Paige Fisher

In my limited free time, you’re most likely to find me snuggled on the couch with a fur babe in my lap, watching a good documentary. A few weeks ago, one stopped me in my tracks: Join or Die. It was thoughtful, accessible, and quietly a powerful reminder that joining groups isn’t just a hobby or a nice extra. It’s essential. Essential for the individual, and essential for the health of the community at large.

The documentary explores something many of us feel intuitively but rarely articulate: when people stop gathering, things begin to unravel. Civic engagement declines. Trust erodes. Loneliness increases. Communities lose their connective tissue. This isn’t about nostalgia for some bygone era of lodge halls and long meetings. It’s about understanding that human connection, purposeful, shared connection, is foundational to a thriving society.

In my role as President and CEO of the Alpena Area Chamber of Commerce, I’m fortunate to attend meetings of civic groups across our region. And I hear the same refrain over and over again: membership is down. Volunteer pipelines are thin. Leaders are tired. And many organizations simply don’t know how to recruit new people.

Here’s the thing: they’re not failing. They’re reflecting a national trend.

Across the country, participation in civic groups, service clubs, faith-based organizations, neighborhood associations, and even social clubs has declined steadily over the past several decades. People aren’t less generous or less caring. They’re just busy–really busy. Families are juggling work, caregiving, and financial pressure. Commutes are longer. Screens demand attention. There truly don’t feel like enough hours in the day.

I get it. We all do.

But here’s what worries me: if we accept busyness as a permanent excuse, we risk losing something irreplaceable.

One of the most powerful, and increasingly rare, benefits of joining a group is the opportunity to come together with people who don’t share all the same beliefs. Civic and community groups are spaces where individuals with different political views, religious affiliations, and worldviews can sit at the same table and work toward a shared goal. These connections matter deeply. They allow us to see one another as neighbors rather than labels, collaborators rather than opponents.

In today’s polarized landscape, these in-person relationships are necessary to bridge gaps and rebuild trust. Joining a group creates room for open-minded conversation, respectful disagreement, and understanding; things that simply don’t translate when “discussions” happen behind a keyboard instead of face to face.

Groups are where leadership is learned. They are where young professionals find mentors, retirees find purpose, and newcomers find belonging. They’re where communities identify problems and, more importantly, solve them together. Economic development, workforce readiness, environmental stewardship, historic preservation, civic pride, none of these happen in isolation. They happen because people show up.

And showing up matters more than being perfect, expert, or endlessly available.

We often tell ourselves we don’t have “enough time” to join something. But research tells us something counterintuitive: people who belong to groups often feel less overwhelmed. Shared responsibility lightens the load. Connection restores energy. Purpose clarifies priorities.

Joining doesn’t mean saying yes to everything forever. It can mean attending one meeting. Serving on one committee. Helping with one event. Trying something for a season, not a lifetime. Our civic groups don’t need superheroes, they need humans.

On the flip side, organizations must also adapt. Recruitment today looks different than it did 30 years ago. People want to know: Why does this matter? Where can I make an impact? How flexible is the commitment? Groups that articulate purpose clearly, welcome newcomers warmly, and respect people’s time are the ones that will endure.

This is where chambers, service clubs, nonprofits, and civic organizations can work together, rather than compete for the same shrinking pool of volunteers. We all benefit when community participation rises. A rising tide truly does lift all boats.

“Join or Die” is a stark phrase, but it’s also a hopeful one. It suggests choice. We can choose isolation, or we can choose connection. We can choose to go it alone, or we can choose to link arms with others who care.

At a time when it’s easy to feel divided, disconnected, or stretched thin, joining a group might be one of the most radical and practical things we can do.

Not because we have extra time.

But because community is worth making time for.