Original Message:
Sent: 08-09-2026 09:13
From: Jerome Thompson
Subject: I'm new to the group so saying hello!
Teddi,
I'm so glad that was helpful! It really demonstrates how versatile AI can be-from app-building and analyzing news to generating fresh ideas for local Mensa programs.
To build on that, another practical use case I tried was creating volunteer position descriptions for local group roles. The old PDF Membership Handbook hasn't been updated since June 2015 and is 20 pages of information, including time-grounded details like service prices from 2015. That old manual can be tough to track down now, especially as National transitions to the living Local Group Toolkit wiki, which started with Membership Officers and Area Coordinators.
You can easily run this experiment yourself for Charlotte-Blue Ridge: simply feed the AI the existing documentation you have for a role and ask it to output a clear, short, bullet-focused description-including time commitments, core duties, and reporting lines.
The secret sauce is iterating with it. Keep probing, asking questions, and explicitly checking: "Are you pulling this directly from the documents I provided, or are you generalizing based on industry best practices?"
That check is critical because AI rarely says "I don't know"-it defaults to being helpful and filling in gaps. If it gets a policy nuance wrong (like youth data access or NDA rules), you simply correct it, and it adjusts immediately. You remain the Subject Matter Expert guiding the ship; the AI is just your fast, tireless research assistant.
Thanks for the nod to San Antonio-I'd love to cross-pollinate ideas or join in on joint events down the road. Good luck at your ExComm meeting!
Links:
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Jerry Thompson
San Antonio Metro Area, Texas
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-08-2026 10:55
From: Teddi Daniels
Subject: I'm new to the group so saying hello!
Jerry,
Wow + thank you!! These outputs and ideas are great -- so much that I'm adding this as a discussion point for our upcoming monthly ExComm meeting. I really appreciate you 1. replying and 2. taking my request for help a few big leaps down the path! As a new LocSec I'm trying to generate not only a more diverse membership base but additionally greater value for our existing members. I think AI could be a phenomenal tool for gaining insight and ideas to achieve both of these goals. If anything we do reaches outside the Charlotte-Blue Ridge box I'll be sure to invite your San Antonio Metro group to join us!
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Teddi Daniels
Mensa Life Member
2026-2027 LocSec, Charlotte-Blue Ridge Mensa
2026-2027 Membership Chair, Charlotte-Blue Ridge Mensa
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-08-2026 09:59
From: Jerome Thompson
Subject: I'm new to the group so saying hello!
Hi Teddi, and welcome!
I'm Jerry Thompson, and I'm fairly new to this SIG as well. My go-to AI partner has been Google Gemini Advanced-I ask it tons of questions! I might not have all the answers myself, but I love using AI to spark ideas that I can then analyze, curate, and test out.
So, if I may be so bold,
- I fed your post directly into my private Gemini workspace, and it came back with these suggestions in about 10 seconds (way faster than it took me to type this intro!).
- Then I tested the part 2 prompt to see what it would suggest. So this is a long reply, but I did not write 90% of it.
Here is what it generated for you:
GEMINI AI SAID:
Welcome to the SIG, Teddi!
Great to have you here, and congratulations on your dual role as LocSec and Membership Chair for Charlotte-Blue Ridge! Bringing AI into local chapter administration is one of the best use cases for this SIG.
Here are a few practical strategies and ready-to-use prompts [to ask an AI system in a conversation] for both of your focus areas:
1. Adding "Pop" & Boosting Open Rates for Chapter Communications
When it comes to newsletters and emails, AI excels at hook variation and tone calibration. Most administrative emails get deleted because the subject line reads like a logistics memo.
Strategy: Use AI to generate 5 distinct emotional styles for your subject lines (curiosity, urgency, community-focused, playful/witty, and direct).
Prompt to try:
"I am writing an email newsletter for a local Mensa chapter (Charlotte-Blue Ridge). Below is the rough draft of our upcoming events and announcements. Please act as a expert email marketer and deliverable strategist:
1. Generate 5 attention-grabbing subject lines using different hooks (e.g., curiosity, witty/intellectual humor, direct value, sense of community). 2. Rewrite the main body text into 3 short, punchy paragraphs with clear bold headers, emoji accents (subtle, not overwhelming), and a single primary Call to Action (CTA). 3. Create a 2-sentence 'TL;DR' bullet box for members who only have 5 seconds to scan."
[Paste newsletter draft here]
2. Outreach Tactics for Teens & Young Adults (Gen Z / Gen Alpha)
Young adults often look for community, career/mentorship networking, and low-friction social formats (like Discord, board game nights, or trivia) over formal dinner meetings.
