The Membership Crunch
Elsie Sydnor
Editor
Everywhere we go, we hear the lament of falling membership. And this isn’t just in the American Fuchsia Society and individual branches. People are not joining because of the stress of work, long commutes, cost, time limitations, etc., etc. Or is it because they do not know about us?
What are we doing to keep active in the community? Are we advertising our meetings and activities? Are we publishing contact phone numbers and e-mail addresses? Are we talking to acquaintances about our passion for fuchsias and gardening in general? Do we make sure any and all visitors are welcome?
Membership is a 365 day-a-year process and the leadership needs to encourage members to be recruiters and to be willing to try new ideas. A Branch needs to be more than a once-a-month meeting. Members need to get acquainted doing other activities.
In the early months of the year, a pruning demonstration in a nursery is a perfect way to show what you know. Several members need to attend to talk to customers, help them choose plants from the nursery stock, suggest fertilizers and talk about the terrible mite. A handout that tells location and time of meetings and the program topic of the next one, plus show and sale dates is essential. On that same piece of paper there MUST be contact names and numbers.
Spring garden club sales are popular and many groups, such as Master Gardeners, invite other clubs to participate, too. A Branch could set up an information table only or sell plants, too. Here again, several members need to participate, because visitors will be impressed with the enthusiasm and involvement. Need I say that a handout is necessary?
Of course, an annual show and sale is a big bonus. Showing off the best fuchsias in various forms give visitors inspiration and members new ideas. I don’t mean to be redundant, but handouts with contact names and numbers are important here, too. Give them enough information to get them started and then invite them to a meeting to learn more. It is also a good idea to collect addresses of interested people and send them a newsletter. These addresses also are a database to use in years to come to announce future events.
All work and no play makes for over-worked members! Garden tours, nursery buying trips, picnics, potlucks, lunches out all give members a chance to become friends. Members who come to meetings to see their friends will continue as members much longer than those who just come to learn about fuchsias.
Meetings need to be well planned and programs must be interesting. Speakers from other branches, garden groups, local colleges and nurseries keep the message new and varied. Be sure these guests are given something for their trouble. If they are driving a long distance, dinner would be nice. If they have to stay overnight, free lodging should be offered. A check or a gift is always appreciated. Branch members can do programs, but do not rely on them completely because the message gets stale when the messenger is too familiar.
Keeping a Branch active is hard work. Gaining new members takes time and planning. Keeping them requires friendly meetings with dynamic programs. All members can work together to make their Branch more exciting and visible in the community.