Responce to NRAA message

[Ken L]

The NRAA Chairman's message chalenged us to increase numbers on ranges. ATR #72.

In response to the Chairman’s Message in ATR # 72.
I do not intend to answer the Chairman’s question of “Who’s to blame?” that is counter productive, every one knows “Who” could have done something a little better or not put something on the “ back burner” or “too hard basket” only to be forgotten in the mist’s of time. .

How to increase the numbers on NRAA affiliated ranges.

To asses the issue of increasing numbers it is necessary to find out which clubs are growing and which clubs that are not.
The state bodies will have records of the affiliation fees paid by all the clubs over the past 5 years. And from that you can determine what direction their membership is going.
Those clubs that have high membership numbers and are either holding their own or increasing should then be visited by a NRAA board member that lives closest on a typical Saturday/Sunday shoot and find out for themselves. Its astounding what can be found out over lunch or socialising at the end of the day. You can find out what they are doing to be successful. It would also help to bring your shooting gear with you and have a shot and become one of the guys/gals. That way you will get to talk to every one.

Forget about state boarders If the club is close to a board member living in another state then that is the Board member to visit the club, this is a national issue so boundaries shouldn’t count. This might seem a daunting task at first but unfortunately there are few “successful” clubs to visit.
The same should be repeated for those in numerical difficulties to find out what they are or are not doing and what difficulties they face.
Written reports of these visits to successful clubs should be presented to the Board in total not just one member who’s responsible for the membership portfolio.
I have found from experience that funnelling information in the form of reports thru a single person has a filtering effect when that person consolidates the reports into a single presentation to a board meeting.
It will be necessary to send copies of individual reports to the successful clubs visited for correction or comment prior to presentation to the board. We cant afford having ideas lost on translation to paper. So this feedback is a necessary evil. Emailing reports will speed up the process considerably.
Once this has been completed, then hold a workshop of representatives of the successful clubs along with Board members and charge them with the responsibility of coming up with a plan to increase membership. It may be necessary to subsidise some travel costs for those who have to travel long distances but it will worth it in the long run.
Please don’t fall for the so called “cost effective” method of sending out a questionnaire seeking the information you seek, as the personal touch will prove far more informative.
Questionnaires are mostly filled out by club secretaries, that’s if they are filled out at all. It is an unfortunate fact that who so ever sets out the questions will unintentionally bias the questions towards a preconceived conclusion and valuable ideas will be lost.

Giving the customer what they want is the golden secret of successful businesses and finding out what the customer wants is the key to unlock that secret.

As a comment on businesses in general
The decline of organizations comes from loosing touch with the people who fill the seats and pay the expenses. If the management looses touch with the “grass roots” then it withers and dies and the business (sport) dies with it.

What is the membership number of your club?

[Peter Hulett]

Ken,
Couldn't agree more. I spend a bit of time each year travelling around oz and I often drop into rifle clubs along the way. The ones that are holding their own are easy to contact, don't mind the odd visitor and have a good after-shoot atmosphere.

I have lost count of the number of clubs that I have visited who, because you are a visitor, put you at the bottom of the shooting list and make you feel as though you are an intrusion and an annoyance. The classic being one club in Victoria where I was told "we normally wouldn't need another marker change but because you are here "fred" has to go and mark". I crossed that club off my revisit list! The next question is, how do they treat beginners?

Cheers
Peter Hulett