Prompt for Youth & Young Adult Engagement:
"Act as a community engagement strategist specializing in Gen Z and young adult demographics (ages 14–28). We want to expand youth and young adult membership and active participation in our local Mensa chapter.
Generate a structured list of tactics covering: 1. Event Concepts: 4 low-pressure, high-interest social or educational event ideas tailored to young high-IQ individuals (e.g., hackathons, interactive game nights, career/passion showcases). 2. Communication Channels: Specific platforms and content formats best suited to reach this demographic effectively. 3. Outreach Messaging: 3 short messaging angles highlighting what Mensa offers young members (e.g., finding 'your people', mentorship, low-key socializing) without sounding overly academic or bureaucratic. 4. Parent/Family Engagement: 2 tactics for connecting with parents of gifted youth/teens to show the value of Mensa membership."
Looking forward to hearing how these work for Charlotte-Blue Ridge! See you at the next SIG Zoom!
GEMINI /endtrans
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Teddi, I hope these ideas can help you a bit. I am not an expert in all these areas, but I like to learn by asking AI and our members for their ideas! Our local group at South Texas Mensa (San Antonio, TX) is exploring more interaction with Youth too! So your questions are spot on, and now I can share more ideas with our ExComm too.I have fed our local Newsletter into AI several times, going back a few years in fact. It ingests PDFs remarkably well. I had it analyze them for tone of voice, layout, and even assessed if our local group was going backwards, forwards, or in idle mode based on the comments of LocSec, speakers, events, etc. It came back with great suggestions for improvements along with an unbiased assessment. Many members only see the newsletter to see what is going on in our group, so communicating well through that is essential. AI analysis of our newsletters helps me understand how the newsletter comes across to young, retired, and working members.
Just some thoughts!
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This is a crazy test ... I just fed your Part 2 "prompt" into Gemini AI, and it burped the following out in 5 seconds!
Strategy Brief: Expanding Youth & Young Adult Membership (Ages 14–28)
1. Event Concepts (Low-Pressure & High-Interest)
"Lightning Talks & Passion Pits" (Micro-Presentation Night)
Format: Members get 5 minutes and 10 slides (auto-advancing) to present on literally anything they are obsessed with-from niche historical anomalies or urban transit maps to mechanical keyboard building.
Why it works: Removes the pressure of small talk by giving everyone a built-in conversation starter, showcasing intellect through passion rather than resume flexing.
Co-Op Board Game & Escape Room Showdowns
Format: Host monthly meetups at local board game cafés or tabletop lounges featuring strategy, hidden-role, or collaborative games (e.g., Codenames, Secret Hitler, Pandemic).
Why it works: Gamified socializing provides a structured buffer for introverts, keeping minds engaged without the awkwardness of unstructured networking.
"Build-a-Thing" Hackathon / Creative Sprint
Format: A half-day session where teams build a fun, useless (or useful!) prototype, design a text-based game using AI, or solve a goofy real-world challenge.
Why it works: Focuses on active collaboration and problem-solving, appealing directly to curious, hands-on builders and tech-inclined youth.
Low-Key "Silent Reading & Co-Working" Sessions
Format: 45 minutes of quiet reading/study at a trendy coffee shop or park, followed by 30 minutes of optional casual hangouts and coffee.
Why it works: Super low energy commitment. It allows young members to be in the presence of like-minded peers without feeling forced to be "on."
2. Communication Channels & Formats
Primary Platform: Discord Server
Why: Gen Z and younger Millennials rarely check email for social updates. An organized Discord server allows for real-time text banter, asynchronous discussions, game nights via voice channels, and interest-specific channels (#tech-and-ai, #memes, #book-club, #gaming).
Secondary Platform: Instagram & TikTok (Short-Form Video)
Event Notifications: SMS / WhatsApp Communities
3. Outreach Messaging Angles
Angle 1: The "Find Your Tribe" Hook (Social Connection)
"Tired of explaining your hyper-fixations to people who don't get it? Come hang out with a group where 'too curious' doesn't exist. No pressure, no stiff networking-just cool people who love deep dives into random topics."
Angle 2: The "Brain Gym & Mentorship" Hook (Personal Growth)
"Connect with mentors who've actually walked the path you're on. Whether you're navigating high school, picking a college major, or launching your first career, get unfiltered advice and real connections from people who think like you."
Angle 3: The "Zero-Pretense" Hook (Vibe Check)
"Mensa isn't elbow patches and tweed jackets. It's game nights, late-night boba runs, AI tinkering, and debates over absurd hypothetical questions. Come as you are."
4. Parent/Family Engagement Tactics
- Jerry
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Jerry Thompson
San Antonio Metro Area, Texas
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