Re: Decline is not innevitable

[Robert Pries <robertpries@embarqmail.com>]

Clarence; Whether we agree on paper size or not I fully agree with you point
about local clubs. I would say they are ten times more important. Somehow we
seem to have lost the art or the motivation within the local clubs that was
present 20 years ago. I suppose that if we could somehow encourage local clubs
once again all would be better but I can only easily effect my own local club.
I was very proud of Susan Grigg a couple of weeks ago when she signed up 3 new
AIS members at the ENCIS plant sale. She has been a stalwart for ENCIS. I was
struck by the fact that even though she showed each new member the AIS
bulletin their reply was essentially they could care less. they were joining
because they wanted contact with local Iris growers. As I say I believe the
Affiliates are ten times more effective than the national organization in
getting new members. I would value input on how the national could help the
affiliates achieve gains in membership. If the society is failing it is not
only from the top down but from the ground up.

----- Original Message -----
From: cemahan@aol.com
To: aisdiscuss@aisboard.org
Sent: Sunday, August 2, 2009 9:08:29 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: Re: [AISdiscuss] Decline is not innevitable

Changing the size of the Bulletin or the designation from month of issue to
the season will neither attract not one new member. Nor will it prompt any
member to renew his/her membership. The?most effective approaches?to gaining
new members?are organizing more local societies, having iris shows and rhizome
sales at places that attract large crowds, having fall iris shows, and getting
garden writers for local papers to write article about irises and AIS. After
you gain a new member, ask him/her to be a clerk at a show or do another job
at a show or sale...i.e. involve them. All written, in my humble opinion, of
course.:)


-----Original Message-----
From: Robert Pries <robertpries@embarqmail.com>
To: AISdiscuss <aisdiscuss@aisboard.org>
Sent: Sat, Aug 1, 2009 5:13 pm
Subject: [AISdiscuss] Decline is not innevitable



I hear too often that plant societies are in decline as if this were just the
innevitable situation in todays present economy. Of course this is not true.
The plant societies that have refused to change are in decline, yes,B and
this
is a majority. but there are many examples of where plant or gardening
societies have made changes and are beginning to show growth again. Of course
some have made shanges but they still have problems, perhaps because they
haven't changed enough and others have seemed to get much right quickly and
are really growing rapidly. And then there are those who refused to change
but
balme their failure on society not caring anymore. I don't believe we should
view ourselves as in competition with any of these groups. I do think that
paying attention to their successes and failuresB can help us analyze our own
situation. I am afraid the desire to keep everything the same may try to
justify that position by saying that all is hopeless. it is not. It may not
be
easy, but we really have no excuse for own present situation than our own
lack
of determination to be all that we can be as they say in the army ads.

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