RE: Dues Increase commentary
 

Absolutely, it's tough to keep a client when you constantly annoy their members.

I have always been quick to throw fact on a fire fueled with misinformation.

The repeated atack on the budget and the spending by the association by, basicly, two zones is insulting to decades of BoD's

RE: Dues Increase commentary
 

Throw FAI involvement in that mix, I agree.

Some criticism is healthy ... when it goes beyond that, it's a public relations nightmare.[:@]

RE: Dues Increase commentary
 

I think a "nationally" directed PR program is about as useful as a pack of gum at the Canadian Mint.

I do believe PR is up to the local clubs and regions. There is no secret to good PR, it's just a matter of members being motivated to do the footwork. Lostsa good examples from every zone. Fact is, some clubs just aren't interested in making the effort to improve their lot in this area. The internet does a good job of getting the success stories out there, complete with pictures, video and commentary, which I'm sure inspires many other events and provides them the opportunity and contact info they need with a "click".

I think MAAC's main job, beyond insurance, is to keep their noses stuck in the correct government butts to keep our "national voice" close to the ears of those who could hurt or potentially benefit us the most. MAAC had let that one slip for too many years, but recent administrations have done much to correct and improve that.

RE: Dues Increase commentary
 

Other than requiring all fliers at our field to be MAAC members (of course), it is difficult to find non MAAC fliers & "fix" any non-MAAC attitudes (as opposed to MAAC-critical attitudes). It is almost impossible to track park fliers -- who are they & where do they fly? We have discovered a few by accident when they approached our club for help in learning to fly, but I suspect that there are lots more of them out there who don't even know that MAAC exists, let alone what it does.

We have tried to woo the non-club/-MAAC glow pilots, but to no avail. They don't wan't to spend the money on club membership &/or MAAC membership. Their attitude is that they fly in remote locations & won't hurt anyone.

It's tough to get anything going under these circumstances.

RE: Dues Increase commentary
 

It's not just those who have found, or prefer the hobby as lone wolfs, it's also those who haven't yet.

Let me relate what seems to be working in my area.

We do annual demos for Scouts. Often two consecutive weeks. One week we go to their regular meeting with models and do a talk on the hobby, static demonstrations (demo how the radio controls the surfaces and what the result should be) etc. etc., follow up with some cheap balsa gliders and run contests for duration, distance, stunts (most loops etc.).
We then arrange for them to meet at our, with promise that they will get a turn at the sticks. This is where the club trainers come in. We split the time between demonstrations of different types of aircraft Scale, 3d, heli etc. etc. and flight training time. It goes over quite well, and we do get some new members, more often the parents and leaders though....

We have also done demos for Air Cadets, Girl Guides, public school open houses, fall fairs, Canada day celebrations, community fetivals (popular locally), Realtor appreciations (I have one in a couple weeks) etc. etc. We have even tried running our own community day that had some success. Our club has sponsored little leage and other community events ... it's about visibility.

Land is expensive in the GTA burbs. If we really want to keep our field, we have to be able to afford it ... that means either increasing dues ... or recruitment. A mini model of what MAAC is facing?

RE: Dues Increase commentary
 

Sounds like your club has it figured out Jim.

What could the association do to improve upon what your club is already doing? Probably not much, as your club knows what works for your region and executes. Clubs have nobody but themselves to blame if they don't self-promote. Some clubs likely enjoy their obscurity............ so be it.

Waiting for MAAC, our national toy-airplane government, to direct newbees and wannabees to the front gate is a waste of money, time and effort. IMO

as the private sector say.................."Just do it"

RE: Dues Increase commentary
 

We don't have trouble (yet) maintaining our adult membership at the current level --we are fortunate to be situated near a Canadian Forces Base & the troops hear about us via their modelling buddies. The troops seem to be quite keen about tricky & fun bits of hardware -- like model airplanes & cars. Their biggest problem is that they have young families & they don't make a lot of money, so modelling is a big expense for them, & rising club fees & MAAC memberships are a relevant issue. Nonetheless, they keep joining (and then get posted away[&o]).

The area that we have real recruitment problems with is juniors. The ones that initially turn up seldom stay, because their buddies aren't doing it. We had 4 new juniors this year, 2 boys & 2 girls, but all eventually left. The 2 boys departed first -- because their non-modelling pals were doing other cool stuff (like girls). Then the 2 girls left because the boys were gone.

