Another successful membership year is in the books, and it shines with all the hard work, diligence and dedication of our most driven Farm Bureau volunteers! For the second year in a row, we achieved statewide Target — growth in our regular memberships. That’s a major achievement regardless of the circumstances, but in a year when associate membership slipped, it’s a significant milestone and testament to the hard work happening in our 65 county Farm Bureaus.
Some of the exciting things from the 2020/2021 membership year:
- 39 county Farm Bureaus reached Target
- Statewide regular membership increased by 78 members
- 144 agents and volunteers qualified for Key Club, and 34 volunteers qualified for Carhartt Club
- The statewide regular member retention rate was 94.95%
- Statewide inactive regular members (2,208) decreased by 228 from last year — 1,285 less than three years ago!
- 2,105 total new regular members, 376 of them being new regular members written by 170 volunteers
- 348 new members written the previous year jumped in and got involved in Farm Bureau events and programs
We also saw a tie for our Top Writer Award: Lenawee County Farm Bureau President Thomas VanWagner (Dist. 2) and Missaukee County Force of Nature Ellen Vanderwal (Dist. 9) each signed up 10 new regular members!
Here are the remaining top writers, per district:
- Dist. 1 — Tod Kubiszak, Van Buren: 7 new regular members
- Dist. 3 — Lisa Kelley, Wayne: 7
- Dist. 4 — Scott Phelps, Allegan: 5
- Dist. 5 — Devin Richards, Shiawassee: 8
- Dist. 6 — Ben Zaleski, Huron: 8
- Dist. 7 — Breann Bonga, Montcalm: 6
- Dist. 8 — Jeffrey Fulton, Saginaw: 8
- Dist. 10 — Amanda Rodabaugh, Gladwin: 6
- Dist. 11 — Ben Blaho, Emmet: 9
- Dist. 12 — Dean Shepeck,Menominee: 6
Farm Bureau Insurance Agent Jason Scramlin wrote 48 new regular members this last year, followed closely by Agent Mark Hop with 45. Statewide, 144 agents and volunteers qualified for Key Club, writing at least five new regular members each.
This year we also saw an increase in Carhartt Club qualifiers, with 34 volunteers writing five or more new regular members, five they wrote last year renewing this year, or a combination of the two totaling five.
On the vital retention front, Northwest Michigan Farm Bureau in Dist. 9 earned Super Defender honors with an amazing 97.64% regular member retention! Top Defender winners by district are as follows:
- Dist. 1 — Cass: 96.05% regular member retention
- Dist. 2 — Lenawee: 94.95%
- Dist. 3 — Washtenaw: 95.56%
- Dist. 4 — Ionia: 95.74%
- Dist. 5 — Clinton: 95.27%
- Dist. 6 — Lapeer: 96.30%
- Dist. 7 — Osceola: 96.71%
- Dist. 8 — Bay: 95.54%
- Dist. 10 — Arenac: 96.59%
- Dist. 11 — Presque Isle: 96.09%
- Dist. 12 — Hiawathaland: 94.88%
Congratulations to all of our award winners, hard-working membership volunteers and resilient county Farm Bureaus. We look forward to recognizing them all over the coming months with prizes and recognition. The hard work and dedication happening statewide is evident in the success of this year’s membership campaign.
Take a moment to stop, breathe and celebrate your success, big or small — you’ve earned it! Then stay tuned for some exciting announcements coming soon about next year’s campaign, which we’re already a few weeks into!
Laura Lunceford manages MFB’s Membership Development department.
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