SOS

This is the current logo of the group. 
This blog is a personal blog and the logo is presented here only for
illustration purposes and to provide an internet link.

I have been a board member of The Southern Order of Storytellers (SOS) for several years and a member for a quite a bit longer. 

Like many non-profits SOS has had our ups and downs. But I am proud of the efforts made in the last few years by our board to strengthen Georgia's storytelling network. We have:

• sought to clarify and re-emphasize our mission
• held a weekend board in-person retreat aimed at seeking a clear vision of what we want and need to do to fulfill our mission in perpetuity
• re-written our bylaws
• restructured and formalized our grant procedures
• funded several outstanding grants for storytelling in the state
• organized numerous online programs
• instituted regular online board meetings and in the process made it possible to better serve the entire state and region.
• begun plans for a statewide storytelling festival and workshop

One result of our retreat was an agreement that we as an organization need to consider a "rebranding" to better communicate who and what SOS is, and to be sure we are easily accessible to our desired core of storytellers and story listeners.

Today I have received from our president, Gwendolyn Napier, the following letter. I'd like to share it with my friends who are storytellers and/or story listeners and encourage you to give some thought to whether SOS is an organization that deserves your participation and support. If so I'd love to have you join us and give some crowdsourcing input to our rebranding efforts!  I hope many of my storytelling friends, especially, will join SOS.  There may be some of my friends who are not interested in joining SOS, but who have a branding idea. [I know that opens me up to the numerous fellow smart alecks among my friends! :-) ] I won't include the president's e-mail here since this is a personal blog. So non-members can relay suggestions through me. Click this link to visit the SOS website for more information or to join. Membership dues are $25 per year (free to students) and a storyteller listing is an addition $20 per year for every one.

From the SOS president and board:

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Attention, all Members!  It's time for a face-lift, and the Board needs your input on how we might update the face SOS presents to the world, especially the digital world.

Two primary concerns have triggered this undertaking.

First, our current name obscures the fact that we are basically the Georgia storytellers association.  Although we have very active members from other states -- a case that is true of many state-based storytelling organizations -- our roots and most of our members, events, and support groups are located in the state of Georgia.
 
Yet, when people search the web for the "Georgia Storytelling Association," or some variation of that name, they are unlikely to discover SOS or realize that it is, functionally, the group they are seeking. In today's web-based world, this is a big problem.
 
Second, we have received feedback from several sources that the term "Order" can be both confusing and off-putting.  Some associate the term with exclusive or honorary, and sometimes even secretive, organizations.  Only after they speak with a member and learn the origin and mission of the organization are they apt to pursue the possibility of joining SOS.
 
In order to address these concerns, the Board is proposing to retain our current name as the organization's legal name, but to revise how we "name" ourselves on the web and in day-to-day activities.  This is the equivalent of a "d/b/a" or "doing business as" name, a device used by many for-profit businesses and other organizations.
 
The only suggestion we have received to date is "Sharing Our Stories -- The Georgia Storytelling Network."
 
This has the advantage of allowing us to continue to use the familiar acronym, "SOS,' while clearly identifying our geographic base and collegial, open-to-all structure.  But this may not be ideal, and there are doubtless many other possibilities that we have not yet discovered.
 
The Board is eager to receive your feedback and suggestions, as well as any questions and concerns you may have. 

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