Hour Commitment: Activation Toolkit
Hour Commitment Overview
As part of the ongoing celebration of Mensa Honor Society’s 10th anniversary, we present Hour Commitment! On National Make a Difference Day, October 28, 2023, we invite all Mensa members to commit one hour (or more) to better the community and the lives of others. (You can volunteer at any time during October, not just on our Mensa Day of Service.) We hope your commitment to Hour Commitment will push us to our overall Honor Society goal of 10,000 community service hours for the year.
Join the Mission
Participating in Hour Commitment is simple, and you can volunteer at any time during October, which is also Mensa Membership Month!
A few tips to help you choose your project:
- Determine if you will volunteer alone, with friends + family, or with your local chapter and/or Mensans
- Consider how much time you can commit
- Need inspiration? Here are a few volunteer project ideas:
- Clean up a local park or beach, removing trash
- Host a donation drive for a local food or animal shelter
- Write letters to senior community centers for isolated seniors
- Set up a Little Free Library
- Raise money for a local charity or important cause
Help Us Meet Our Goal
Share your commitment and project details here. Capture photos from your project! Share on social media, and send to Molly Bundschuh, Gifted Youth Program Manager, mollyb@americanmensa.org for a chance to be featured in Mensa newsletters and social channels!
Campaign Messaging
Campaign messaging has been developed to help all Mensans speak to the 10th anniversary of the Mensa Honor Society, as well as the Hour Commitment campaign to dedicate 10,000 hours of community service. This document may be helpful for any internal and/or external communications, including member engagement, media interest, or social media content (Mensa or personal channels).
Mensa Honor Society
- The Mensa Honor Society recognizes the achievements and service of Young Mensans in grades 5 through 12.
- To qualify for the Mensa Honor Society, members must meet the credentials for both American Mensa and the Honor Society with hours of service, participation in school activities, academic good standing and exemplify Mensa’s ideals including integrity, intellectual curiosity, academic commitment, and service.
- Earlier this year, the 10th anniversary of Mensa Honor Society kicked off with the introduction of the Citizen Scholar Club, a hall of fame of former Mensa Honor Society members with 10 inaugural inductees from across the country.
Hour Commitment
- As part of the ongoing recognition of Mensa Honor Society’s 10th anniversary, Hour Commitment is a national Mensa Day of Service to be held on October 28th.
- Hour Commitment further amplifies Mensa’s dedication to community service, with an opportunity for all Mensans to help reach a goal of 10,000 service hours.
- Timed to Mensa Membership Month, Hour Commitment also demonstrates that while all Mensa members share the trait of high intelligence, community service is a core component of who we are.
Sample Media Alert
If you, as a chapter or individual, are hosting a community service event to support Hour Commitment, amplify your efforts by inviting local broadcast, print, and digital media outlets.
**MEDIA ADVISORY** **PHOTO OPPORTUNITY**
Local Mensa Member (insert name/chapter) Host Day of Service at (insert location name/charity) on (insert date) as Part of National Campaign
Event Supports American Mensa’s Hour Commitment Campaign, Honoring the 10th Anniversary of Mensa Honor Society and its Goal of 10,000 Service Hours
WHAT: In honor of Mensa Honor Society’s 10th anniversary, Mensa Members across the country or participating in Hour Commitment, a campaign to drive 10,000 service hours. Mensa Honor Society recognizes the achievements of Young Mensans in grades 5 through 12.
(Insert name or chapter) is participating in Hour Commitment by hosting a service project at (insert location name/charity). (Insert additional details as to why this charity, additional connections, Mensa Honor Society members, etc.)
WHEN: Day, Date
Time: X am – X pm
WHERE: Event/Charity Location Name
Street Address
Space Details (floor, suite, room, section of park, etc.)
City, State, Zip
WHO: Insert contact name
Title/role, as applicable
Phone & email address
October is also Mensa Membership Month. For more information on activities and/or local testing sites, visit us.mensa.org.
Social Media Support
Help American Mensa build excitement for the 10th anniversary of Mensa Honor Society, the Hour Commitment campaign, and amplify activities during Mensa Membership Month! By sharing your participation in Hour Commitment, we can educate more people about Mensa and inspire people of all ages to take the test and/or get more involved.
Please use the hashtag #HourCommitment and tag @americanmensa, your local chapter and/or charity, as applicable, to share your efforts.
Sample Posts
Pre-Event
· It’s the 10th anniversary of the Mensa Honor Society and @americanmensa is celebrating by committing to help them reach 10,000 service hours. I’m/we’re pledging x hours by heading to (insert charity/location) on (date). Want to join us? #HourCommitment
· Mensa is committed to bettering the communities around us. As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Mensa Honor Society, we’re pledging #HourCommitment and hosting a (project) at (charity/location) to help @americanmensa reach its goal of 10,000 service hours this year. All are welcome to join us!
During Event
· Today is National Make a Difference Day! Excited to be donating X hours to help @americanmensa reach its goal of 10,000 service hours. Let’s get #HourCommitment started!
· The team’s all here – #HourCommitment is officially underway here in (insert city or state)! Thanks to (charity) for having us out to help (insert project).
Post-Event
· We did it! I/we completed x hours towards the @americanmensa #HourCommitment goal of 10,000 hours. Check out our before and after pictures to see the impact we made today!
· Thanks to everyone who came out today to donate their time towards the @americanmensa #HourCommitment. It was a wonderful day at (charity or location) and we couldn’t have done it without each of you.
· Congrats to the Mensa Honor Society on its 10th anniversary. In honor of the Young Mensans leading the way, we completed x hours of service at (charity/location) towards the @americanmensa #HourCommitment goal of 10,000 service hours. Truly a meaningful way to celebrate!
Sample Content
We’d love to see how you participated in Hour Commitment! Here are some shot list ideas to capture your service, and please share with us directly to Molly Bundschuh, Gifted Youth Program Manager, mollyb@americanmensa.org for a chance to be featured in Mensa newsletters and social channels!
- Action shots of you/your group participating in your service project (videos, stories/reels, images)
- Before/after photos to show progress
- Posed photo of all participants
- Capture the essence of your project/charity to showcase its impact
- Video announcing what you did, how many hours you committed towards the 10,000 Hour Commitment goal