We had a wonderful group for 3 years. Unfortunately, 2 of them moved out of state. We would meet 1-2 times a month, either at a school (one of the gals was a teacher) or at each other's home. No dues, no pressure, just lots of fun for 2 hrs. We shared meals, bdays, holidays & each other's company. I truly miss the group. Thinking about joining another group soon.

Another suggestion:

Two of my mini bees were born out of classes I have taken at the LQS. They are very informal...no dues...just simply a group who gets together once a month for a 'sew-in' at someone's home.
We start at 10AM and sometimes go until 3 or 4 in the afternoon. Everyone brings their own lunch. The hostess...provides drinks and sometimes a dessert if she wants.
During the month between the regular meetings...smaller groups get together. Generally we pick a day and throw it out to the group...and see what sticks. Those who can make the date do...and those who cannot catch us the next time around.
I find the sew-ins or mini retreats very productive and helpful.

This past week...we did a F.A.R.T (fabric acquisition road trip) and lunch out. Four of the gals made the trip...we had a blast. Anyone can plan it.

Have fun and keep an open mind. Who knows you could be the spark that the guild needs!!

FW

Thanks, everyone---all good things to think about !

Given my age, and being a Boomer and a natural joiner, I'm pretty accustomed to finding my way in a group. I purposely walked around during the break trying to engage someone in conversation. I did manage to get one person to talk to me briefly. It was an interesting experiment since it is usually very easy to get people to chat about what they love, especially when you have that in common.

Maggie, I was very much analogizing to a church setting. If new people come in and we don't make them feel welcome in our churches, well, shame on us ! It's usually what makes people come or stay, how they are treated in that very first visit.

I thought that small groups or bees were a given for quilt guilds, but the one I visited definitely does not have those. One of the committe heads who spoke mentioned that new members have not come back or renewed because they didn't feel welcome and that they should do something about that.

I do have a few ideas I'll be sending to their email address. Really simple things like, when you have guests sign in, ask for contact information and have someone follow up with them to get feedback about the meeting, their interests etc. Also, as a couple of you have mentioned, assign a buddy to the new folks so they can get to know someone in the group and have their interest piqued. That's good for the individual you are reaching out to, but it also insures that your guild won't die from stagnation or declining membership.

I was curious if this was a common experience or not. I'v heard from others in the area that some of the guilds are not friendly and cliquish. But I like a challenge, so I thought I'd investigate myself

I also have some ideas for starting a different guild, an un-guild, that would be less heavy in organization and have a faith component to it. As if I need any more bright ideas

Next month I'll be trying to visit another one or two depending on how able I am to stay up past 8:00pm.

Thanks again for your input.

Our guild has about 300 members...it is huge. No..not everyone comes to the meetings but it is still BIG. We do have a membership table...so new member check in there and she/he is matched with a 'buddy' to introduce the member around.

Sometimes groups are stuck in doing things a certain way. But why not give it a second chance and suggest some changes which may enhance a new members experiece. Remember everyone has been new once. Sometimes those who have been members for a long time forget what it is like to be new.

FW

Sue, I hope you won't let your first visit discourage you. It just takes time to make friends in a new setting. Some guilds are friendlier than others, sorry to say, but my guild tries to make new members feel welcome. I found that when I took on a job in the guild that I got to know more people. Our guild president also asked the various friendship groups to open their group to more people if possible. Some groups are limited because of the size of the home or place where they meet. I was lucky that one of our friendship groups was able to take in two more people. You might just want to start a group of your own, too, made up of new members. Judy in Torrance

Sue, I think guilds are a lot like church congregations. They are all different. Our guild is around 135. We meet twice a month, the first meeting is a business meeting and the second is a program meeting. More attendance at the program meetings! I didn't get really involved in our guild until I became a member of a small group. As a new person to the guild, it was a little daunting to go to meetings until I became acquainted with more people. We are working on increasing our hospitality. We have two greeters at the door at every meeting to welcome people. We are also considering starting a "big sister" program for new members.

Maggie in E. Central Illinois

It's great you have a choice! However, if I was in your situation, I'd probably - no - I would - join 'em all.

I am starting to look for a quilt guild to join. I visited one last week and found the meeting to be as I expected: old business, new projects, charity quilts, show and tell. There wasn't any outreach to new folks, or any small groups or bees where a new member might be able to get to know folks.

Is this typical ? What have you encountered when you have looked for a new guild ?

Thanks in advance for the sage advice, I know there will be some coming,

Sue