AIS: Membership
- Subject: AIS: Membership
- From: J* I* J*
- Date: Thu, 11 Jul 2002 22:33:08 -0700
Anner Whitehead asked if I would post this for her.
Bobby Baxter observed:
<snip>
Mr. Baxter, I am Anner Whitehead, the Membership Secretary of The
American
Iris Society. I am not currently a member of the list, although I have
been
in past as any search of the Archives will reveal, and I may be yet
again.
John has been kind enough to post my announcements for me, and I now
wish to
respond to your concerns and offer a few observations.
First, whereas it is true the membership of the Society has not been
growing
lately, the fact remains that we are still talking about a comparatively
narrow range of figures within which the membership has fluctuated for
some
years, or even decades. The Society was founded in 1920, so is not what
one
might call a johnny-come-lately on the international horticultural scene
and
I do not anticipate its demise.
AIS wishes to grow, certainly, and more importantly we wish to attract
gardeners who are cheerful and constructive in their outlook and
supportive
of Society's mission. We do not like to see the numbers diminish,
however,
we understand that every unit decrease in the membership statistics need
not
be interpreted as a datum of failure on the Society's part. Indeed it
would
be both folly and arrogance to assume that because the AIS membership
statistics are not what they were a decade ago AIS as an entity is in
large
degree culpable.
People's domestic lives change, their health changes, their economic
circumstances change, their hobbies change, demographics shift and
horticultural fashions ebb and flow. Every decade has its hot plants,
its hot
gardening styles, its collective fixations, so that one decade appears
to
belong to the rose, another to the iris, another to the daylily. Floral
societies abound. Some are buoyed by current fashion, some sustain the
quiet
passions of a few.
Do we who work for AIS worry when the numbers wane? You betcha. We worry
because we want to maintain a high level of service to the members, but
like
any other organization we have to deal with finite resources and
increasing
expectations. We also worry because there are fewer to offer
constructive
insights, fewer to carry the burdens, and fewer to carry our message.
Do we fear that a smaller society may be less valued by its abiding
members,
or the importance of its work diminished. We do not. Nor are we naive
enough
to presume that larger organization are per se healthier, more stable,
or
more sensitive to member concerns.
Now, I hear a lot of stories, Mr. Baxter. I hear stories from those at
many
levels of the Society. I am their Membership Secretary, and from time to
time
they talk to me about things that frustrate them. Since you wish to make
a
personal difference, or so I understand, I will share some thoughts.
One thing I've heard more than once is this: Gardening is a pleasure for
which people have limited time and people join AIS to learn more about
irises, to relax, to have fun with like-minded folks. They do not join
to
endure bickering, or suffer those intent upon assuaging frustrated
personal
ambitions. You may have escaped this tedium, but regrettably there is
always
some measure of it to be found in volunteer organizations and I imagine
some
you know will have been less fortunate.
The other thing I hear is that many people don't do their share of the
donkey
work which makes the fun go 'round, Well, it does seem at times that
there
are more than is needed of those intent upon trying to tell others how
to
build the stone wall than there are of those willing to work together to
lay
the heavy rocks right and see the project through to completion. But
this is
certainly not unique to AIS and overall I think the best course is not
to
stew about it or let it diminish the satisfaction of making a real
contribution.
Now, I think we would all like there to be more AIS members, and I have
thought about how to reach them and even more about how to keep them.
One
understands there is the continuing problem of coming up with
interesting
ways to attract new members, which is, of course, only half the problem;
the
other half being keeping them.
I encourage groups and individuals to engage vigorously in highly
visible
public outreach at the local level and make sure what is made available
to
prospective and to new members is meaningful, personal, generous, and
sustained. I suggest that the operative question is not what can new
recruits
bring to a local group, although some will indeed bring enthusiasm, new
insights, and industry, but what can the local group offer its new
recruits.
As regards retaining members, my own best advice to all who love AIS and
wish
her well is this: Never forget that we the members ARE AIS, and we must
resolve to ensure that the experience of every new AIS member, and
every
continuing AIS member, is positive and rewarding.
Cordially,
Anner M. Whitehead
Membership Secretary,The American Iris Society
AISMemSec@aol.com
John | "There be dragons here"
| Annotation used by ancient cartographers
| to indicate the edge of the known world.
List owner iris-talk and iris-photos
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