Re: AIS: Topics for Affiliates Meting in Dallas?

From: Glenn Simmons <poppies@worldspy.net>

gmbeasle@aol.com wrote:

> From: gmbeasle@aol.com
>
> In a message dated 03/17/2000 12:13:34 AM Eastern Standard Time,
> IRISROT@aol.com writes:
>
> >
> >  >  people said they paid for a membership just to be sure they got the
> > notice
> >  >  for the annual iris auction, but weren't interested in attending
> meetings.
> >  >
> >  Same here in St Louis they want the sale notices and that's all.
>
> So give them information on the group at the auction.   Then give them a
> choice of either joining the group or signing up to receive auction and sale
> notices by paying a nominal fee for postage and/or a donation for the
> society.  Then send them meeting information too.  If they decide later that
> want to come to a meeting, they can join then.  That way you get the dead
> wood off the list and hopefully some money for the group, and they get the
> notices that they want.

I have been giving this very topic a considerable amount of thought over the
last couple of years.  I read Walter's earlier post today (different subject
heading, AIS:hogties) where Walter was basically saying societies want members
who want to be members, people willing to work for the best interest of the
society.  The annual sale is the society's primary means of earning money for
the entire year so we all want the sale to be a success.

Jim mentions some of the St Louis people only want to be members so they receive
the annual sale notice.  I'm still working on this problem in my head and I know
I don't have it figured out yet.  However, what I am coming up with is something
like this: (1) recruit as many good or active members for the societies as we
can.  (2) organize the sale in such a manner that it is classified as a major
benefit to society members, ie, drastic price reduction for society members but
only if the members are in good standing.  (3)  the next problem is defining a
member in good standing??  a member in good standing: attends meetings (how many
per year?), is willing to donate his/her time working for the society at the
annual show, is willing to donate his/her own iris for the annual sales and is
willing to spend time working the sales, in other words as Walter was saying in
his post, an active member!

Every iris grower loves to acquire new irises and if they can get these new
irises at a very cheap price, hey that is like icing on the cake!  (I include
myself in this category)  :)  I don't know if this letter is making much sense
or not but I guess what I am saying is something like this; members in good
standing have the privilege of buying irises at the society sale at wholesale
cost whereas members not in good standing pay retail price just like the
non-member public.  I don't know if something like this would work or not in
encouraging members to be more active.  Whether it would work or not, I see no
reason to allow non-active members to have the same privileges as active
members.  Why shouldn't we reward our members who are at every meeting, waiting
at the door when it is time to do the show set up and standing at the door again
with a box full of rhizomes prior to the sale set up?

I don't want to run on about this, I think you all probably get the idea of what
I'm talking about.  What troubles me about all of this is will something like
this make a difference or will the same active members still be the active
members and how do you go about defining "active members" versus "non-active
members?"

Give me some feed back on this.  I have truly been going over this in my head
for a couple of years.  I tentatively brought this subject up during one of our
monthly meetings over a year ago and it was immediately and very firmly shouted
down!  The response to my suggestion was so quick and almost violent that it
completely took me by surprise.  Am I out of line on my thinking on this
subject?  Some other opinions would be appreciated.

Glenn





--
Glenn, Linda & Matthew Simmons
Springfield, Southwest Missouri, USDA Climate Zone 6,  USA

p*@worldspy.net  (Primary)
G*@juno.com  (Secondary)
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