To view this on the COS website, click here personalizing-engagement

Personalizing engagement

Welcoming volunteers to the COS family.

Maryland is one of the most engaged and active Convention of States teams in the country.

COS Maryland is led by a wonderful state director, Maria Bedard, who is the featured guest on the March edition of the monthly podcast **//Grassroots Groundbreakers//. Click this link to listen.**

“Grassroots Groundbreakers” host and Convention of States Action chief grassroots officer Mike Ruthenberg talks with Maria about her personal approach to volunteer engagement.

As Mike points out, Maria's commitment runs deep as she serves not only as State Director of COS Maryland, but also State Communications Coordinator. She fully utilizes her strengths as a communicator in her engagement strategies.

These traits are particularly evident in Maria's ability to make new grassroots volunteers – regardless of the depth of their initial knowledge about the Constitution in general or Article V in particular – feel welcome and valued immediately after signing the COS petition and indicating an interest in volunteering.

Maria points to her Greek heritage and its familial, welcoming tradition as the basis of her strategy for incorporating new volunteers to COS. As she says, “I feel compelled to host rather than direct, and that's why I feel at home with Convention of States because of their commitment to servant leadership.”

You will want to listen closely to Maria deftly articulate her research and communication strategies for engaging new volunteers and building relationships within the team – the same kinds of strategies that can be deployed to establish positive relationships with legislators, particularly in a state such as Maryland, which is, as she says, has a “super-duper majority of anti-Convention of States” legislators.

Maria also breaks down her team approach and delegating to the regional captains, district captains, and the legislative liaison in order to give new volunteers the full scope of COS, and utilizing their individual strengths. She also explains the state's strategy for the often-difficult task of gathering bipartisan support in the Maryland legislature for the COS resolution and 34|Ready legislation.

Maria discusses how the team eases volunteers into the fold by utilizing working groups focused upon connecting with people, examining issues that they care about, and teaching volunteers how to make a difference.

Carve out a half an hour to listen to Maria's insights about her personal approach to grassroots volunteer engagement, which will give you a refreshing perspective and a set of strategies to maximize your leadership and your team's potential.

Listen to this inspiring episode of //Grassroots Groundbreakers// by clicking here. You can also check out previous episodes you may have missed.

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Created:	2025-03-27 15:20 GMT
Updated:	2025-04-04 07:00 GMT
Published:	2025-03-28 15:11 GMT
Converted:	2025-11-11 12:05 GMT
Change Author:	Matt May
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