While I wasn't on the first board of my chapter, I still consider myself a founding member because I have seen how my chapter has grown, and the room it still has to grow. It can be intimidating to see a group of 30 jump on stage for the spirit contest when you only have three to go up. It can be discouraging when you see a bigger chapter have more people at every event. The one thing that is most important for every founding member to remember is that chapters grow little by little, not all at once. 

Little-by-little growth can be illustrated in many different ways. It could be a chapter’s first contested election, when you see leaders who actually want to fight for their spot on the board, as opposed to those who are just along for the ride. It can be establishing a chapter tradition that will stand the test of time. For my chapter, that's Shabbatchi: a once-a-year event where we gather for a fun Shabbat dinner and a show. 

This is not to say that little-by-little growth cannot be frustrating. It is definitely difficult to see the tremendous effort put in by a chapter’s board and not get the attendance they had hoped for. But it is still tremendously important to have hope and keep going, because you never know when you will see those little moments of growth.