groups that meet periodically, including fit club, money group, and book club, which allow members to bond over shared interests.

Which events are most popular/well-attended by your members?

Our private parties at Pump It Up, Gymboree, and My Gym are always well-attended. They usually fill up within a day or so and have double digit wait lists. We also have a lot of members attending our monthly craft dates and special event park dates. Past craft dates have included New Year's Eve noisemakers, handprint leprechauns, and Valentine's Day treat bags. Some special event parkdates have been Froggy Day at the Park (on Leap Day, of course!), Annual Sp-egg-tacular Egg Hunt, and Bubblepalooza. Home playdates are also great events for our members. It is so great to talk to other moms in a private and safe setting. Mom's Nights Out and Mom's Night In are extremely popular! We need to take time for ourselves and have some fun! We have been to the movies, different restaurants around town, received pedicures, and laughed together at Game Nights.

You've a number of impressive sponsors of your organization. How did you go about securing them?

We asked! We liked the idea of member discounts and private events for our members, especially at great kid-friendly venues. Our sponsors liked the advertising they received from the scheduled events and exposure on our About Page.

You must have several amazing Meetup moments. Would you tell us your favorites?

Our events are awesome! If there are 30 member or 5 members at an event, everyone is always so welcoming and friendly. Just being able to meet so many great moms in Tucson is the best part. Moms who know exactly how you are feeling, mom's who don't care if your hair is not perfect or if there is leftover breakfast on your shoulder (courtesy of your little loved one), moms who know exactly what to say to make you feel better, moms who will be there for you in an instant whether it is on the computer, telephone, or in person. These are the greatest parts of our group.

Could you share a few "secrets of your success" for the new or struggling organizers looking to make a go of their groups?

1- Don't sweat the small stuff. 90% of every situation is what you make of it. Also, understand that you will never be able to make everyone happy. As long as your decisions have the best interest of the group at heart, stand by them.

2-Play to your strengths and surround yourself with great Assistant Organizers. Michelle is great at planning creative events, while Jessica handles the finances. We have many hardworking AOs who share our vision for a dynamic Mom's group. Each has a specific responsibility, and each does her job fantastically, which takes a lot stress off of us! We get together once a month to discuss group issues, and have our own "secret" message board to plan events, etc.

3-Make sure that you are still having fun! Never let yourself get so overwhelmed by the "business" end of organizing a group that you forget WHY you are running the group in the first place-- to have fun!

How do you decide on the location of your events?

We let the members choose! We have Special Event and Restaurant Requests, Playdate and Parkdate, MNO/MNI and Fitness Requests sign-up forms where members sign up to "host" meetups that fit into their schedules. The meetup.com website makes it easy for members to guide the event planning.

What are your hopes for the future of the group?

We hope to reach all types of moms (stay-at-home, working, younger and older). Also, even though our group is becoming large, to maintain that "small group" feeling, where we build each other up, share in each others joys, and rally around those who need support.