It was encouraging to read in the March issue of the Budgerigar Society Bulletin that a meeting had been held to discuss the progression and future of the Society.
Invited to participate in the meeting were Messrs G. Capes, L. Martin, F. Silva and R. Simpson, each one being a successful businessman in his own specialised field.
I think this was a step in the right direction. New ideas from the business sector should benefit the society, which is not only an active body of budgerigar breeders, but has also to be run business-like.
I was however concerned that that the report as printed was so short and that the committees suggestions have been refer-red to the General Purposes & Finance Commit-tee for discussion and then on to the full Council for implementation. Probably, according to the Book, this is the proper action to take.
Yet it worries me. At the moment the ordinary members are being kept in the dark about any proposals for the future of the society. I would have preferred to have seen a full report on the suggestions make by this think tank and BS members invited to send in their views to the appropriate commit-tee. The more suggestions that can be considered should benefit the society.
I am a firm believer in member participation. I don’t like closed shop situations where members are told what they should do without having the right to express their views. This is one reason why people don’t join some societies. They are run far too much like a dictatorship. This is not a reference to the BS but fits some countries, which are fast losing credibility.
Another paragraph in the same issue sent a shiver up my back. It was about the revision of rules suggested by the BS General Purposes & Finance Committee to be put forward at the next annual general meeting of the society.
It wants to keep the present £3.00 joining fee and increase membership fees after year 2000 by the annual rate of inflation.
I feel the joining fee of £3 is a deterrent and totally unnecessary for a body like our Budgerigar Society. If the BS was a toffee-nosed body like some golf or retired officers club in Mayfair with an arms-length of people waiting to get in, then a joining fee might be appropriate. But with the BS, which is dogged with a falling member-ship year after year then this is no help at all to those people who try their best to get new members.
I would drop the joining fee like a ton of bricks and in its place introduce offers to attract new members. So, what would I suggest:
I think we have to live in the modern world where customers (members if you prefer the word) are offered some-thing to get them to join (just look what the super-markets and other businesses are doing to sell their wares). The BS (and other societies as well) should offer new members not only their existing package of back issues, but why not free tickets to their shows. It would cost the BS nothing, but would be appreciated by new members.
For the first year at least, Beginners should not be charged for their entries to the society’s show. They should be encouraged to enter and made to feel proud of their achievements. I think Junior entries should be free at all times, and given complimentary tickets to all shows.
Possibly an offer could also be made to both Juniors and Beginners on rings. Think about it. We need to encourage both sections and it appears to me that these sections get the least out of our hobby.
Now you have the idea on increasing member-ship fees according to the annual rate of inflation. In its early stages the increase might not be noticed, but as the years go by people will start thinking and will realise how much the costs have gone up. Its all very well for people like accountants to tell their clients that salaries should go up according to the rate of inflation. However, here we are dealing with customers who are just not sitting back rubbing their hands at an increase in salary for doing nothing extra, but are bound to ask, "what more am I getting for the extra money?" That’s a question I would find hard to answer when a person is undecided about staying in our hobby.
One, if not the biggest problems we have in the hobby is that of losing members after just two or three years. I know that the failure to breed chicks is blamed as the prime reason, but costs play an important part. I dread to think what some people spend on their initial lay-outs if they have in mind copying some of the birdrooms we now have in the U.K. Then they are encouraged to join this society or the others next door. They are bound to ask, "What will I get for my money?" And when their membership fee goes up year after year automatically it is far easier to back out than fork out.
© Gwyn Evans 1999
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