What are we doing wrong?

We want to hear what your club is doing to bring in new members. Tell us what works, and give credit to those who are making the effort.

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AlanF
Posts: 7494
Joined: Wed Jun 15, 2005 8:22 pm
Location: Maffra, Vic

What are we doing wrong?

#1 Postby AlanF » Wed Oct 21, 2015 10:50 am

Here's the flyer for a shoot on Saturday.

http://ozfclass.com/forums/pdf/24Oct2015Info.pdf

Its our 7th one of these. We've normally had between 6 and 10 shooters turn up. So far for this one, only one pre-registration. There are some ideas about starting a new class on another thread. Can anyone suggest what we could do to make our Saturday morning shoots more attractive? As you can see, very few restrictions on equipment, and a prior discussion on this forum from interested participants concluded that they didn't want a competition, just time shooting at the target. On some occasions we've gone back to 200 yards, but most prefer 100. We thought we gave them what they wanted, but apparently not.

DenisA
Posts: 1526
Joined: Wed Nov 09, 2011 7:00 pm
Location: Sunshine Coast, QLD

Re: What are we doing wrong?

#2 Postby DenisA » Wed Oct 21, 2015 11:07 am

Alan it looks like a great event.

How often is it held?

AlanF
Posts: 7494
Joined: Wed Jun 15, 2005 8:22 pm
Location: Maffra, Vic

Re: What are we doing wrong?

#3 Postby AlanF » Wed Oct 21, 2015 12:01 pm

Denis,

Initially we proposed monthly if the interest was there, but it settled at 2 monthly with the intention of increasing frequency and number of targets according to demand. If I don't get some last-minute registrations then we'll cancel this one and the next will be in December.

I'm afraid it can be a fairly thankless task trying to attract shooters to something different. It would be nice to be able to ask the shooters at each shoot what they want to do next time and just do it, but shooting on NRAA ranges is not that simple. That's why I think in your case it would be best to do extensive research, and try to nail the right recipe from the start.

Alan

DenisA
Posts: 1526
Joined: Wed Nov 09, 2011 7:00 pm
Location: Sunshine Coast, QLD

Re: What are we doing wrong?

#4 Postby DenisA » Wed Oct 21, 2015 12:26 pm

When it comes to peoples hobbies V's busy life styles, work and family commitments these days, I think that we are all mostly opportunistic with the time that we can commit to hobbies. Until it becomes a passion then priority in our lives.

Its hard for us to see because we're so familiar and passionate with long range shooting that we cant fully comprehend why others wouldn't want to do it all the time too.

That might be the problem. The fact that it's only held once a month.

Here's a current example:

My local SSAA has a discipline called Open Rifle which is held on the first Sunday of every month. Mostly .22lr are used, it caters for lots of classes and uses field positions. I love shooting this discipline and bought an Anschutz for it a couple of years ago. I haven't been able to attend it once this year as there seems to be so many things going on at that time of each month.
If the Open Rifle comp was held every weekend, I'd be getting there as often as I could and certainly at least once a month.

Hopefully the practical/varmint/hunter rifle shoot being held every week with every club shoot would get the snowball of obsession rolling.

Peter Hulett
Posts: 335
Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2005 7:44 pm
Location: Geelong, Victoria

Re: What are we doing wrong?

#5 Postby Peter Hulett » Thu Oct 22, 2015 7:31 pm

Alan,
We at Geelong find that our sighting-in targets are well-used most weeks. However there are some differences between Rosedale and us.
1. Our 25 metre and 100 metre targets are available every Saturday from 11am to about 5pm. No need to book although it is appreciated. We shoot alongside them.
2. We attract a lot of shooters from Metropolitan areas that have nowhere else to go.
3. We offer quality advice and instruction to shooters on how to sight-in, use and maintain their firearms.
4. Gunshops around the metropolitan area are now directing new firearm owners to us for after-sales advice.
5. We have a number of active hunters in our club who work with the varminters.

We charge $50 for a shooter to sight-in a firearm and that includes advice if needed. If they join the club they can use the range for the regular range fee of $20.
It is not our main income source but it is a reasonable money-spinner and we have gained a number of members over the last few years who are now dedicated f-class shooters.

I don't know if this helps but we have found a lot of shooters who just don't know much and appreciate some one-on-one tuition.

Cheers
Peter

Norm
Posts: 837
Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 10:21 pm
Location: Gippsland, Victoria

Re: What are we doing wrong?

#6 Postby Norm » Thu Oct 22, 2015 8:20 pm

Alan your range may be too far out of the way for most shooters in your area.
They may also have other places to shoot.
With the weather getting warmer, deer hunters will be putting away their rifles over the summer months. Next year around March they will start showing up at your sessions again.

Our range has visitors most Saturdays and we don’t advertise at all. They just contact us off our web site or from the phone number on the front gate. We are closer to a number of larger towns and I think this helps.
Converting them to members has had mixed success for a few reasons.

The Castlemaine rifle club seems to be working with the Practical Shooting community to provide a competition venue. I think this sort of competition shooting will continue to grow at a fast rate.
They already have commercial sponsorship which is something that F-Class fails to attract.

I think that those few Rifle clubs that host these sort of competitions will do quite well in attracting new members if they play their card right.

Anthony
Posts: 21
Joined: Sun Apr 19, 2015 8:30 pm

Re: What are we doing wrong?

#7 Postby Anthony » Fri Oct 23, 2015 9:12 am

my opinion is that most people can find somewhere to sight in at 100 but often these guys want somewhere to shoot beyond the 500 either to confirm their trajectory or just for fun,
the rest looks good though and i'm surprised you haven't got a bit more interest. where has the flyer been advertised?

Norm
Posts: 837
Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 10:21 pm
Location: Gippsland, Victoria

Re: What are we doing wrong?

#8 Postby Norm » Fri Oct 23, 2015 10:37 am

Anthony wrote: where has the flyer been advertised?


That's a good question Anthony.
Getting the message out to the right people is the most important thing. If they don't know its on they wont come.

That is why I think it is very important to communicate with the right people within the shooting community. That way word gets passed around within the interested groups and they end up organising the shooters.


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