What are your heroes searching for?

What are your heroes searching for? What needs are unmet? What or who are the barriers or villains that your heroes are trying to get past?

These are the questions you need to not only ask yourself and your organization, but questions you need to go out and observe of your potential members, and to ask of your current members.

Behind these unmet needs in meaning and the meaning is wrapped in story. The more meaningful the story is, the passionate the person will be about getting their needs met.

When we started the swing dancing scene in the 90's it was interesting to see programmers from Hewlett Packard show up. They had some powerful unmet needs that drove them out to partner dancing. One was community, socializing with other people, and another was touch. After sitting at a computer all day, often isolated, they were excited to connect with other people. Swing dancing also afforded them an escape, to a different time and place away from technology.

At the non-profit I worked for, the villain was isolation. College-age students would come to Fort Collins and they would find themselves in a new town separated from family and friends. Even though they are surrounded by thousands of other students, many find it hard to find meaningful connections. Our non-profit would host activities like a dinner and discussion group, gardening, and a writing group, that was focused on creating community and connection. A facilitated safe place where people could talk about their inner lives and to hear the stories of others.

In the Society for Creative Anachronism, the barrier is the mundane world. Work, politics, chores, and responsibilities can make life feel boring and meaningless. The rat-race. Now here is a group where you can escape to a campground for the weekend with hundreds of other like-minded people and totally recreate yourself. You might work at Subway during the week and on the weekend you are a respected Knight in shining armor.

Who are the villains in your member's world? Once you know that, your organization can help to meet that need. The more you can weave this into the story of your organization and into its structure, the more meaningful it will be to your heroes. Meaning means engagement.