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I haven?t seen Jill?s letter to
affiliates. It is my understanding
now, from Jill?s response, the request in the letter is to ask clubs to send the
typical memorial donations or donations for any cause to AIS without designating
any restriction as to purpose.
I?ve been asking my club to do so for memorial contributions for a couple
years now.
And there certainly is merit to
any club or region who can just make a donation to help offset the projected
deficit for 2010. However, I think
there is a way to make memorial donations to AIS generate MORE of a benefit in
the long run than just offsetting a deficit.
AIS needs membership, as
membership has been declining on a steady trend for a decade. The membership chair has projected a loss
for this next year at another 329 members lost. As membership falls, so does the
advertising benefit to commercial gardens or vendors decline. An advertiser today reaches only 4,692
households, whereas an advertisement reached as many as 8,000 households in many
years past.
If clubs are able to contribute to
AIS, perhaps if they sent in those funds to specifically enroll 2 or MORE
members (2 times $25=$50). With 169
affiliated clubs, that could potentially mean 338 additional members, maybe
more! To be fair, Clubs could
have a simple drawing for their members who were non-AIS members. If continued for subsequent years, each
year the drawing would be for non-AIS members. This would give an opportunity to
a couple of local club members to see what the AIS bulletin provides to them?
and hopefully, some of them would then want to continue their membership in
years to come on their own. Wouldn't that
be great?
Kitty
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