The Little World

And still keep your clothes on?

This question arose when I was looking at the business of attracting more members to join the scale modelling club I belong to. Everyone seems to agree that it would be a good thing to attract new enthusiasts for the retired or active divisions of the club. And to get more juniors involved. I’ve never been a membership director for any organisation, so I don’t have any good ideas. I do, however, have bad ones:

a. Buy a big model kit at one of the major hobby shops in town. I mean big – expensive. Buy it out of club funds and station it at the hobby shops with a big poster: People who join the hobby club in the next three months get a raffle chance to win the expensive kit. At the end of three months, draw the raffle amongst any new members. Then shift the contest to another hobby shop. Do four a year in four different shops. Do four types of kit; an aircraft, a ship, a tank, a motor car.

The shopkeeper does the advertising for the club. They also get the profit from the kit and from all the accessories and supplies that will be sold to go with it. The club gets new people, the winner gets the kit, and the shop gets the new client. A win-win-win.

b. Go to all the RSL clubs in town and offer half-price model-club membership to ex-service personnel.

c. Do the same for any number of other organisations that might contain interesting people.

d. Go to exhibitions of other hobbies and set up an attractive stall. People are always growing dissatisfied with whatever it is they are currently doing, and if you suggest an alternative they may be delighted to change.