It seemed to us that the kids really weren't that interested in modelling, particularly the building bit. They were totally clueless about making anything at all, & didn't want to get involved with boring, time-consuming stuff like that. There was initial interest in the flying, but somehow it just didn't stick. They didn't like the necessary discipline associated with safe flying, for example, & they didn't like all of the "old" folks at the field, despite our efforts to make them feel welcome. I think that they actually found the whole business boring (I hate that word). I don't know if this is a widespread problem, or if it is a demographic issue in our particular area.

This leads me back to the park fliers. I asked a local Radio Shack operator how many of the el-cheapo park-flier toys that he sells in a year -- about fifty from that outlet. To me that seems like a lot, but the stuff is junk & I wonder if it is turning kids off, rather than generating interest.

RE: Dues Increase commentary
 

Some reality needs to creep in here.

Modelling has never been something "cool" kids did. It takes a peculiar type of person to enter our hobby ... and stick with it. I doubt this will ever change, and maybe it shouldn't. Many of the parkflyers are toys, are purchased as such, and there is not, nor will there be any intention by the purchaser to treat it as anything more.

That said, there are some real stumbling blocks for us peculiar types; some I recall;

Money
Transportation to/from the field with my stuff.
Training (both flying and all other aspects including maintenance etc.)

To me, unless we can address these 3, we're wasting our time.

Further, I hate to admit it but, many fields I've been to are not that friendly to youth. Many like to think they are but don't always "walk the talk", many probably without even realizing it. The local hotshots are not always that approachable. We need to make the first move to welcome them into the fold, to show them there's not qualifications required to join the social circle. Too often I see the local "expert" glide into the social circle, literally cutting off the youth by placing their body between him and the rest of the group, or verbally by cutting off their conversation by espoucing their self important "knowledge" on the subject or publicly criticising their thoughts as unimportant or uninformed.

RE: Dues Increase commentary
 

Y’know, I think that much of the talk concerning recruitment of MAAC members is an example of barking up the wrong tree. Here’s why:

Since I joined MAAC about 30 years ago, over 60,000 additional members have joined the association. (Based on membership numbers currently being issued). That means approximately 2000 brand new members join each year. Why then does the total current member count perenially reside at the 12,000 – 13,000 mark? What are the reasons that approximately 2,000 members elect NOT to renew each and every year?

As anyone with business experience can relate, it’s a heck of a lot easier to retain customers (members) than to find new ones. New customers are not to be taken lightly however. New customers are essential to growth of almost any business. Most business ventures expend much of their marketing efforts in pursuit of new customers. In the case of MAAC, acquiring new members does not appear to be a significant problem – some 2,000 new members join each year, seemingly quite automatically.

The real problem is that a roughly equal amount of members decide, for whatever reasons, not to renew their membership. To relate this situation back to the business world (not too much of a stretch – MAAC is after all a service oriented business), when customers leave, it’s usually because of one of very few causes. Including, but not limited to:

They find better pricing from a competitor.

They find a better product or service elsewhere.

They no longer need the product or service.

They do not feel that they are getting value for money.

They flat out do not like the relationship.

So then, why do so many members leave MAAC each year?

A better deal from a competitor? Not likely, MAAC has no eqivalent competition.

Better service elsewhere? Again, unlikely due to lack of competitors.

No longer need the service? This has possibilities – those who give up the hobby certainly don’t need to belong to MAAC.

Not getting value for money? This too has possibilities. Those who join for insurance reasons may feel that their homeowners coverage will protect them. Some may feel that they don’t need the “extras” that accompany MAAC membership such as MAC or competition support or…? Others may think that the membership fee is just too much.

Don’t like the relationship? Also possible – politics can have a certain way of souring relationships. (Adequately demonstrated on modelling forums!).

I don’t claim to have the answers, but our association’s leaders need to understand why so many members see no further requirement to maintain their membership. This I do know, it is easier to keep existing customers than to find new ones

Before the usual nay-sayers put up their “put your money where your mouth is” cry, I have done exactly that. During our recent AZM, I made a recommendation that the MAAC Board of Directors establish a “Membership Retention Committee”. The purpose being to investigate the reasons why so many members do not renew and to make recommendations to the BOD that may help rectify the situation.

MAAC has some financial woes to be sure, nothing too terribly serious and certainly nothing that the revenue from a couple of thousand (or more) additional members (above the core) wouldn’t cure. I believe that it would be to the association’s benefit to devise a strategy or stragegies designed to retain existing members. Such strategy(ies) may have to include some “thinking outside the box” solutions.

Dennis

RE: Dues Increase commentary
 

I sure hope that behaviour isn't widespread -- it would send the kids running as fast as their uninformed & unimportant little feet could go :)

Speaking of reality -- it is adults who have transportation, money & (hopefully) the necessary experience in life to recognize the necessity of "lernin it rite". We keep trying with the kids, but our success rate is abysmal -- it's the adult newbs who stay in the game (at least with our club).

