Do You Want Your Club To Grow and Thrive?

If you answered “yes” to that question, read this page and then visit spinsheet.com/clubs to read the BoatU.S. Magazine article “Building Up America’s Boat Clubs” by Troy Gilbert and Bernadette Bernon. Often I hear club members discuss how to grow membership or even how to keep the numbers steady with an aging membership, and this article addresses these issues using impressively specific ideas that may work for small boat clubs, virtual clubs, and yacht clubs.

As mentioned in the BoatUS article, the Fishing Bay YC in Deltaville, VA, offers graduated dues requirements depending on the member's age and whether it's for a family, single adult, or junior membership. Photo from facebook.com

Here’s a summary of some of the article’s top points for your club to consider.

Put out the welcome mat: if you have a physical club, invite potential members in. Make sure your own members “can answer questions on membership levels, dues, amenities, reciprocal privileges, social activities, and so on.”

Communication and outreach: get an active Facebook page and find a volunteer to make it active and lively. Do you know any social media savvy young people? Why not enlist their help? So many clubs participate in fun social activities and community service, yet who hears about it? Are you sending your news to SpinSheet every month and celebrating active members? (Okay, the BoatU.S. article didn’t say that, but that’s what they meant!) Don’t just find one public relations volunteer, find a team of them. In our experience at SpinSheet, the person who writes the news is not always the right person to take the photographs. Find someone who loves taking photographs and give her a fun volunteer gig.

Initiation dues and fees: offer graduated dues and incentives to bring in younger members and those with small children. Encourage existing members to pay for future year’s dues in advance with a multiyear discount.

Build member value for existing membership: in your newsletter, on Facebook, and in SpinSheet, offer many events for members: dock walks, rendezvous, open boats to let people see improvements on each other’s boats. Do DIY sessions and host interesting speakers. Have a welcome party for potential members. Tell SpinSheet about it (again, I’m interpreting the BoatU.S. article, but you know what I mean). Get potential members on the water! Offer free boating and safety instruction for members. How about fishing instruction? Get creative.

Modern leadership: is it like musical chairs having the same five people in all your leadership positions? Find some younger members to run the show; see what they bring to the table.

https://youtu.be/ZASbOR3oSCE

As you sail into the season on the Bay and enjoy raftups and rendezvous, please take great pictures of club members enjoying themselves on the water. Imagine someone who has never heard of your club seeing photos of happy people on sailboats and thinking, “I’d like to be part of that club!”

Send photos, news, stories, and interesting club members you think we should interview to [email protected] by May 10 for the June issue.