Whats your club like?

[BeardedBowman]

My club is a 5 iron, pulls a bit to the left coz its a bit bent....

[its my party and]

We seem to be very lucky at Westcott on every night of the last beginners course we have just finished I had at least 10 helpers for 10 archers and a county coach looking over me as well. It worked very well and I was able to swap helpers in and out on a three end basis. This gave them all some experience of teaching and what to look for and I was able to instruct at a distance and have it backed up by the helpers on the line as I worked my way down the line. And on our last night "Meet the beginners" the notice was on the board for a week and we had 15 club members come and shoot. This was fantastic as it is not normally so well attended. Communication would seem to be very important and I am going to get together a newsletter where we can highlight things like work parties and get positive or negative results.
As for incentives we offer a yearly payment scheme for shooting fees which sets your shooting fees for the year, unless you help and are at the club on a regular basis then you don't get the benefit from this. I can honestly say it has probably saved me in the region of two thirds of what I would have had to pay had I been on the pay as you go scheme. Mind you I probably shoot more than anyone else!
Some of the things our work parties have done this year is
Install a new kitchen.
Paint the floor in the hall
Resurrect our beginners kit bow strings and re-fletch the arrows etc.
Install a new heating system in the hall.
Redo the field course (loose description as I wasn't there for this one)
Next is a new water main to the new kitchen and refurb of some form of the gents toilet
Boss straitening afternoon and setting with PVA.
We regulary have boss turning (5 permenant indoor bosses) and cleaning sessions by the committee. But one thing I will say is beginners coming into the club are the way forward get them involved asap and they will feel a part and will help out at the drop of a hat. Then again I often turn up at the club at different times of the day and find some lone member painting or doing some maintenance. There is a real feeling of belonging.

[Hodgelett]

Ditto on the shipping container. We did have a wooden shed and a toilet that were torched. The same time as a local Travelodge was too. We've replaced the shed now though.
We've had lottery funding for bows and the junior club and fingers crossed for our own indoor building.

[Barrythebow]

Dunno yet I haven't been in a club since 1994
Shot as a guest of a Field club twice, next time i will have to join. Looking with an open mind for a Target club in Nottinghamshire. Might join 2 clubs + NFAS & GNAS!

[field archer author]

King Alfred divided his kingdon into 'those who fight, those who work and those who pray.' In our club, as in all others, we have those who shoot, those who work and those who pray that no-one will ask them to work.
When we were a much smaller club, we ruled that no-one who worked paid any subs.(we didn't need money in those days!) Result- almost 100%
turnout for working parties! Now we are a much bigger club, we have more people who work but still have the parasites who never will, or who pretend to their mates that they are club members but never attend anything. It was ever thus!

[madhatter]

We are an NFAS club and have not been going long, we have 7 members, so if we all don't muck in together nothing will get done.......having said that I have been a member of other clubs and yes it's the same old faces that will show up. I now accept this as a fact of life so I do not expect anyone else to do the work. I now get on with doing what is required if others WANT to help thats a bonus.
We are starting to prepare for our first shoot the brain is beginning to whizz

Goshawk Archers

[fordy]

Originally Posted by spavo

My club has great shooting facilities we own thanks to lottery grants our own filed have a nice club house brick built, site office on the main field a river running down the side very peaceful 100 members that enjoy 24/7 365 days a year shooting BUT

and the reason I am writing this is we had a working party last night for an up coming tournament, and again the same old faces come down to help as with any other working parties or helping on beginners course it's always the same old faces down help out time and time again. Despite asking other people for help sending out emails etc.

How does your club over come this?

Should the members that don't help out in anyway pay more?

Is this just our club or is yours the same.

We have exactley the same problem. We now offer a financial incentive to the members that help with an income generating exercise. We share 10% of the revenue with the members that help in the way of discount vouchers off the following years fees.

[spavo]

Thanks some food for thought here seems to me to be honest feed them or bill them and they will come.

[Devon_Archer]

So we are down to the traditional 3 ways of getting someone to do something

Blackmail as in reduction of fees
This method only affects those on low income or those that are really tight

Bullying do it or else
remember people now stand up to bullies and fight back

Be nice
being nice doesn't work, i am not saying that please and thank you aren't always welcome, but you can be over nice

So what works is when all of the club not only thinks it is "their club", it is when it is "their club", then they will know that they feel they belong and want to do it, and take a great pride in being a member of what is going to take over a large part of their lives i.e. archery

Our club actually gets appologies from members when they can't get to do any work, and they all ask what needs doing, and then they do it, and if they don't find me to ask, then they do it anyway, because it just needs doing

Give them a club to be proud in, and they will take pride in not only being a member but in being the club

[pantherman]

Blackmail?
More apeasement for the one's who do the work!!!!!!
We've had people turn up and wait for the work to finish so they can shoot.
(You know who you are blbs members.)