Debra Berman and Jean Wohlever are co-chapter leaders of the MI, Ann Arbor – 2 chapter. Debra, a Rise member for 6 years, and Jean, a member for 4 years, also serve in additional volunteer roles with us. Debra is a member of the Featured Grants Committee and former Regional Leader, and Jean Wohlever is a current Chapter Support Liaison. A former ICU nurse, business owner, and Technology Customer Experience Manager, Debra left corporate America to travel the world with her wonderful husband in 2016. Jean had a career as an economics advisor at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and has lived all over the country including Connecticut, California, and now, Michigan.  

Kia: Tell us a little bit about the origins of your chapter in Ann Arbor. 

Debra: Well, when I first joined Rise, I was in a chapter that had almost 100 members. I was amazed by the women in that group, and we had about 30 people attend every meeting. Then COVID happened and everyone moved to meeting online. During that time, I thought about starting my own chapter and invited about eight women to my house for an informational meeting. Six women agreed to start meeting again and a few months later we all agreed to invite a friend to grow the group. This really helped us meet new people.  

Jean: I think we have a somewhat unique chapter because most of us didn’t know each other before Rise. We weren’t all former classmates or from the same church. For example, Debra met Nadine through a physics event with their husbands, and I was friends with Nadine. So Debra invited Nadine to join and then Nadine invited me.  

Kia: So, you and Debra didn’t know each other before this. How do you make new people feel comfortable when they join your chapter, especially since many of them don’t know many other members? 

Debra: One of the things that I do is invite people who may be interested in Rise for coffee and then we talk. I recently received a message from someone who wanted to join our chapter from our online search. I responded within 10 minutes and set up time to get coffee with her.  

Jean: I am the greeter during meetings; I welcome new people. This was good for me, so I could meet people too. We try to make sure everyone feels welcome. We still wear nametags. Most of us know each other but it just makes things easier. 

Kia: That’s great. And for a relatively new Rise chapter, you’ve seen some steady growth. Can you tell us more about that?  

Debra: We use Evite to send invitations, and that platform shows me over time how many people are coming to meetings. We went from 8-10 members in the beginning, then about 12, and now at least 15 every meeting. I have about 50 people on the invite list. Twice a year, once during the annual appeal, I take the whole list and write an email summarizing our grants and thanking everyone for their interest in Rise. When there is a meeting with a new person, I send a thank you card. About 75% of people who come to check it out become members.  

Jean: It might take a while for people to become invested. Most of us hadn’t heard about Rise, or even giving circles, before and there are so many things people can do with their time. It can take a while to really understand our organization. People have a lot of questions.  

Debra: Jean and I really use the annual report to answer these questions. We also let people participate however they want. We don’t pressure people to present. Even people who show up sporadically, you come when you come.  

As far as actual meetings go, we’re not that different from other chapters. We have an agenda, we meet every other month, we have a host, and a presenter. When people are eating, I talk about other Rise events like the book club, etc.  

Jean: One thing Debra has done really well is get people involved. She asks someone to read the affirmation.  She got me to present. Once someone presents, they get so much more invested.  

Debra: I tell people that I will meet with them if they need help. I tried to get a lot of people engaged in activities. Not everything works out. We are not afraid to try new things, pivot when needed. There has been a lot of trial and error in growing the chapter, getting people involved, keeping meeting interesting.  

I also made up a little card to give to members that has information about our chapter. Here is when we meet, this is what we do, etc. So, when I meet someone, I tell them about Rise, keep this card in my wallet.  

Jean: You can see one strength of our chapter is Debra. Trying different things and seeing what people respond to. There is real competition for people’s time in Ann Arbor, but the high repeat attendance we have been getting lately is a real sign that people like Together Women Rise. I have met people I never would have without this chapter. We enjoy that aspect.  

Debra: At a recent meeting, a member said that the more she presented, the more invested she became. A lot of time no one will volunteer for things, so I need to ask people. But recently we had volunteers for everything. So now I have the next three hosts all lined up. Every time we meet, someone else hosts, presenting, everyone’s house is different, everyone’s style is different. It makes it feel so accessible. You don’t have to be an expert on Uganda, you don’t have to have a mansion. Always looking for alternate spaces that we don’t have to pay for. 

Jean: It’s really been such a great group, and it’s been so nice to see our steady growth and increased engagement from members. We have had a lot of patience for the success of the chapter.