Preliminary Report of the Membership Committee

Helen Notzl

March 8, 2010

Ainslie Gray, Peter Storms and I met on February 25 to consider the many ideas and suggestions that have come forward and to develop recommendations and an action plan. The following are preliminary discussion points/recommendations to come out of that meeting.

1.   Let us recognize that the costs associated with repairing, tearing down and/or constructing the buildings on our property cannot be covered by membership fees. To that end, we recommend that a fund-raising committee be struck whose mandate it is to:

• approach members for donations to fund the refurbishing, demolition and/or construction of facilities i.e., ask members for what we need
• plan a fund-raising campaign
• create fund-raising events, e.g., fund-raising picnics at Pomeroy, Umbrella’s, Iron City 2 or 3 times a year
• arts day
• SSCA auction
• cookbook
• items for sale
• fund-raising dinner parties
• other ideas

2.   Align our membership drive and all our material to our Vision, mission and goals:

• We are first and foremost responsible for being a voice for township issues, other government relations, ratepayers, the environment and support for the GBA and other associations
• We are also a meeting place, the nucleus of our community, the anchor that holds our sense of community and tradition together. The property is a centre around which we build our community. A place to offer our AGM, regatta, fire, safety, health and environmental awareness events.

3.   We are opposed to the idea of two-tier membership based on property usage.

4.   “The Next Generation” membership category

•  a new membership category for young adults
• suggested age and cost: $35 for 35 and under singles, $50 a couple
• a committee of 20’s and 30’s will be struck to promote membership to this group, to be a voice for this age group and to plan programming of particular interest to them
• this creates both additional revenue and membership continuity
• in order for young adults to join within this category, their parents must be members

 5.   Dock to Dock Campaign

• continue the campaign this year and next
• improve it by suggesting that two people go out together
• identify who is working on the campaign and what support they need
• recruit additional ambassadors
• Ted Christie will get us maps of the South Archipelago that will show every property by address which we can key into the roll numbers we already have. We can then colour code each property on a master list showing members, potential members, etc.
• create a simpler handout

6.   Board members and other members host cocktail parties

• Ainslie will design invitation
• every Director will receive 20 invitations to use as hosts or to recruit hosts among their friends
• a way to get to know your neighbours
• emphasize ratepayers, government relations, environment, and fire and safety issues

7.   A simple new flyer will be created and distributed in creative ways (Ainslie and Peter Storms to design)

• ask each marina to send it out with their first bill of the season
• Are you a member yet? it will ask.
• here are the issues and 5 or 6 pointed questions
• advertisers in our yearbook will be asked to send them out with their invoices

8.   Solicit members from Yankanuck, Pennsylvania Club and Iron City

9.   Work in conjunction with the Program Committee to create programs that will generate more interest among our members and attract new members, based on community-building and education, i.e., we are not a social club, we are a community; the social events are a bonus, an extra for those who want to participate

• Bring people together for speakers, expeditions, nature hikes etc.

10.  Advertise the regatta better

• teams drop off separate “friendly flyer” dock to dock, encouraging non-member families to come to regatta
• flyer available at all marinas and other key locations

 11.  Improve website usage

• blogs
• car pooling
• other ideas

 12.  Encourage cottage and island sharing families to join, not just the clan heads

 13.  Educate people that the property was purchased because the opportunity arose, a unique once-only opportunity to acquire the property for the SSCA in perpetuity and thereby prevent its being developed into marinas, stores, condos and other commercial uses.