Tactically, should we (collectively) increase the efforts to catch the interest of juniors, or should we intensify our efforts with adults, particularly relatively young ones? My own thought is that there will be more bang for our buck with somewhat more mature "targets".

RE: Dues Increase commentary
 

This is exactly what I see at the club level.

The hobby has never had a good retention level. For one reason or another, time, money, interest, ability, I tend to see a number of people "flow" throught the hobby. I think it's human nature; How many parents complain about the 'stickiness' of their childrens pursuits, the piano lessons, astronomy, skateboarding, whatever the recreational passtime, there will always be a large number who sample the wares and move on.

Further, no offense, but making a recommendation is far from commitment. Volunteering to work on a committee, and following through on that commitment is "putting your money where your mouth is". Creating a committee is like creating a discussion topic, Unless someone jumps in and begins posting something worthwhile, nothing happens.

RE: Dues Increase commentary
 

It has been in my experience.....I started this when I was about 12. Neither of my parents or relatives flew its just something I started doing. They drove where I needed to go and provided as much funding as they could. It took till I was around 18-20 if I remember right before most of the attitudes that Jim mentioned started to disappear.

Even today, (I am now 28 so 16 years later) I very occasionally run into the "your too young how could you know" mentality....funny thing is when I ask how long they have been flying its more often the case that I have been in the hobby longer LOL. I find it funny today because I am still one of the youngest in the club but also one of the most experienced, I would say in most cases today its the old guys asking me for advise LOL :D

But yes what Jim mentioned I think is all too common.

RE: Dues Increase commentary
 

I'm not quite sure where that comment is pointed.

In my case, most of my flying time is spent instructing -- I actually don't get much "me time" in the air. A bunch of my remaining modelling time is spent repairing students planes &/or showing beginners how to build (& re-build) their models. I also donate models, engines & parts to the beginners. Additionally, every visit to the field is a 100 km round trip at my own expense -- so that I can spend that time with newbies.

Seems like I'm putting my money where my mouth is already. I really don't have much time or energy left for committees -- & I don't feel the least bit guilty about not being on a committee -- or in making recommendations, or critical comments.

I suspect that there are lots more folks just like me who do their part & who also haven't got time for committees.

Stop the pejoritive commentary & discuss things from a more global perspective -- there is no chance in hell that every MAAC or club member can be on a committee -- but that doesn't mean that a ton of them aren't contributing every bit as much as the committee members.

RE: Dues Increase commentary
 

Jim:

No offense taken.

I trust you'll pardon my temerity to suggest that if no one brings such a recommendation to the board's attention, for sure nothing will happen. First steps are usually tiny…

Dennis

RE: Dues Increase commentary
 

It was not pointed at Dennis or anyone else specifically (although I had someone in mind when I wrote it). More to those who feel that getting involved ends at making suggestions or criticism. My point was that a recommendation to MAAC is good but, unless there are volunteers ready to action that recommendation, it really can't go anywhere.

All highly commendable and worthwhile contributions, just beyond the scope of my statement. I was not attempting to infer that committees are the only way to help the hobby.

Agreed.
Except for the comment about my making pejorative commentary. I think it's a real issue that many see MAAC as some company that isn't delivering the services we pay for. I draw a parallel with students who assume their club membership fees somehow infers that instructors are employees paid to provide a service.

RE: Dues Increase commentary
 

:D

Good. As I inferred in my reply to britbrat, I was not taking a poke at you, just communicating the fact that there are far more recommendations flowing into MAAC than there are volunteers to act upon them. Not that recommendations are not useful but, they can't stop there. Like the guy who raises his hand at the club meeting to complain that field didn't get cut in time to meet his personal schedule, yet fails to show when it's time to cut the field, I have little time for recommendations unless they come with an implementation plan and commitment. MAAC is a coordinating body, not a pool of worker bees awaiting direction.

RE: Dues Increase commentary
 

Jim:

Notwithstnding your commentary, MAAC's modus operandi requires that resolutions and reccommendations be put forward during annual zone meetings. In this case, some small steps were taken. Whether or not the BOD sees value is another issue. Whether or not volunteers can be found to action such an initiative is yet another issue.

If members sit on their hands, do not attend AZM's, do not follow the required protocol - nothing will change.

As for committment, as pointed out by others, many MAAC members are hugely committed to MAAC and/or their individual clubs. This level of commitment is largely invisible. Invisibility to you or to me or to anyone else does not mean that committment does not exist.

Dennis

RE: Dues Increase commentary
 

Agreed.[8D]